I want to ask you a question, and I’d like you to think about it before you answer:
If you answered something other than “water” or “air” we need to realign your priorities.
This weekend the very prestigious Guardian newspaper runs an article close to my heart, Waterless skincare: the beauty firms tapping into ethical cleansing and this is the topic for today’s blog
Why is water so important?
Everyone knows how important water is to survival of every species. The tragedy is with modern living water is becoming a scarce commodity. Estimates I have read online are that one in nine humans, do not have readily access to clean drinking water – something that should be a fundamental human right – but is not.
Why is this important to the beauty industry?
Industrial production of skincare products is extremely energy intensive, especially the process of purifying and deionising water so that it can be used for industrial production.
Why is this relevant? Well, about 60%-80% of your skincare product is water. This is not even the cosmetic industry trying to bulk out the formula (all the time), this is how you would bring water + oil together. You really cannot have an aesthetically pleasing cream or emulsion to use, with 20% water.
But are consumers getting a raw deal?
That’s my perspective. Consumers should not be paying for water but for the nutrient benefit of active ingredients in a product.
What is an anhydrous or waterless product?
“Anhydrous” comes from Greek and literally translates to “containing no water” and is a chemist’s term.
The Guardian newspaper writes that waterless beauty takes the form of (e.g.) bars, powders which eliminate the need for water or water can be added at home.
This view is quite limited, as facial oils, body oils, serums etc as well as balms, butters can all be waterless products.
Why are my skincare formulations waterless?
I thought about this question (a fair bit) and for me it boils down to these overlapping reasons:
No 1: Many many Ayurvedic skincare is waterless
We have a tradition of mind, body and soul care, that uses water to deliver herbs in a particular format but oils and fats to deliver active ingredients to the skin. What do they know that modern science does not? I am hedging my bets on thousands of years of skincare, and so are the thousands of non-Indian brands that heavily borrow from Ayurveda
No 2: I can make products that are jam packed with Active Ingredients
When you buy my formulations, you are not paying for water – your paying for products that are a powerhouse of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants because there is simply no water.
No 3: Skin cells have a lipid barrier
The lipid barrier is made of fatty acids and oils are also made up of triglycerides (fatty acids and glycerol). In fact, compounds such as jojoba oil have similar composition to the lipid structure of your skin, meaning that they are easily absorbed and depending on the composition of the oil/butter can penetrate deeper layers of the skin, without expensive penetration enhancers.
No 4: Waterless manufacturing, can use less energy than conventional cosmetic manufacturing…
So technically better for the environment!
Source: Waterless skincare: the beauty firms tapping into ethical cleansing