NO TO H20
By Danielle Hadley
Water has been used as a base ingredient in skin
care for decades. It’s cheap, easy to obtain (for
now), doesn’t cause sensitivity when used topi-
cally, and rarely clashes with active ingredients,
making it a no-brainer when it comes to formu-
lating a new game-changing product. This
reliance on water, however, also comes with its
negatives. Aside from the potential environmen-
tal costs, products laden with water require more
sophisticated packaging to keep the formula
inside effective and they weigh more so they
cost more to ship around the world. Including
water in a product also takes up valuable space
on the ingredients list that could go to better
skin-boosting actives, plus water can be drying
for the skin when used in large quantities.
Enter waterless skin care. A new breed of topical
products that not only transform the skin but are
much more eco-friendly. According to Mintel’s
latest trend report, 13% of UK consumers are
interested in dry use bath and body products,
with this number rising to 24% in those aged
16-24. This means that the next generation will
be looking for skin care brands that utilise water
from other sources (such as lakes, glaciers and
mountain springs) and plant waters that offer
super-strength solutions direct from nature.
So how can you start to cut down on your water
consumption when it comes to skin care? Many
brands are waking up to the fact that too much
water in their products provides little to no
benefit for the skin and is harmful to the planet,
so they have already started developing new and
ISSUE #12 | 2019 | SkinHealthMagazine.com 22
W
ater. It’s everywhere, right, and in
plentiful supply? So much so that it
is probably the most commonly used
ingredient in skin care, making up around 70%
of all your favourite creams, lotions and sun-
screens. While it’s true our planet is mainly blue,
the troublesome fact is that water may soon
become a luxury. The World Wildlife Fund has
revealed that, by 2025, two thirds of the world’s
population could be at risk of water shortages if
our consumption continues at its current rate,
which means it’s time to look at ways to reduce
the amount of water we use on a regular basis
and that goes for your skin care, too.