Not true. In fact, they are chemically different and possess different properties. And here’s the real shocker: Many medical professionals believe that using either to clean an injury area is actually a bad thing because they may harm tissue and delay healing.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen. Its chemical symbol is H202, and many scientists refer to it as oxygenated water. It has become a staple of modern medicine cabinets, used to treat the scrapes, cuts and minor injuries that occur from playing, running, working and simply living.
The type of hydrogen peroxide sold in stores is formulated for home use and diluted to 3 percent to 10 percent of its pure form. That’s according to the AOCS, a trade organization that promotes the fats, oils, surfactants and related industrial materials. The AOCS puts annual hydrogen peroxide consumption at roughly 2 million tons in the United States.
Beyond its use as medicine, it used in jet fuel, as a bleaching agent on wool and human hair, an industrial cleaning solvent, a teeth bleaching agent, a water purifier in industrial settings, and for etching in manufacturing.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a form of ethyl alcohol. The rubbing alcohol used at home is called isopropyl alcohol and is very poisonous, which means you can’t consume it. Instead, it is used occasionally as a rubdown lubricant for massages and once was used as a low-tech fever reducer, because it would dissolve on skin and presumably lower body temperature.