Introduction: The Growing Waterless Cosmetics Market
Waterless cosmetics have emerged as one of the most prominent sustainability trends in the personal care industry. The global market, valued at USD 8.92 billion in 2022, is projected to grow from USD 9.88 billion in 2023 to USD 16.99 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.9% (Fortune Business Insights, 1). This surge reflects a growing awareness of water scarcity, environmental impact, and the demand for innovative product formats that combine convenience, performance, and sustainability.
For formulators, waterless cosmetics present both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, removing water may reduce the need for preservatives, lowers shipping weight, and offers scope for concentrated formats. On the other, each format requires careful technical consideration in terms of stability, sensorially, and consumer usability.
Key Formats of Waterless Cosmetics
- Liquids (Oils and Anhydrous Formats)
The most established waterless format is oil-based products, such as cleansing oils, serums, and balms. These formulas avoid microbial growth naturally and allow for high concentrations of active ingredients. However, they can feel heavy on skin or hair if not carefully balanced. The challenge for formulators lies in innovating textures—using esters, butters, and new-generation emollients to deliver sensory appeal alongside efficacy.
- Powders Reconstituted for Long-Term Use
Powder-to-liquid skincare is gaining traction as a premium, science-led approach. For example, Mono Skincare offers serums and toners in powder sachets, which consumers mix with water at home to create a full-size product. This model reduces transport emissions and packaging, while also positioning sustainability as aspirational and high-end. From a formulation perspective, powders must dissolve completely and quickly, remain stable after reconstitution, and integrate multifunctional preservatives suitable for the final aqueous phase at a viable final concentration.
- Powders Reconstituted During Use
Single-use powder formats, such as enzyme cleansers or masks, are designed to be mixed with water immediately before application. This approach eliminates the need for preservatives and protects the freshness of sensitive actives like vitamin C or plant-derived enzymes. A well-known example is Clinique Fresh Pressed™ Renewing Powder Cleanser with Pure Vitamin C, which showcases both efficacy and a strong “free-from” positioning.
For formulators, the key challenges lie in achieving the right flow properties, ensuring rapid dispersibility, and creating a sensorial transformation during mixing that enhances the user experience.
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- Bars (Shampoos, Conditioners, and Skincare)
Solid formats dominate the waterless category, particularly shampoos and conditioners. Once considered a niche, they are now widely available in both mass and premium segments. The technical challenge is to create a solid that lathers, retain hardness over time, and conditions comparably to liquid formats without feeling waxy or leaving residue. Surfactant blends, conditioning agents, and solid structuring systems (e.g., fatty alcohols, starches) need to be optimized for performance while ensuring biodegradability.
- Dissolvable Cosmetic Sheets
A newer innovation comes from Korea, where brands like Dear Dot offer dissolvable face cleanser sheets. These thin, portable sheets transform into a cleansing foam upon contact with water. They provide strong convenience for travel and align with the minimalist packaging trend. From a formulation standpoint, stability against humidity, mechanical resistance, and the right foaming profile are crucial.
These brands highlight the diversity of the waterless trend, from high-tech minimalism to playful solid formats.
Industry Initiatives: L’Oréal’s Waterloop Factory
Beyond product formats, sustainability in water management is also addressed at the manufacturing level. L’Oréal pioneered the concept of the Waterloop Factory, where all water used in industrial processes—such as cleaning and steam generation—is treated, recycled, and reused in a closed loop, with only water for formulas or human consumption sourced externally. As of 2023, around 14% of L’Oréal’s factories have achieved Waterloop certification, and the company has set an ambitious target of 100% Waterloop-enabled factories by 2030 (2).
For formulators, initiatives like Waterloop highlight how sustainability is no longer limited to ingredient choice or packaging reduction. It now extends to the entire product lifecycle—from raw material sourcing to the environmental footprint of manufacturing sites. In time, this could open up new opportunities for co-branding, eco-labelling, or regulatory incentives, where a product’s sustainability story includes not only its format but also the way it was produced.
Conclusion: Opportunities and Regional Dynamics
Waterless cosmetics are more than a fad—they align with consumer expectations for eco-friendly, convenient, and effective products. They also challenge formulators to rethink traditional approaches to stability, preservation, and sensorially.
The feel-good factor is clear: less water shipped, less packaging, and often a stronger consumer perception of sustainability. However, the adoption curve may differ geographically depending on consumer habits, access to water, and cultural preferences for convenience. For example, solid shampoos are well established in Europe, while dissolvable sheets resonate more strongly in Asia.
For formulators, the task is to balance sustainability, performance, and consumer experience—and to explore which waterless formats can best meet the evolving demands of different markets. The trend is here to stay, but its success lies in smart formulation strategies that prove sustainable can also mean desirable.
1 https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/waterless-cosmetics-market-110537
2 https://www.loreal.com/en/nordics/pages/group/our-purpose/managing-water-sustainably-nr/?
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