If one of your New Year's resolutions is to make your beauty routines more environmentally friendly, you might consider switching to anhydrous cosmetics. This peculiar term refers to water-free beauty products that are practical, economical, and eco-friendly. Here's why.
In traditional beauty products, water usually appears at the top of the ingredient list. Just check the composition of your shampoo and conditioner as well as your face cream or body lotion to see that the word Aqua (water in Latin) often appears first among the ingredients.
However, the situation is changing as major cosmetic brands are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues. They are innovating to preserve natural resources such as water. This awareness has given rise to a new rising trend: waterless cosmetics or anhydrous cosmetics.
Because they are by definition devoid of water, anhydrous beauty products have a different texture from their conventional counterparts.
Solid cosmetics in the form of sticks and dermatological bars are the most well-known examples among waterless cosmetics. Now, lip balm is no longer the only beauty product available in stick form. You can buy your day or night cream and even your sunscreen in this format!
In the increasingly extensive ranges of anhydrous cosmetics, there are also many products in the form of powders, such as toothpaste to sprinkle on a wet toothbrush or cleansing powders to apply to a wet face for makeup removal.
Waterless cosmetics offer numerous benefits, not just for the planet! Of course, most women who change their beauty routine and adopt these solid products do so first out of conviction. But, as they strive to be more environmentally friendly, they enjoy beauty products that are more respectful of their skin.
Waterless cosmetics typically have a very natural composition because there is no need to add preservatives in a product that does not contain water. Unlike conventional products, anhydrous formulas contain only active ingredients and few, if any, additives.
However, in conventional beauty products, preservatives and other additives can be allergens. That's why you would do well to follow the anhydrous cosmetic trend if you have sensitive and reactive skin that is easily irritated.
More generally, the absence of preservatives in water-free formulas is beneficial for the skin microbiome, regardless of your skin type. The skin microbiome forms a living barrier or shield that protects the epidermis from allergies and irritations.
Waterless cosmetics' main selling point is being more environmentally friendly. Indeed, by eliminating water from the formula, the product's weight and volume can be reduced by up to 80%.
Waterless formulation thus allows for reduced packaging and plastic waste. Solid hair cosmetics are a prime example. A single bar of solid shampoo or conditioner is equivalent to three 250 ml bottles of liquid shampoo! It can provide between 80 and 100 washes.
For these hair products as well, the absence of water allows for a more natural composition, without sulfates or silicones, which is better for the hair and the planet. Even though they lather less than their traditional counterparts, they are now available for all hair types, including oily, dry, curly, or dandruff-prone hair.
These more compact and travel-friendly products also fit into a zero-waste approach, or at least aim to reduce waste and plastic. For example, solid toothpaste in powder or paste form can save numerous aluminum or plastic tubes.
In an effort to maintain environmental integrity, most brands selling waterless cosmetics package their products in recycled and recyclable cardboard cases. Considering that over 500,000 shower gel bottles are thrown away every day in France, it seems urgent to switch to waterless cosmetics. Have you already made your beauty resolutions this year?
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