Water is one of the most omnipresent ingredients in cosmetic formulations, but the tide may be turning against this ubiquitous personal care ingredient. With the world officially in a state of crisis over collective water usage, cosmetic companies are now seeking to create water-free formulas to appease concerned consumers and reduce their overall environmental impact.
Why water?
Water typically comprises 70-80% of almost every single personal, skincare, or makeup product available on the market, from lipstick to shaving gel to facial moisturizer.
Water allows water-soluble ingredients to be added into a formula and can help create a pleasing texture, while reducing the greasiness, heaviness, or weightiness of a product enriched with oils or emulsifiers.
Plus, water is one of the best ways to increase the volume of product. For formulators, water is truly one of the best, most cost-efficient, and readily available ingredients to use in cosmetic production today.
Why water-free?
Water typically comprises 70-80% of almost every single personal, skincare, or makeup.
However, with 1.1 billion people currently living without clean drinking water, and that number set to rise in the coming years, water is poised to become “the new luxury item,” for cosmetic products, according to Mintel. In tandem with dwindling natural resources, consumer concern about the consequences of globally mismanaged freshwater sources is also growing.
With international water consumption now set to outpace commodity, personal care formulators are taking note – and seeking to create anhydrous, or water-free, products.
So what are three key factors behind the water-free movement?
#1 – Staying green
The consumer concern over water usage in cosmetic production can be linked to the sustained consumer interest in green, natural, and organic products over the past few years. At a time when many consumers are interested in reducing their environmental impact in the bathroom, at the makeup vanity, or at the drugstore, water-free products are seen as an excellent option for conserving a precious natural resource. In fact, Mintel found that 27% of consumers are now trying to reuse or use less water.
#2 – Concentration on personalization
Additionally, consumers are latching on to the no-water trend, thanks to their craving for concentrated versions of personal care products. The rise of powder, dry, and semi-solid cosmetic formulations is not just linked to the eco-beauty movement, but also to the ongoing personalization trend.
Concentrated versions of products allow consumers to mix and match everything from soap to foundation to the specific strength and quantity they desire, and this “You Be The Chemist” approach creates a true sense of ownership over a product. Water-free cosmetic product formulations, often found in powdery or dry formats, tap right into that consumer desire to personalize, personalize, personalize their grooming routines.
#3 – The luxury angle
Finally, water-free products are also gaining in popularity due to the current influencer and consumer view that water-free products are richer and more luxurious. Lacking the typical volumizer of water, anhydrous products are typically thicker and creamier and can impart a “rich” feeling both externally – and internally for consumers. Many consumers are excited by the prospect of purchasing a water-free product packed with heftier doses of oils, extracts, and active ingredients, and will happily shell out the cash for a prestige, water-free item that can deliver.
As the water-free formulation trend gains more momentum, expect to see more high-end, prestige bar products like lotion, soap, shampoo bars gain increased consumer favor.
Are we heading for a water-free future?
As the water-free movement grows, major formulators and brands are diving into the anhydrous pool. Mega-brand L’Oreal has pledged to reduce total water consumption by 60% since 2050. And, in a similar vein, Hindustan Unilever’s smart water initiative has reduced the company’s water usage up to 55% since 2008.
Many other skincare and makeup brands are also offering new, water-free products to appease their environmentally conscious consumers and cut back on the H20. RMS Beauty, Pai Skincare, Dr. Lancer, Bobby Brown, Maybelline, NYX, Makeup Forever, Farmacy, and Charlotte Tilbury are just a few of the brands on the water-free wagon.
As the future of the world’s fresh water supply remains uncertain, and customers endeavor to reduce their environmental impact, the water-free formulation movement will continue to steadily pick up speed, and affect the innovation of new personal care, skin care, and cosmetic products for many years to come.
