Flower Water or Floral Liqueur
Most ingredient lists for flower water prominently feature "ethanol." It's therefore not hard to imagine that flower water might share some characteristics with alcohol. So, how much alcohol is actually in flower water?
Most manufacturers do not disclose the alcohol content in their flower water (some online sources claim around 70%).However, news reports have documented cases where individuals were ignited after using flower water. (To verify its flammability, I personally purchased a well-known Shanghai brand and conducted experiments. Indeed, whether spraying flower water directly onto a flame or applying it as a film and exposing it to a lighter, ignition occurred effortlessly.)
Many people have observed that at room temperature, only high-proof spirits ignite easily, while low-proof alcohols resist burning. In ancient Western cultures, this principle was used to verify the strength of spirits. Therefore, since flower water ignites at room temperature, its alcohol content likely isn't negligible. So, could excessive use of flower water cause intoxication?
The Intoxicating Floral Water
For most adults, floral water is applied externally and in limited quantities, so it does not cause intoxication. However, this is not the case for infants and young children.
In the early 1990s, scientists first confirmed through an infant case study that alcohol can be absorbed through the skin.Infants and young children have delicate skin with a thin stratum corneum, making their skin absorption capacity far stronger than adults'. Additionally, their liver detoxification and metabolic capabilities are still underdeveloped, making them more susceptible to alcohol accumulation and even poisoning. Clinically, cases of poisoning due to improper alcohol sponge baths after fever in children are not uncommon [4]. News reports have also documented incidents where parents caused children to fall into comas after excessive use of flower water.
Furthermore, certain individuals exhibit heightened sensitivity or even allergies to alcohol, necessitating caution when using body lotions and other alcohol-containing daily products.
Mosquito Repellent Safety
Numerous commercially available body lotions incorporate mosquito repellent ingredients, primarily DEET (diethyltoluamide) or BAAPE (bacitracin aluminum phosphate).These substances disrupt mosquito olfactory receptors, preventing them from accurately locating their "prey."
As the most classic and widely used mosquito repellent, DEET has been in use for nearly 70 years and is well-studied.Generally, applying DEET at concentrations of 10%-30% directly to the skin is very safe for both children and adults. However, in recent years, as the effects of DEET on the body's mental and nervous systems have been gradually discovered, countries have imposed increasing restrictions on its concentration in commercial products. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding such products for infants under 2 months old.
According to the World Health Organization's safety assessment summary of DEET [8], DEET shows no significant irritation or toxicity to human skin. In animal testing, its median lethal dose (LD₅₀) is 14 milliliters per kilogram of body weight—far exceeding the amount used in floral waters. Compared to DEET, DEET offers longer-lasting mosquito repellency with minimal physiological impact, leading to its growing market share.