A lot of water has flowed under the bridge – Style – Kommersant

Kommersant Style tells what waterless cosmetics are like and whether it will help to reduce the consumption of one of the main life resources.

Climate change towards global warming is impossible not to notice: almost every year forests burn in Australia, Africa and Russia. Rivers become shallow due to frequent summer droughts, and this year was no exception. So, this July was the driest in the last six decades for many European countries. The authorities are urging citizens to conserve water as much as possible.

The hottest years are known to have occurred since 2000 (recording began in 1880). Temperatures around the world continue to rise every year, according to the UN. Experts unanimously say that humans are to blame for global warming.

Climate change brings with it another problem – an increase in water use, which has been growing twice as fast as the population over the past century. The WHO predicts that within three years, half of the world’s population will be living in water-scarce areas.

Water and the beauty industry

A typical shampoo can contain up to 90% water in the composition, facial serum – up to 70%. It’s no surprise that beauty brands are reimagining traditional beauty product formulas. So, there are shampoos and conditioners in the form of washers or bars, solid deodorants and cleansers, masks and powders, body creams and face serums. “Waterless makeup is not easy to make. For example, hard foods require additional cooling and slicing. Also during the manufacture, migration of pigments and dyes can occur, which will lead to an uneven color of the final product. In addition, dry products like enzyme powders are very dusty, so the plant must be equipped with modern equipment: good ventilation and exhaust are required. For these reasons, waterless cosmetics are always more expensive. Another point: it is concentrated, which means it is more economical to use,” explains Ekaterina Brem, Director of Research and Development at Natura Siberica Group of Companies.

The beauty industry’s water footprint is almost invisible compared to the agricultural, textile, automotive and beverage industries. However, if a product does not contain water, this does not mean that water was not used to create it. Equipment in production, transport for delivery, growing ingredients – all this requires water. In addition, almost all waterless products require the addition of water to activate them, and then rinse them off. “Water consumption is a dubious cosmetic claim, as one trip to the toilet and emptying the toilet wastes several times more water than a year’s supply of bottles of shampoo. The main advantage of solid products in another is logistics, packaging, preservatives. Solid products are more environmentally friendly in supply chains, can be sold without packaging or with recyclable non-plastic packaging, and may contain little or no preservatives,” explains Sergey Ostrikov, founder of the cosmetic brand Ostrikov Beauty Publishing.

Consumer awareness and water use

According to analyst firm Future Market Insights, waterless cosmetics sales will grow by an average of 13.3% between 2021 and 2031. Today it is one of the most dynamically developing segments in the beauty industry: last year its value amounted to almost 9 billion rubles. “There are not very many solid products in the FOAM assortment, but there is a hit – these are Flame Moscow solid perfumes. We notice a trend for such products, although it is not global within our store. We can say for sure that solid soaps sell worse than liquid ones, and solid shampoos sell worse than classic options,” says Tanya Drob, co-founder and creative director of FOAM.

According to the Global Cosmetic Industry, 64% of buyers worldwide are interested in waterless cosmetics: people like to be involved in protecting the environment. Attractive is the absence of packaging, as well as the absence of water in the composition, which gives the feeling of a more active and effective formula. Both are true: waterless cosmetics can be packaged in eco-friendly or recyclable material, or no packaging at all. So, Bioderma, Klorane, Davines solid soaps and shampoos, Payot massage tiles, Planeta Organica’s Solid line of products are hidden in cardboard, and Flame Moscow solid perfumes, Ostrikov Beauty Publishing shampoo are in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. When it comes to formulas, instead of water, brands use oils, hydrosols, and vegetable juices. For example, the deodorant of the St. Petersburg brand Laboratorium contains oils, soda and starch as absorbents, and the formulas of Foamie cleansers include alternative surfactants – detergents that are safe and completely washed off.

“At Davines and at all hairdresser training seminars, we always talk and show how to minimize water consumption in beauty salons, because there it flows all the time. During care and toning at the sink, we turn off the water when it is not needed. We save 20-30 minutes of water consumption, if we calculate this in liters, and also per month or even per year, we get a significant figure. We also periodically remind our subscribers in SMM channels to turn off the water when it is not needed, for example, while brushing your teeth or washing dishes (you can first lather and then rinse),” says Anrietta Tsiskarishvili, head of the PR department Davines Russia. Conscious water consumption is followed in many salons, practicing dry methods of manicure and pedicure: using the apparatus, only files, acids or cream for treating cuticles, feet, ridges around nails.

As a rule, waterless cosmetics are positioned by brands as the best solution for preserving water. Certainly, for companies, this is a step towards sustainable development, but it is not a solution to the global water shortage. However, by using a solid shampoo, the consumer, if not saving water, then definitely limits the consumption of plastic. Reducing the amount of water directly depends on the daily habits of consumers.

Daria Bogomolova