Waterless Beauty 2.0: Exploring the Future of Formulation

Waterless Beauty 2.0, and the Future of Formulation

With the rising demand for sustainability in the beauty industry, waterless beauty products have emerged as a promising solution. Initially popularised in the organic category, the trend has now extended to mass and luxury offerings. However, formulating waterless or water-free products presents its own set of challenges and opportunities. In this article, we delve into the insights shared by industry experts during the recent event MakeUp in Paris, shedding light on the complexities, innovations, and future prospects of waterless beauty formulations.

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re-sources: what are the main challenges of formulating waterless or water-free formulas?

Waterless beauty represents a major consumption trend in the market. Focusing on formulating waterless or water-free products, for skin care or body care applications, either in leave-on or rinse-off products.

According to Orietta Riccaboni from OPAC, working on solid cosmetics, such as loose or compressed powders, or anhydrous formulas (without water), brings new challenges in terms of creating innovative gestures. It's also important to educate consumers on these new gestures that need a push for adoption. It's a journey as she explained.
The main focus remains on sensoriality to ensure that rehydrating products perform and feel the same way that regular skincare would.

Anne Rutigliano from Groupe Anjac highlights the limited choice of active ingredients. In effect, it’s a relatively new way of formulating (2 or 3 years old), and most ingredients have been developed to work in adequation with water or with a moisturising agent. Working without water imposes the search for new ingredients, and especially new actives. The sensorial challenges associated with formulating without water are also non-negligible considering the level of sensoriality currently available in the market to which consumers are used to.

Gaelle André from MS Beautilab emphasizes the need to strike a balance between innovation and consumer understanding. She explained that moving too fast into a new era might be detrimental with regard to innovations. We all know that an innovation can be adopted if it arrives at market maturity. Again, waterless formulas are still new, and consumers need to test, trial and learn how to adopt them. And we don’t know the levers yet. Overall she also agrees that the desired sensorial experience must be optimised to ensure consumer adoption.

Hector Sentilhes from Neo by Nature, who worked for over 2 years with his laboratory to develop the right formula, explains the difficulty in finding alternatives to liquid ingredients with comparable effectiveness, particularly in the hygiene and personal care sectors. It’s about moisturising agents as well as easy-to-rinse and foaming effects without drying out the skin. He also explained that formulating with perfumes can be challenging as fragrance is traditionally found in liquid form.

re-sources: Is there water usage in the manufacturing process?

Anne Rutigliano, from Groupe Anjac, explains that waterless formulations do not involve the use of water in the manufacturing process.

Gaelle André, from MS Beautilab, mentions that while water may be used in some applications, its usage is limited. Hector Sentilhes, from Néo by Nature, states that their factory, originally manufacturing bath salts, does not use any water at all.

And Orietta Riccaboni, from OPAC, highlights that anhydrous products like powders and solid formulations eliminate the need for water. This is resulting in energy savings during manufacturing which is an added benefit in terms of environmental impact.

re-sources: Is it more complex to develop rinse-off or leave-on products in the waterless format?

Gaelle suggests that it is not necessarily more complex, but the challenges differ. It's a new way of formulating. Developing waterless rinse-off products, such as shower gels or shampoos, requires addressing viscosity and texture issues.

Hector shares his experience of developing and refining the texture of waterless shower gels for Neo by Nature, to ensure a comparable user experience to regular personal care. The Neo team is always trying to improve the formula of their products and they are at a third iteration of their shower gel formula for instance.

Orietta emphasises that in skincare, the focus is mainly on treatment and leave-on products at OPAC, with extemporaneous formulas (formula to reconstitute/rehydrate with water) being a current trend.

Anne highlights the need to move consumers towards waterless formats while addressing their expectations.

re-sources: what are the current trends in cosmetics driving the waterless movement?

Anne notes that the economic crisis and environmental impact have compelled the industry to prioritise personal care products over skin care in terms of transitioning to waterless formulations.

Gaelle sees a strong marketing opportunity in reducing the weight and carbon footprint of products, particularly by eliminating plastics in packaging thanks to cosmetics formulas that are dry and do not need a water-resistant layer. The formula still needs to be kept safe from water, and against humidity at transportation or in the bathroom, but tablets, for instance, are an easily protectable and transportable product.

Hector emphasizes the importance of sustainability and effectiveness, urging brands to focus on delivering superior products rather than solely emphasizing their sustainable aspects. He explains that in order for consumers to adopt these new habits, brands and manufacturers will need to deliver superior products to match or surpass their current competitors which are in a standard beauty format.

Orietta highlights the need for standardized water dosage to minimize waste and environmental impact across the supply chain.

re-sources: What about the safety aspect of waterless formulas?

Hector emphasizes that safety is a primary concern, and they have worked closely with their laboratory to ensure consumer safety when using and rehydrating their waterless products. The choice of packaging, such as stainless steel, helps neutralize any potential risks and guarantees safe usage when handled correctly.

re-sources: What's in the pipeline for Néo by Nature after raising a substantial investment?

Hector reveals that they are working on skincare products, indicating ongoing further developments in their product range.

As the waterless beauty trend continues to evolve, formulators face unique challenges in creating sensorially pleasing and effective products. The industry's focus on sustainability, consumer education, and innovations in ingredients and technology will shape the future of waterless formulations, enabling the beauty industry to offer luxurious new solutions.