Water: The Natural Beauty Essential
Water is perhaps the least glamorous ingredient in a cosmetic formula.
It is also one of the most important.
Found in cleansers, lotions, creams, shampoos, soaps and countless other personal-care products, water often forms the foundation of a formulation without receiving much attention.
But water is not merely "filler."
It is a solvent, processing medium and essential part of countless cosmetic formulations.
INCI Name
Aqua
In cosmetic ingredient labelling, water is commonly listed as Aqua.
It may be used to dissolve or disperse water-soluble ingredients, create the aqueous phase of emulsions and help bring a formulation to its intended consistency.
Origin
Water is one of nature's most fundamental substances.
For cosmetic formulation, however, the important question is not simply whether water is "natural." It is whether the water used is appropriately purified and suitable for the intended product.
Cosmetic manufacturers may use purified, deionised, distilled or otherwise treated water depending on the formulation and manufacturing requirements.
Key Skin Benefits
Water itself is not an oil, butter or active treatment ingredient.
Its primary contribution is hydration and formulation functionality.
• Helps hydrate the skin
Water can temporarily increase the water content of the outermost layer of the skin when applied appropriately.
• Acts as a solvent
Many water-soluble cosmetic ingredients can be incorporated into formulations because water provides the medium in which they dissolve.
• Creates the aqueous phase
In lotions and creams, water commonly forms a substantial part of the water phase.
• Supports product texture
The amount of water in a formulation has a major influence on its consistency, spreadability and sensory feel.
How It's Used
Water is used extensively in cleansers, lotions, creams, shampoos, conditioners, gels and many other cosmetic products.
In traditional African black soap-making, water also has a functional role in preparing the alkaline solution from plant ash before saponification.
The amount and quality of water matter enormously. Water-containing cosmetic products generally require appropriate preservation and microbiological control because water can support microbial growth.
Cautions
• Water quality matters.
Not every source of water is appropriate for cosmetic manufacturing.
• Water-containing products require preservation and microbiological control unless another validated system provides adequate protection.
• Water is not automatically moisturising on its own.
Simply applying water to the skin does not necessarily provide lasting moisturisation; the finished formulation determines how hydration is maintained.
• “Natural water” does not automatically mean safer water.
For cosmetic formulation, purity and microbiological quality are more important than whether the water has a particularly exotic source.
The Bareglow Edit
Water is a quiet ingredient.
It rarely appears in marketing headlines. It doesn't sound exotic. And yet, without it, many of the products we use every day would not exist in their familiar forms.
Sometimes the most important ingredient is the one we barely notice.