What Is Waterless Beauty?

The multi-billion-dollar beauty industry has recently taken it upon themselves to create waterless beauty products in an attempt to save water.

The movement seeks to minimise or eliminate the use of water (aqua) as an ingredient in all beauty products. 

Most products are dependent on water as a base, however in the wake of sustainable beauty, people have noticed it is not a necessary ingredient and would have better use elsewhere.

According to water.org, 844 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and as a consequence to climate change, the numbers are set to increase every year.  

With water scarcity posing as an imminent threat, both companies and consumers are becoming more sustainably savvy by the minute. 

The waterless beauty trend originated in South Korea in 2015, but for less ecological purposes.

Formulabotanica.com stated that South Korea’s initial reason for creating water-free beauty products was to create formulations which were more concentrated and would thus have a deeper impact on skin.

Nowadays, the term waterless beauty is known as one of the many environmentally-friendly beauty movements like circular beauty or vegan beauty.

As it turns out incorporating waterless beauty products into your beauty regime could actually be better for your skin.

Alexia Inge, co-founder of Cult Beauty in London told the UK Telegraph that “many of the preservatives present in your beauty products are there because water encourages bacteria growth…No water means no bacteria, which means no preservatives which equals better skincare.”

At the frontline of the waterless beauty movement are the following big name beauty companies.

L’Oréal claimed to reduce the use of water in their beauty products by 60% per finished product unit by 2020.

Lush’s Naked Range not only promotes waterless beauty products such as solid shower gel bars, hair shampoo and conditioner bars but sells them package-free.

Milk Makeup has created a stick format for easy application of their waterless products such as their Watermelon Brightening Serum Stick and their Matcha Toner Stick.

A lesser known beauty brand, Pinch of Colour have helped to pioneer the water conservation movement further by donating their net proceeds to NGO’s which focus on providing clean water to those in need.

Founder and CEO, Linda Tresker told dazeddigital.com that “Waterless for us is not a trend, it’s a lifestyle, and both consumers and the multi-national companies have to realise that water is the new luxury.”