Polyvinyl alcohol?

Question

what effect does it have on the skin, doesn't alcohol dry your skin out and make you look older?

Answer 1

Polyvinyl alcohol is very different from other alcohols. The most important difference is that it is a polymer, which is a huge molecule that does not evaporate into the air; unlike rubbing alcohol which will evaporate easily. In its pure state, polyvinyl alcohol is a solid which likes to absorb water from the air (aka "humectant"). Polyvinyl alcohol is one of the few polymers that are freely dissolvable in water, and when the water of a polyvinyl alcohol solution dries, a solid thin clear film is left behind; unless some other additives are present, such as glycerin, which can keep the polyvinyl alcohol film from turning hard.