Take a look at the first ingredient on most beauty products and you’ll find it’s probably ‘aqua’ or water.
Liquid soap? Around 95 to 98 per cent water. Even moisturisers and body creams are likely to be 60 per cent water. Water-based products work well, but they’re heavy, meaning shipping leaves a big carbon footprint.
That’s where lightweight, eco-friendly powders come in — products you add water to. Powdered beauty is having a real moment. ‘Over the past year there’s been a staggering 1,000 per cent increase in sales of powdered cleansers,’ says Imelda Burke, founder of Content Beauty, which sells a range of sustainable, organic and natural beauty products.
Water-based products are heavy, meaning shipping leaves big carbon footprint, That’s where lightweight powders come in. Here, FEMAIL put the eco-friendly pioneering powders to the test…
It’s not only good news for the planet, she adds. ‘From a consumer point, you’re likely to be getting more concentrated ingredients for your money. For example, if you’re buying vitamin C powder which you then make up into a serum, you’re paying for the vitamin C, not the solution it’s sitting in.’
Celebrities are all over the trend. Victoria Beckham is said to be a fan of cleansing powder, while singer Alicia Keys’ new skincare line includes a powder exfoliator.
They might be the greener, cleaner option, but do they really work as well? We put the pioneering powders to the test…
Keys Soulcare Be Luminous Exfoliator, £22, harrods.com
Alicia Keys launched her brand last year and this exfoliator has become a hero product. Add a sprinkle of powder to wet hands, foam up and apply to the face for a gentle exfoliation. Contains green tea, the chemical exfoliant lactic acid, mung beans and oats to brighten and smooth.
There’s a subtle but indulgent fragrance to this product, which can be used two to three times a week. And although it’s already gentle, if you want to go really easy on your skin, simply add more water. My skin felt super soft and smooth afterwards.
Rating: 5/5
Dr Hauschka Clarifying Clay Mask, £25, drhauschka.co.uk
If you’ve ever had an issue with face masks drying out after just a handful of uses, you’ll appreciate this make-what-you-need clay mask. You simply add equal amounts of water and powder together — there’s no pot provided but you can just use hands — to create an old school mud mask.
Leave it on the skin for five to ten minutes for a deep cleanse. The ingredients mean it’s particularly effective for oily or blemish-prone skins, but my combination skin felt well cleansed, if a fraction tight.
Rating: 4/5
Forgo Powder to Liquid Hand Wash, £23 for three, forgo.se
Available in neutral, citrus and wood fragrances, this paper package of powder reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 85 per cent compared to a bottle of liquid soap of the same size from another brand. You add the powder to the reusable 250ml bottle, fill to the line with warm water, shake and you’re done. The powder contains preservatives and ingredients that kill microorganisms and prevent their growth and reproduction, so it should last as long as a normal bottle of liquid soap.
Rating: 5/5
Philip Kingsley Vitamin C Jelly, £28, philipkingsley.co.uk
Designed as a pre-shampoo treatment to deep cleanse hair and scalp, this pack of four sachets of powder comes with a reusable bottle. Put the contents of one sachet into the bottle, add warm water and shake for 30 seconds, and you get a light jelly which you apply to hair and scalp. The catch? Those sachets are plastic and aren’t sold separately, meaning you have to buy a new plastic bottle each time, too. Pricey, as well, compared to similar treatments.
Rating: 2/5
Milly & Sissy Just Add Water Candied Tangerine Hair & Body Wash, £6.50, millyandsissy.co.uk
Starter sets from £28 include two paper sachets of the hair and body wash — also available in Zesty Lime and in a powdered shower creme format in a range of five different fragrances — and an aluminium bottle with pump, but any 500ml bottle would do. It requires a bit more forward planning as the granules need to be added to 400ml of tepid water, shaken and left overnight. Effective, gently fragranced and pleasant to use.
Rating: 4/5
Susteau Moondust Hair Wash Powder to Lather Shampoo, £11, cultbeauty.co.uk
The makers say one plastic bottle of this powder is equivalent to four bottles of a traditional shampoo, so you’re saving a lot of plastic, and you only need a tiny sprinkle of the fine powder onto a wet hand to create a thick shampoo that lathers well. However, it didn’t all dissolve, leaving me with sticky lumps on my hand.
Rating: 2/5
C-Berrica Renewal Foaming Face Powder, £9.49, naturasiberica.co.uk
This cleanser contains vitamin C and salicylic acid, but as it’s a wash-off product, there’s less risk of irritation if you get the quantities wrong. It foams easily and spreads nicely across the skin, leaving it feeling clean but not tight. It smells — and looks — a bit like sherbert. Gentle enough for daily use.
Rating: 3/5
Parla Pro Toothpaste Tabs, £10.95 for 62 tablets or a month’s supply, parlatoothpastetabs.com
Packed with fluoride and hydroxyapatite, an ingredient that helps to rebuild tooth enamel, these chewable toothpaste tablets have been designed by three UK dentists who took issue with the 1.5 billion plastic tubes of toothpaste that go into landfill or the ocean every year. You have to crunch before you brush, but they leave your teeth feeling super clean.
Rating: 4/5
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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