Water is one of Earth’s most precious resources—one that’s needed not only for survival, but one that frequently forms the core of beauty products. As many brands work to create more sustainable packaging options, some brands are looking further, questioning and editing their use of water as another effort to aid the planet.

Here’s a look at what three brands are doing to help create a more sustainable, water-responsible world.

Water Conservation is Critical To Babor

Water conservation is critical to Babor, as sustainability is deeply rooted in the brand’s DNA. 

Founded over 60 years ago by biochemist, Dr. Michael Babor, Babor (which started as Biomedizinische Naturkosmetik Dr. B, which roughly translates to bio-medical natural skin care) is considered Europe’s No.1 professional skin care brand. The third-generation-owned company creates advanced-strength, precision formulas blending powerful natural ingredients with cutting edge science. 

Founder Dr. Michael Babor believed in the power of natural, plant-based oils and his philosophy is still alive at Babor. “We are dedicated to the beautiful—especially when it comes to protecting something as beautiful as our planet,” says Horst Robertz, managing director and head of the sustainability board.

A Water Micro-Filtration System

Robertz acknowledges that “the production of our products needs lots of water, and we are well aware of the challenges that go with that.” Since 1998, Babor has utilized a microfiltration system in production facilities designed to filter sewage and produce clean water. The system works to recycle water by separating oil and other waste from clean water, creating around 15,000 liters of safe, clean water per day.

Robertz adds:

“Sustainability is in our mindset… not only when it comes to our environment, but as our company’s philosophy. We are a family-owned company and as such sustainable management is important to us. Climate change, plastic in the ocean—this affects us all. Also, our customers are looking into how products are produced and what ingredients they contain. The decision as to what they buy is based on that. To me it is important that we create transparency when it comes to sustainability. We are not perfect, but honest. That is why we want to talk about what initiatives we already have and the ones that need more looking into. Today, we cannot avoid all carbon dioxide emissions, for example. But we are working on reducing them by fifty percent by 2025.”

Lumene—A Natural Beauty Brand from Finland

Lumene is a “natural” beauty brand from Finland, whose mission is “to bring sustainable Nordic beauty products with wild-crafted potent Nordic ingredients for consumers looking for naturally luminous beauty.”

Lumene’s product portfolio in the USA consists of skin care and skin care-infused-makeup products, all designed and manufactured in Finland.

Tiina Isohanni, VP R&D and sustainability, Lumene, says, “We are inspired by Nordic Women, created with Finnish Nature and born of Arctic Light. We formulate products as naturally as possible, prioritizing ingredients developed from wild Nordic plants, as well as ingredients developed from industry side streams. We are committed to sustainably bring the power of wild Nordic nature to help everyone achieve their own idea of beauty.”

Lumene's WaterSmart Program

In 2010, Lumene launched its WaterSmart program to help reduce water consumption.

Between 2007 and 2019, the brand reduced the use of water in their production by 40%. As a company, they sustainably gather Arctic Spring Water from the heart of Finland to utilize in their ingredients. Noted as the cleanest water in the world by UNESCO, the PH of this arctic spring water is much more “skin friendly.”

Isohanni says, “Water is the elixir of life—and the most important ingredient in skin care products,” says Isohanni. “That is why we can’t compromise the quality or amount of water we use in our products, but instead, have approached this part of our sustainability commitment by reducing the use of water in our production.”

Skin Authority—Inspired by San Diego

Skin Authority takes inspiration from its San Diego life sciences community, continuously scanning the research landscape for breakthroughs that help us live well longer.

“Every industry needs to look at how it needs to evolve,” says Celeste Hilling, CEO and founder of Skin Authority. “We want to not compromise the performance of our products, but still have a conscience.” This year, Skin Authority launched SkinSuit, its first formulation crafted and packaged completely without the use of water.

Reducing & Replacing the Water in Skin Care Products

Hilling explains how they went about reducing the use of water in products and production. “We replace the water with marine and plant-based hydrators, we also utilize hydrosols which are produced when essential oils are distilled. Not only does it make our formulas more concentrated which provides greater product performance with smaller quantities per use, but the formulas are also less susceptible to bacterial growth,” says Hilling. 

For example, Skin Authority’s first waterless product was a lip protector, “as lip products tend to experience the highest levels of contamination as bacteria gets introduced to the water in the formula with each use. The waterless formula significantly reduces the bacterial exposure as well as allows us to use less preservatives or chemicals in the product process.” She says there is a misconception that waterless formulas don’t need preservatives, but they do, just not as much.

However, reducing water can significantly increase the cost of manufacturing, says Hilling.  “Water is one of the least expensive ingredients you can use so when you replace water with quality natural botanical hydrators or oils, it can impact your profit margins and consumer pricing. It is also important to ensure the ingredients you use to replace the water are going to add to the performance and not affect consistency of the formulas or cause separation, opaqueness, etc.”