Why Water-Free? 10 Reasons Why Powder Is The Right Move For Your Skin Care Routine

Most skin and personal care products on the market are over 90% water. You're paying for, carrying around, and using plastic just to get a substance that we inherently have around us all of the time. More and more often these days the environmental and health conscious are carrying a water bottle with them at all times. You do not need to pay luxury skincare prices for water. You already have this with you!

While we believe that's reason enough to go water-free, there are actually many benefits for your skin when you remove the H20 -- and pretty much no downsides! Here are ten reasons we see you putting liquid products in the rearview of your skin care routine:

1) Actives stay active. In liquid and cream formulations active ingredients are constantly degrading from day one. Even before they hit their shelf life the percentage of molecules that have not been denatured by the water in the formula is severely reduced. This is why you need to look for Vitamin C formulas that have not turned pink or orange. In powder formulation there is practically zero degradation, therefore every time you use it it's the same 100% strength. 

2) Absolutely no preservatives. All water formulations contain preservatives. Bacteria needs water and nutrients to grow, and traditional skincare formulas are perfect breeding grounds for them. Some preservatives are worse for you than others (parabens), but almost none carry skin benefits. That long list of scary ingredients in most formulas? Preservatives. Bacteria cannot grow in a water-free environment, so that in itself is our preservative!

3) An incredibly long shelf life. Largely because no preservatives are needed, powder products can last an incredibly long time. Just like dehydrated food and powdered make up, powder skincare can last years and years. 

4) A little goes a long ways. When you remove the water you're receiving an incredibly concentrated formula. Our "expedition" size is the same size in volume as a normal travel size, but will last you over a month. Our full size "basecamp" bottle will last you over three months. 

5) Light weight. Water is extremely heavy. One liter of water is 2.2lbs. A traditional 3oz travel size bottle weighs 0.20lbs. Our expedition size is only 20 grams, or 0.044lbs, less than 1/4 the weight of the normal travel size bottle. Combine this with the fact that it's actually more concentrated and the use per weight ratio is amazing!

6) No freezing, bursting, or melting! Normal cosmetics aren't designed to be taken outside of your bathroom. We've all had a chapstick melt in the car or a conditioner bottle burst on an airplane. Recently I had a shampoo bottle leak entirely into my backpack. All of these problems go away with powder! 

7) Plastic-free, need we say more? As no pumping or squeezing is required, we're able to utilize aluminum for all of our packaging, one of the most eco-friendly materials on the planet!  Aluminum is abundantly available, 100% recyclable with no matter lost, and has some of the most developed waste streams. It's also incredibly light weight. 

8) Reduced carbon footprint. At every point in the supply chain being water-free reduces the carbon footprint of your purchase. The weight of shipping it from the raw material supplier to the manufacturer, from the manufacturer to the fulfillment center, from there to your door (or the store), and then when you are carrying it around with you wherever you go all adds up to fuel consumption and a bigger carbon footprint. 

9) TSA friendly, even at full size. Don't feel like downsizing to travel size bottles for your last minute trip? Traveling full time for work, or for a nomadic lifestyle? You don't have to worry about taking our full size products through TSA! In fact I recently took a box of 100 basecamp size products through TSA and they didn't ask me a single question. 

10) It's fun! Once you foam up one of our powder cleansers you will be hooked; the velvety texture of the powder turns into the perfect creamy and bubbly cleanser, creating a perfect moment of self care bliss. 

So there you have it! There are so many upsides to dropping water from your skincare routine. Your skin, the planet, your backpack, and TSA will thank you!