Waterless beauty | An insight into development challenges
At Hera Beauty, we know that clued-up consumers are analysing ingredient lists before making purchasing decisions. When it comes to personal care products, it’s common to see ‘Aqua’ listed as the very first component. In fact, many skincare solutions contain as much as 85% water - meaning it makes up the bulk of the formulation.
Waterless beauty refers to cosmetics that are formulated without added water. This approach creates concentrated and potent products that often require fewer preservatives. Examples of waterless formulations include solids, powders, balms, and oils.
Sustainability in mind
Eco-conscious customers know water is a precious commodity. More than one billion people worldwide lack access to clean, fresh water. This is where the concept of a ‘water footprint’ comes in: analysing products for their impact on the world’s resources.
With the ever-increasing demand for beauty brands to demonstrate commitment to sustainability, waterless products are fast emerging as a potential solution. It’s a trend that businesses in the beauty sector should consider. After all, the waterless beauty market is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 12.5%.
Why waterless beauty?
It’s little wonder waterless beauty is proving popular as a concept. After all, it brings together several trends in one. Waterless formulations tend to meet clean beauty requirements by focusing on minimalist INCI lists and by providing highly concentrated formulations with less ‘filler’. Water can be an attractive medium for bacteria and fungi, so removing it from formulations can sometimes enable the use of more natural preservatives, as well as extending the shelf life of the product.
Waterless beauty products have the potential to provide further environmental enhancements. Increasingly compact formulations mean less packaging and waste - plus a reduced carbon footprint. Not only is this better for the planet, but it’s good for people too: providing travel-sized, on-the-go convenience.
Beauty brands are embracing this movement with a more minimalist approach that offers multi-functional application possibilities. From solid cleansers to powdered serums and concentrated oils, waterless products maintain skin hydration through oil-based and humectant-dense ingredients, without the need for ‘Aqua’.
The challenges
However, formulating water-free products presents its own set of challenges. Behind the eco-friendly narrative lies a complex reality. Removing water doesn’t mean taking an existing formula and drying it out. The process often involves reinvention, technical innovation, ingredient expertise, and a strong partnership between brand and manufacturer.
It’s easy to dismiss water as a cheap filler, but in formulation chemistry, it’s a powerful solvent and stabiliser. By removing it, you’re eliminating a key mechanism that helps ingredients work together. Water is the perfect medium for dissolving actives, it allows for an even distribution of ingredients, and gives products their lightweight texture. Without it, beauty brands must look for alternative ways to achieve the same feel and performance that consumers have come to expect from their personal care products.
Matching expectations is key. Consumers are used to the light, spreadable textures of lotions and creams. Creating comparable sensory experiences with waterless formulations can be a challenge. In addition to requiring manufacturing innovation, it’s also about consumer education and knowing that customers need time to test and trial new applications before products can be fully embedded into their beauty routines.
Manufacturing and scaling up production bring their own challenges and an added layer of complexity. Most cosmetic ingredients are designed to work with water, so formulating without it requires looking at alternatives and innovating. Waterless products often need different production equipment and handling processes. For example, powder blending requires precision to avoid clumping or uneven distribution, and heated oil phases must be carefully controlled to prevent ingredient degradation.
Active ingredients don’t always behave the same in waterless formulations. Many actives, such as niacinamide and peptides, are water-soluble. Removing water limits the number of ingredients you can work with. This forces formulators to either use oil-soluble alternatives or develop hybrid delivery systems. Additionally, stability testing becomes crucial because ingredients may crystallise, oxidise faster, or lose potency over time.
Waterless formulations are less prone to microbial contamination. But it’s a misconception that waterless automatically means preservative-free. Once a product has been opened, moisture from the air or fingers can introduce water, creating perfect conditions for microbial growth. Formulators must still consider moisture migration during storage and use, compatible natural preservatives, and consumer handling behaviour.
Water-responsible rather than waterless
Sustainability isn’t always straightforward. While waterless products avoid the use of water in the formula, they can sometimes require more energy-intensive ingredients. Water may still be used in equipment cleaning and manufacturing processes. The raw ingredients (such as plant-based oils) have their own environmental footprint from farming, harvesting, and processing, and also from packaging and shipping.
A fantastic starting point is simply greater awareness about what the ingredients in our cosmetics are, where they come from, and how they affect us. Brands should look for manufacturers that have sustainability at the heart of everything they do. Products that are vegan and cruelty-free demonstrate a strong commitment, as well as manufacturers’ genuine plans to reduce and offset carbon production.
Working with Hera Beauty
A selection of some of our private-label waterless products includes:
This oil-based cleanser, which is rich in vitamin E, locks in moisture and replenishes natural oil levels. Marula oil helps to soften the skin.
● Relaxing and Pampering Massage Oil
Enriched with jojoba, evening primrose, and coconut oil, this formulation is easily absorbed. It’s suitable for normal and dry skin types.
This 100% natural oil is designed for healthy skin and hair. It’s a lightweight, nourishing formula with rosemary, sea buckthorn, sunflower, castor and sweet almond oils. It can be used as a leave-on treatment, overnight treatment, or a styling aid to reduce flyaway hairs and boost shine.
This solid balm is designed to provide effective odour protection while nourishing your skin with natural butters and oils. It contains cocoa butter, grapeseed and sunflower oil.
This versatile vegan-friendly balm contains shea and mango butter combined with rich emollient oils. Apply to face, hands or body for an instantly nourishing touch. Enriched with vitamin E.
Visit our website to see the full range of private label products or speak to Hera Beauty to discuss creating your own range of waterless products.
We know formulating waterless beauty requires technical innovation, ingredient expertise, and a strong partnership between brand and manufacturer. At Hera Beauty, we help brands navigate these challenges. Our team specialises in crafting formulations that balance performance, safety, and sustainability without compromising consumer experience.
Want to find out more? Get in touch today.
