Water is a life-giving environment for our skin, and good hydration is the key to its beauty and health. Scientists and cosmetologists are joining forces to make water the active ingredient in our beauty products.
Our skin in general loves water, and especially one where there are substances that are contained in the intercellular fluid of our body. Thanks to the application of a cream, serum or fluid, which include such water, the skin manages to literally fall into “its element”. After all, in order for skin cells to feel good, a certain concentration of mineral salts and microelements is necessary – the one that exists in their natural (that is, intercellular) environment. Meanwhile, the basis of most modern cosmetics is distilled or demineralized water: it is perfectly purified, helps the action of active ingredients … but in itself is lifeless, and therefore useless. However, this most banal component of skin care products can also play a major role, ceasing to be an extra: today, some cosmetic brands introduce not ordinary water into their products, but sea, thermal or specially enriched with useful elements. What is the difference and what effect of “water procedures” can we expect?
Sea water
Life originated in the marine environment – and that says it all. Our body has retained the memory of its origin: in its chemical composition, blood plasma is similar to sea water. Sea water for cosmetic purposes is extracted at great depths, in ecologically clean places on our planet: in the Sea of Japan, near the Arctic Circle, in Hawaii, in the Adriatic … Then it is filtered and made less salty (9 g of salt per liter instead of the original 30 g). It is rich in minerals (depending on the “deposit” it can contain up to 90 trace elements), living microorganisms (microplankton) and nutrients.
“Sea water stimulates the biochemical processes in the skin, in particular the work of the sebaceous glands,” explains Marina Cherkasova, cosmetologist, candidate of medical sciences. “As a result of contact with it, the skin becomes softer, dryness disappears.” Sea water makes the skin more resistant to external influences, improves its barrier properties. It gently affects the epidermis, moisturizes and regenerates it, while protecting it from the negative effects of ozone, ultraviolet rays and tobacco smoke.
“Organic” water
The so-called cellular, or mineralized, water is an analogue of the water that is present in our body artificially created in the laboratory. She has the same concentration of mineral salts, the same pH level, the same osmotic pressure. It does not contain any aromatic and coloring substances or preservatives and creates perfectly balanced conditions for the epidermis. Such water allows the skin cells to remain in their natural environment – unlike thermal or demineralized water, where the content of mineral salts is increased or, conversely, tends to zero.
Water, enriched with those substances that are naturally present in the interstitial fluid, is the softest, most neutral environment for the skin, it helps to avoid overdrying. Such water improves the resistance of sensitive skin to external and internal influences and enhances the effect of the active components of the cosmetic product.
Thermal water
If sea water stimulates the natural processes in the skin, then thermal water regulates the functioning of the skin depending on its type. Warming up in the depths of the earth, the water is enriched with minerals and microelements. What exactly depends on the source: for example, magnesium, iron, iodine, bromine, copper, fluorine, sodium can be in it in different combinations …
“As the temperature rises, the mineralization of water increases, the concentration of macro- and microelements increases,” explains Ekaterina Turubara, a medical expert at Vichy Laboratories. Thermal waters differ significantly in the set of trace elements they contain, they contain different amounts of salts, they have different pH levels, but the general principle of their action is the same. “If used correctly, thermal water softens and refreshes the skin, tones our blood vessels,” Marina Cherkasova clarifies.
There are other useful nuances. “Depending on the composition, thermal water may additionally have an anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, sebum-regulating effect,” says Ekaterina Turubara. “Iron maintains skin turgor at the proper level, a sufficient level of magnesium ensures its ability to regenerate, silicon takes care of strength and elasticity, zinc and manganese are responsible for restoring the connective tissue of the skin, and potassium helps to maintain the optimal amount of water in its structure.”