Good old water has been the base for beauty products for years. But now, waterless skincare is taking over.
However, you must understand what you're getting into with waterless skincare. You also need to know why our long-time friend, water, might not be the best skincare base anymore.
So,
Many skincare products list water as the first ingredient on the list. This means it makes up about 80% of the beauty product. So naturally, this leads us to the question - how much of the other active ingredients are present?
Generally, water dilutes active ingredients in products. So that's why you have 80-95% water in your body/facial cream, shower gels, shampoo, conditioner, facial toners, and so on. Unfortunately, this also means that you're barely getting any of the good stuff.
Yes, water is used for skin care products because it's available, cheap, can spread easily, and allows for consistency in application. Plus, it hydrates and refreshes the skin.
However, the skin naturally repels water. So the active ingredients in water-based beauty products do not penetrate the deeper layers of the skin properly.
Hence why penetrating ingredients are added to beauty products to aid penetration. Still, it doesn't make the mixture any more effective because it is majorly diluted.
On the flip side, less concentration of active ingredients isn't altogether a bad thing. For one, some active ingredients are actually more effective in their diluted form. Also, water reduces the concentration of these ingredients, making them usable and tolerable.
However, ironically, overusing water can cause dry skin. This probably sounds strange since water is generally the first thing you reach for when you have a parched throat. But it’s true. Using water too often strips off the skin's protective natural oils leaving it dry and even flaky.
So even though water is good for staying hydrated, it's not the best option for skincare products. Experts even claim that water used topically can be detrimental to the skin, especially if it’s hard water.
Also, health-wise, bacteria tend to be present where there is water , and this is never good for the skin. To help this, most beauty products contain preservatives, such as paraben, which can be harmful to your health.
Now, apart from cosmetic reasons, companies are opting for waterless skincare brands to save the planet. We must remember that clean, usable water is becoming a finite resource. In fact, it is estimated that by 2025, the world is going to go into a water scarcity crisis. And approximately 1.8 billion will really take the hit.
Considering how only 1% of the 3% freshwater we have on the planet is accessible for use, we do have a crisis at hand. And seeing that we all need water to survive, it must be conserved in the best way possible.
Even the beauty industry agrees with this. And that's why top beauty companies are beginning to produce more waterless skincare products. Let's just say that the new hashtag in the beauty industry is 'waterless skincare.'
What started in South Korea in 2015 has quickly gained traction all over the beauty industry. And it's easy to see why. The benefits of waterless skincare products are plenty and undaunting.
Waterless or ‘anhydrous’ beauty is about creating and using beauty products that are, well, waterless. So, perhaps you’ve been wondering, why is waterless skincare good? Let’s go ahead and look into some of those waterless skincare benefits.
As a water substitute, waterless skincare brands use healthy oils and calming natural ingredients as a base. And as a result, the beauty products have more potent actives because they aren't diluted. There's also no need for preservatives or fillers because the absence of water in the waterless skincare products means little to no bacterial growth.
These concentrated ingredients help protect the skin from harm or skin irritation that sometimes occurs due to preservatives in beauty products.
Now, when you're using a waterless skincare product, you know that all the active ingredients are concentrated and properly infused into your skin. And this gives you a better, faster, and more powerful skincare result.
Waterless beauty comes in different forms like concentrated oil, powder, butter, balms, and so on. And these can be included in all beauty products, including hair products which traditionally, are better and healthier.
Using waterless skincare brands has a direct impact on the environment. Less water in beauty products means more water for other uses, especially drinking.
Also, waterless beauty products come in more compact containers. This means less plastic required to contain them and a reduction in consumer carbon footprint. And since the packaging is smaller, it requires less shipping space and therefore less fuel.
So, not only are these waterless beauty products potent, but they are also eco-friendly.
So ready to begin a waterless skincare routine?
Here are simple ways to go about it:
For your weekly waterless skincare routine, use a powder clay face mask to tackle redness and breakouts. Powdered face masks are are gaining popularity for a number of reasons.
They last longer than liquid masks and because the ingredients are not activated yet it means a longer shelf life and no preservatives. They are also customisable to your skins needs, meaning you can adjust the potency to you needs. Best of all, powder products are travel friendly - not liquids to delay your trek through security.
Our range of powdered face masks are cruelty and palm free.
Daily routine
Your daily cleansing routine starts with our cleanse dust - powdered enzyme cleanser to get rid of dead skin cells and achieve bright, well-moisturised skin.
If you prefer an oil based cleanser our face cleanser + body oil helps to clean annoying blemishes.
Double cleansing? Easy.
Start with our oil based cleanser and finish off with the powdered cleanse.
Treat your dark spots, puffy eyes, and hydrate dry skin with an eye illuminate under-eye repair oil.
Treat your skin or hair with prickly pear hydrating face + hair oil for glossy, soft hair and skin.
Waterless skincare has come to stay. And the waterless skincare benefits listed above should have answered the question, "why is waterless skincare good?”
We are all about sustainable and clean skincare and waterless skincare helps fight that cause. Our array of waterless beauty products are infused with great potent ingredients for the best results in skin and hair care.
Check out our products here.
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