Rubbing alcohol, USP / B.P. is a liquid prepared and used primarily for topical application. It is prepared from a special denaturized alcohol solution and contains 97.5-100% by volume of pure, concentrated ethanol (ethyl alcohol)[1]. Individual manufacturers can use their own "formulation standards" in which the ethanol content usually ranges from 70-99% v/v.[citation needed] In the UK the equivalent skin preparation is surgical spirit which is always based on an ethyl alcohol-methyl alcohol mixture.

The term "rubbing alcohol" has become a general non-specific term for either isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) or ethyl alcohol (ethanol) rubbing-alcohol products. The confusion comes from the greater popularity of isopropyl rubbing alcohol, and as a result, individuals requesting "rubbing alcohol" generally expect and get an isopropyl alcohol product. However, the British Pharmacopoeia and United States Pharmacopeia standards (standards recognized in many countries other than just the UK and USA) define rubbing alcohol as a mixture of ethanol and water of fixed proportions