Water-conscious beauty

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Food for thought

July 5, 2020

Water-conscious beauty

New generations are more aware of the way they consume and the impact the products they use have on environment. One particular need has emerge : to have more water-conscious products. This desire has both ethical and practical reasons.

Ethically, consuming less water, for product formulation as well as during production process, goes along with climate change awareness and realizing that water is a precious commodity. Industry leaders themselves have decided to join the effort : L’Oréal by reducing its water consumption by 60% (per finished product unit) by next year and Unilever by setting goals to half the environmental impact (including water usage) of the making and use of its products by 2030.

On the practical side, when you know that about 70% of your standard skincare product is made of water, essentially as a filler, you realize that the actual ingredients supposed to treat and enhance your skin represent less than a third of the bottle. So when a brand decides to replace water by pure ingredients (oils, botanical extracts,…), you get a formula that is non-diluted and potentially more potent for the skin.

The waterless trend originated a few years back in Asia, and has now spread globally. Let’s have a look at some innovative brands experimenting with waterless skincare and cosmetics across the world :

FRUDIA – SOUTH KOREA
Frudia employs a patented technology, namely R VITA W™. It consists in extracting pure fruit juice at low temperatures without losing nutrients and vitamins in fruits. The brand utilizes the extracted juice as a base water instead of using purified water. They have various lines made of key ingredients like blueberry, green grape, pomegranate, citrus and avocado and each of these lines targets a specific skin concern.

WHAMISA – SOUTH KOREA
Whamisa offers a range of ‘water’-free skincare products using botanical extracts instead of traditional purified water. It uses a natural fermentation process to distill and preserve the potency of selected natural ingredients, such as aloe leaf extract, maple sap or natto gum. Their best sellers include an oil-based make-up remover, a flower essence toner and a moisturizing day cream.

LOLI BEAUTY – USA
LOLI Beauty sources organic, wild-harvested ingredients that are raw, fair trade, non-GMO and up-cycled from food to create a waterless skincare line. The brand uses an on-demand water approach where you add a dose of water every use to activate the powered products, rather than drowning them. To create a fully circular business model the brand packages its waterless products in reusable glass jars with fully compostable labels, packaged in compostable bags and recycled boxes.

PINCH OF COLOUR – USA
Pinch of Colour offers a range of lipsticks and a skin serum formulated without water, instead using oils, butters and botanical ingredients to hydrate the lips and skin and flatter the face. The brand also strives to educate consumers on water and natural resources conservation, dedicating a big part of its communication to scarcity awareness and philanthropy involvement.

GUY MORGAN – UK
The London based brand developed a trio of face masks that come in powder form – designed to be manually mixed and applied topically. Guy Morgan believes that zero water cuts out the need for preservatives, which are some of the most common reasons behind skin allergies and irritations. His products can be mixed with plant-based oils for people who want to completely avoid water.

ETHIQUE – NEW ZEALAND
Ethique uses biodegradable ingredients and compostable packaging to make solid bars that leave no trace. The brand is using only plant-based and vegan ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa butter and essential oils, little to no preservatives, no palm oil and no water. Not only does the products leave no trace but they are also very easy to transport without the risk of spillage and the size limit of carry-ons in airplanes.