Waterless beauty 101

It’s a common-known fact that water is an essential component of the human body. It does, after all, make up a major part of our bodies – 79% of our muscles, 73% of our brain and 31% of our bones to be exact.¹ So if water’s so important for most parts of the body, what’s the deal with waterless beauty? Surely water for our skin is a good thing, right?

Here’s the thing, waterless beauty products are actually good for our body and skin and good for the environment too. It’s why they’ve become such a significant beauty trend that’s having a positive impact in so many ways.

Global water shortages have prompted many beauty companies to rethink how they can produce their products while also helping preserve the world’s water supply. According to the World Wildlife Fund, two-thirds of the world’s population may face shortages by 2025, as only 1% of the earth’s water supply is accessible freshwater (the rest is trapped in glaciers and snowfields).²

Surely skincare products don’t contain that much water?

Believe it or not, most skin and body products contain anywhere from 80 to 95% water, while hair shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and facial toners can contain as much as 95 to 97% water.³ As a result, there’s been an upsurge in beauty brands that have boycotted water altogether and switched to producing waterless/water-free formulas,⁴ with the likes of L’Oréal pledging to reduce its water usage by 60% per product by this year.⁵

So, beauty products are being made without water, is that right?

Yes, that’s totally right! In today’s age of continuous development and breakthroughs (beauty industry included) it’s now perfectly possible to create skincare and beauty products sans water. Instead of using water, companies are using botanical ingredients and oils, e.g. rosehip and jojoba to provide the moisture that’s required.

There are some other big benefits to waterless beauty…

Waterless beauty products are concentrated because they haven’t been diluted by the water that’s been used to create them.

While we’re on the subject of benefits, there’s another key one to mention here too.

As crazy as this may sound, water can actually have a drying effect when applied topically to the skin,⁶ despite the fact we all drink the stuff to stay hydrated! (Now you know where the age-old hack of not over washing our face comes from…) Water-based cleansers and moisturisers that contain lots of water, which isn’t referred to as water, but ‘aqua’ on product labels, are said to have the same drying effect too.⁷

They also make the ideal travel companion

We all know that liquids are generally a no-no on planes, which leaves us with that nightmare of a situation where we have to somehow condense down all of our essential skincare and beauty products into teeny tiny containers (an issue that just never seems to get any easier, no matter how many times it happens to us!..)

But that’s where our new best travelling friend, our waterless products, come in real handy. We still get to use our skincare and beauty products - that now contain dry, powdered or condensed ingredients - without having the headache of having to worry about if they’re a liquid or not and how much you’re allowed to decant and take with you.

Before you go….

We’ve talked you through some of the main benefits associated with the waterless beauty trend and now we wanted to show you what it looks like (more specifically, our Clean & Conscious waterless beauty range), all 84 examples of it.

Have a scroll through, you’ll be amazed at how just how many waterless products there are to choose from, and the diverse range of ingredients, such as charcoal, eucalyptus, clary sage, rose, bergamot, grapefruit, rosemary and hemp, that have gone into creating these water-free beauties. With so many different product types and wonderful ingredients to choose from, what’s been achieved so far, and is continuing to be achieved, is pure waterless genius at its very best.

Check out our top waterless beauty products for more insight on waterless beauty, including products from the likes of innovative brands, including True Skincare, Earthkind and Ultra.

Shop Waterless Beauty Products

Last updated: 15 June 2020