Waterless Beauty

Regis Highlander April 4, 2022

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.

Things You Can Do for Sustainability Day

Regis Highlander October 26, 2021

By Labina Tasfia, Staff Writer

Sustainability can be defined as the balance between environment, equity and economy. In the context of the 21st century, it means providing for the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to survive and meet their needs. Sustainability Day was created to remind the community of the importance of caring for the environment and the steps to do so. This day is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of October. So, with the current state the world is in right now, I wanted to make a list of some things we could do to make our lives more sustainable and take a small step towards saving our environment. Because, as Robert Swan had said, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone will save it.”

Going Vegan

Regis Highlander March 11, 2021

By: Alaina Valdespino, Staff Writer and Photographer

According to Vegan News, over 9 million people identify as vegan or plant-based in the United States and that number is only increasing. In the past year alone, there has been more than a 300% increase in the amount of people that are vegan in America. As astonishing as those numbers are, the reasons why are even more so. From health benefits to environmental reasons, going vegan is trending, and will continue to do so for years to come.

The most common questions asked by non-vegans to vegans is why? Why change my entire lifestyle in order to avoid things I’ve been eating my whole life?

National Climate Assessment Paints Bleak Future for America

Regis Highlander December 5, 2018

By: Paul Hunter, Practicum Reporter

Despite years of scientists’ warnings, the United States has neglected to make combatting climate change a priority. According to the National Climate Assessment, a report released by the government, the United States is headed for economic, health, and environmental disaster by 2100. The report also clarified the role of humans in climate change and highlighted recent events that were exacerbated by the effects of climate change.

For the past 12 years, scientists have measured the effects of climate change to predict the outcomes of current degradation. The report is released every four years. This year, the report, which was commissioned by the Administration, paints a bleak picture. In the first paragraph of the report summary, it states, “Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.” The following section highlights the ways climate change disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized around the world.

Released on the popular American holiday called Black Friday, the report has been scrutinized by some as having been buried. Al Gore, former Vice President and creator of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” called out President Donald Trump on Twitter saying, “The President may try to hide the truth, but his own scientists and experts have made it as stark and clear as possible.”

The release of the report follows comments by Trump claiming that forest fires in California are happening more often because the National Forest Service fails to rake its forests.

Just before the release of the climate assessment, Trump posted on twitter, “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS - Whatever happened to Global Warming?” The tweet has close to 30,000 retweets and 115,000 likes.

The climate assessment describes climate change’s effects on communities, the economy, water, health, indigenous peoples, ecosystem services, agriculture, infrastructure, oceans and coasts, and tourism and recreation. It links them all together in a final section titled “Interconnected Impacts.” In this section, the report shows how all effects are not singular; they are all interconnected and affect one-another.

The report predicts that annual deaths due to climate change will rise to the thousands by 2100. It also calculates the economic impacts of climate change on the United States, claiming that losses due to climate change will increase from the current $280 billion to $500 billion per year if we remain on the current path. On a local level, the report predicts detrimental impacts on the water supply for the West. Lake Meade has already witnessed a 60 percent loss in volume since the turn of the millennium.

The National Climate Assessment ended the report with recommendations on strategies, claiming that local governments will be the primary drivers of the green movement and adaptation. It addresses perceived challenges with potential solutions. From much of the content, it’s clear the biggest challenge for policy-makers will be getting taxpayers to agree to costly, but necessary adaptation policy.