Many mass produced and mass marketed personal care products contain denatured alcohol. What exactly is denatured alcohol? Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol. the same alcohol found in spirit beverages, but it has been mixed with an ingredient to make it toxic. The purpose for this is so that the alcohol cannot be used as a source of untaxed drinking spirit. What is used to denature alcohol? According to Wikipedia:

There are diverse industrial uses for ethanol, and therefore literally hundreds of recipes for denaturing ethanol. Typical additives are methanol, isopropanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, denatonium, and even (uncommonly) aviation gasoline.

The most common denatured alcohol has historically been made by mixing 10% methanol into the ethyl alcohol. This was then labeled as methylated spirits. The 10% methanol effectively makes the ethanol poisonous. Methanol, when oxygenated becomes in part formaldehyde. Yes, the same chemical used to embalm bodies as it is a deadly poison. So, why is denatured alcohol used these commercial personal care products? It is cheaper than using ethyl alcohol as the denatured alcohol cannot be consumed.

So the next time you read the labels on your personal care products, think about denatured alcohol. The skin, as the body's largest organ makes an excellent delivery system that can easily transport undesirable chemicals right through the skin and into the bloodstream.