Pick up a liquid beauty product from your bathroom – what is the first ingredient listed? Chances are it’s water (it’ll likely be listed as ‘aqua’), the most inexpensive ingredient around. So why pay for it? Enter the rise of the waterless beauty trend: products that are formulated without water that not only ensure you’re getting your money’s worth of beneficial ingredients (with no need for preservatives), but are more sustainable as they tend to be more compact than their water-filled counterparts and can be packaged in biodegradable materials. According to Vogue the waterless beauty concept emerged, like many great skincare trends, in South Korea, and encompasses textures such as solids like soap, balms which you’ll find in the cleanser category, powders, oils and butters. Every part of the body is catered for, so here is my waterless beauty routine, covering face, hair and body in the shape of solid and powder natural beauty products.

Naturtint 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioning Bar – Colour Protect

My first foray into solid haircare came in the guise of Earth Kind’s shampoo bar, and what I enjoyed most about it was its velvety lather that cleansed without irritating my scalp or drying out hair. It kick-started my search for solid conditioners, which at the time I just couldn’t seem to get my hands on. So when I saw Naturtint’s 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner bar on social I had to try it. And it didn’t disappoint: certified natural by Ecocert, this solid bar is formulated to hydrate and enhance colour treated hair, for shiny strong hair with fewer split ends. I thought Earth Kind felt velvety, but Naturtint’s offering feels positively creamy. Just holding it in my hand the bar feels anything but dry – like it could melt with the heat of my skin. In contact with water it produces a rich lather that effectively washes hair without stripping it. This is definitely a waterless product I’ll be adding to my haircare arsenal. 75g RRP £12.99

Friendly soap Peppermint and poppy seed soap

This fresh invigorating peppermint soap doesn’t mess about with its morning wake-up scent that jolts your senses into action. Soap bars used to be a classic format for washing hands and body, and thanks to a heightened focus on sustainability it’s having a revival. One of the most planet-friendly formats you could choose is probably the humble bar soap: long-lasting, preservative-free, light on packaging and carbon footprint-friendly, the solid soap is the perfect sustainable choice for your bathroom. Plus this classic bar comes at an unbeatable price for the quality. 95g RRP £2.25

C-Berrica renewal foaming face powder

This face powder ticks so many boxes for me. It contains radiance-boosting antioxidant vitamin C (incidentally the most searched for skincare ingredient of 2020), comes in powder format, one of my favourite cleanser options, and provides a deeply cleansed and super refreshed feeling to congested skin. Just add a few drops of water and rub between palms to create a gentle skin-polishing paste. This is also a great option when travelling to avoid the dreaded hand luggage restrictions on liquids. 35g RRP £8.49

Balade en Provence solid night cream

I am so impressed by this product. The underwhelming packaging – although compostable and using vegetable ink – doesn’t do this solid cream justice. I’ve come across quite a few solid beauty products (shampoos, body cleansers of course, facial cleansers) but I had yet to find a solid moisturiser. How is it that there aren’t more out there on the market? Handmade in France by a small artisanal company, the 100% natural organic and vegan-certified product contains nourishing cacao seed butter, kernel oil and rosehip oil. After cleansing I apply the bar directly onto my face, it quickly reacts to the warmth of my skin by gently melting, therefore providing a film of moisturising ingredients which I then work into skin. This solid cream is recommended for evening application – it is more of a balm – but I would happily include in my morning skincare routine. 40g RRP £25.00

Have you included waterless beauty products in your routine? Please leave a comment below to let me know.

Features gifted products.