Cetearyl alcohol is not really an alcohol (such as rubbing alcohol) which would definitely dry the skin. It is an emulsifying wax, made by combining fatty alcohols from vegetable sources. Emulsifiers are what we use to keep the oil and water components bound together as a smooth lotion. The one we've chosen to use is called Sugarmulse and is derived from plant sugars. The INCI name for Sugarmulse is Cetearyl alcohol and Cetearyl glucoside. For more information on Sugarmulse, visit the Herbarie website.