Lotions, moisturisers, cleansers, deodorants, make-up, oral hygiene products... water is the foundation of virtually all types of cosmetic products. Often considered the main ingredient compared to all others and the first term at the top of the INCI list, a skincare product can contain from 60 to 95% water depending on the category. For instance, rinse-off hair care products, shower gels, serums or cleansers can contain up to 95% water, while balms and ointments may only contain 60%.
Only mixtures of vegetable and/or mineral oils, "greasy" treatments (lipsticks, sun oils, etc.), perfumes, solid formats, and anhydrous galenicals (powders, blushes, etc.) can do without it.
Water is primarily used as a solvent. In other words, it helps to dissolve water-soluble active ingredients. It also plays a role in the extraction and production of many natural raw materials, sometimes in combination with other solvents (ethanol, glycerine, etc.). In addition to controlling their fluidity to facilitate their application and distribution on the skin or hair, water primarily helps to control the consistency of skincare products. For example, when combined with emulsifiers, water can be mixed with thicker-textured ingredients, such as butters, waxes, and oils, to form emulsions. Similarly, in the case of a gel, water is used to serve as a base for gelling agents to establish the structure of the skincare product.
Some cosmetic skincare formulas replace the standard water added to the formulation with water obtained from plant sources (hydrosol), thermal water, sea water or cellular water, which are rich in minerals and trace elements, thus becoming an active ingredient.
What about the quality of water used to formulate cosmetic products?
The water used in the formulation of cosmetics is not ordinary tap or bottled water. Only water free from toxins, pollutants and microbes, as well as calcium and heavy metals (lead, copper, etc.) in small quantities is used in the formulation of cosmetic products. The water used for this purpose is also referred to as "distilled water", "deionised water", "demineralised water" or "purified water".
Purified and sterile, water confers no specific properties to the product, thus it is referred to as a 'dead' ingredient.
How is the water used in cosmetic care products obtained?
While it is the fundamental ingredient in most cosmetics, water undergoes various treatments to achieve sterilised, pure, and cosmetic-grade quality before being incorporated into skincare formulas. This is to meet high purity requirements as per cosmetic standards, such as those defined by the European Pharmacopoeia.
Water Softeners: This technique utilises an ion-exchange resin to specifically replace unwanted ions, namely calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+), with sodium (Na+) which are less reactive. However, the resulting water is not completely demineralised, as it still contains sodium ions and possibly other minerals. Nevertheless, this helps to reduce the hardness of the water.