EAU/WATER ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is the primary solvent and diluent in most beauty and personal care formulas, dissolving salts, humectants, polymers, acids, and many actives. It also helps set product texture, spread, and concentration.
What does EAU/WATER do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is the primary solvent and diluent in most beauty and personal care formulas, dissolving salts, humectants, polymers, acids, and many actives. It also helps set product texture, spread, and concentration.
Is EAU/WATER clean?
It is well accepted across clean-beauty frameworks and is not a typical irritation or allergen concern when properly purified. Quality control matters because cosmetic-grade use depends on microbial control and low impurity levels.
Is EAU/WATER sustainable?
It is locally sourced and purified rather than manufactured from petrochemical feedstocks, so its footprint is mainly tied to purification, heating, cooling, and transport. It is inherently biodegradable and non-persistent, but responsible use still matters in regions with supply stress.
Is EAU/WATER COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic standards, although it is not counted as organic content. From a Green Chemistry perspective, it is a benign, non-persistent solvent that supports lower-solvent formulation design.
How does EAU/WATER work chemically?
The molecule is small, polar, and strongly hydrogen-bonding, which makes it an effective carrier for ionic and polar materials but a poor solvent for many oils and waxes. It commonly makes up 50 to 90 percent of creams, gels, shampoos, and lotions, and formulas using it need preservation plus pH control to maintain stability.
Last updated 2026-05-16