By: Vivian Pham, Staff Writer
Water undeniably plays an important role in every producing stage of a product: from collecting and processing raw material to packaging, shipping and even customers’ consumption. If a makeup product contains little or no water at all, what is it like? The answer is waterless beauty/cosmetics. It’s beyond a beauty trend, it’s the key to environmental issues and global concerns.
What are waterless cosmetics?
Linda Treska, the founder of Pinch of Colour, stated that water serves as a popular filler ingredient, and it makes up 70% – 80% of the total component. Water also serves as a solvent which dissolves raw and active ingredients and blends them together. Besides, water-based products create a soothing texture which makes it easier for customers to apply on their skin.
However, is water a necessity in beauty products? According to Susanne Langmuir – CEO of AN/HYDRA – water is an ideal environment for bacteria growth, and manufacturers have to include a preservative to suppress the growth of bacteria in the product.
Duy Khanh – co-founder of Skinlosophy – shared that contrary to the common perception that the more water a product contains, the more hydrated the skin. In fact, water evaporates, leaving the active ingredients and the remaining elements which are the main ingredients that keeps the skin hydrated. Additionally, consumers use a greater quantity of water-based cosmetics, leading to an increase in packaging and containers. Duy Khanh claimed that the efficiency and sustainability of water is not as much as it seems to be, and so the beauty industry is gradually shifting to waterless products. This leads to two types of formula:
1. Formula for cake or bar form: soap bars, salt baths, bar-form cleansers, etc. These products need to be used with water.
2. Formula for extractions, natural extracts replacing water. These products are denser than water-based products like cream or toner, more expensive, but more efficient using a smaller quantity.
The benefit of waterless cosmetics
According to the Autoimmune Association, preservatives in water-based products such as parabens are likely causing the immune system to weaken and reproductive disorders. Furthermore, Dr. Heather L. Brannon believes that water evaporation will take away your natural oil layer on your skin, hence making your skin drier.
Dr. Dennis Gross stated that over the past decades, manufacturers use saturated water with more calcium, metals, and minerals. This blocks collagen production and causes skin irritations. Hard water – water that has high mineral content – also causes clogged pores which makes your skin more susceptible to acne. Therefore, alternative ingredients such as coconut oil, argan oil, etc. will be excellent remedies. A study from Dr. Susan Hewlings showed that pure coconut oil is antibacterial and antifungal. Dermatologist Corey L. Hartma claimed that argan oil is rich in omega-3 and omega-9, thus providing moisture for the skin and the hair. Dr. Stacy Chimento also added that argan oil can prevent wrinkles on the skin, promote collagen-production as well as preserving melanin pigment to prevent hair damage.
How to recognize waterless products
To recognize waterless products, the simplest way is to look at the ingredients. Water-based products have words like “water” or “aqua”. It could also be “agua” in Spanish, or “l’eau” in French.
Waterless products will replace water with natural extractions or vegetable oil (argan, aloe vera, jojoba, etc.). Because water is removed, the product will be denser, so that every time you use it, a small quantity would be enough.