Water
is an essential ingredient in most cosmetic products. In fact, when you read
product labels, it is often listed as the first ingredient which means that it
forms the highest percentage in the formula. Aside from being used as a
solvent, water is one of the effective ways to hydrate the skin and hair.
There
are different types of water and each one has its own unique properties. When
it comes to formulating cosmetics, the type of water used has an impact to the
stability of the final product.
TAP
WATER IS A BIG NO-NO!
Just
like it’s not usually safe to drink straight from tap water, it’s also not
recommended to use it when making your own cosmetic formulations. Tap water is
filled with small amount of metal and mineral ions which come from the soil and
water pipes. These ions (even at low level) can react with ingredients in your
cosmetic formulations. For example, kojic acid is known to react to iron
(Fe) ion causing the product to turn into brown color. The presence of metal
ions can also destabilize emulsion in lotions and creams.
Take
note that although boiling tap water can kill most microorganisms, it won’t
eliminate most metal and mineral ions.
DEIONIZED
WATER – THE PREFERRED WATER FOR COSMETIC FORMULATIONS
Deionized
water is simply water that has metal and mineral ions removed. The process
involves water passing through an ion-exchange resin that filters out anions
(e.g. sulfate) and cations (e.g. sodium, calcium) present in water. However,
this process won’t remove organic contaminants (e.g. pesticides, petrochemicals),
bacteria and viruses. That’s why most cosmetic suppliers offer deionized water
that is further purified using other filtration systems (e.g. UV treatment) to
remove more impurities.
CAN
I USE DISTILLED WATER INSTEAD?
In
some parts of the world, distilled water might be easier to obtain or is
cheaper compared to deionized water. So you might ask, is it OK to use distilled
water in cosmetic formulations?
Distilled
water is made by boiling water in a still where the collected steam is
condensed back to water, leaving behind most of the impurities and
microbiological contaminants. However, any contaminants that boil at a lower
temperature than water will remain after the distillation process. In other
words, it is possible for distilled water to still contain traces of metal and
mineral ions that could potentially interact with other ingredients in your
cosmetic formulation.
To
answer the question, YES you can use distilled water in cosmetic
formulations BUT it’s recommended to use a chelating agent such as EDTA
that will bind to metal ions present in the distilled water.
CONCLUSION
When
formulating cosmetic products, it is recommended to use deionized water to
eliminate metal and mineral ions that could affect the stability and
performance of the final product. Another option is to use distilled water
together with a chelating agent to ensure the absence of mineral ions.
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