Cold water cleansing is the new eco beauty habit we all need to adopt

Cold water cleansing is a term you may have come across before, but are you aware of all its benefits? The skincare technique not only works wonders for your skin but it’s environmentally friendly too, promoting yet another super easy eco beauty habit we should all adopt right now. 

Earth Day is always a good reminder of the ways in which we can all contribute to preserving our planet with even the smallest of changes in our day to day routines. One change that will go along way for both the world and your skin is switching to cold water when you are cleansing your face with the best cleansers in your beauty cabinet. From foams, oils and lotions to balms and micellar waters, we’ve always been so concerned with the formulas we use on our skin and the ingredients their all-important list of ingredients — is there enough Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid? While those are all very valid concerns and should always be taken into consideration for the best skincare results, the temperature of the water we use on our face is just as essential. 

Washing with cold water affects the skin in many positive ways, especially for those who have dry or acne-prone skin. Why? Because hot water actually strips you off oils which creates further dryness and can ultimate lead to breakouts.  But that’s not all, hot water also causes blood vessels to dilate more, making your skin appear redder and that’s one thing we never want. 

On the flip side, cold water — though it may feel like a bit of a shock to the system at first — is great for your face as it increases blood flow. According to research reported in Heathline,  this stems from cold exposure sending blood flow to the exposed area which then provides the skin with better protection from free radicals, such as pollution, giving your skin a brighter and healthier glow. And while your skin levels up, so do your sustainability efforts as swapping hot water for cold water reduces your carbon emissions, and saves you money too.  What’s not to love?

Many beauty brands have made conscious efforts to be more sustainable in recent years, with ELEMIS being among those making real changes to the way their products can help customers adopt a more eco-friendly beauty routine. “Last year, ELEMIS conducted its first Carbon Emission assessment with a partner agency and we realised that the biggest part of our company’s carbon emissions came from customers using our products,” says Oriele Frank, CO-Founder and Chief Product & Sustainability Officer at ELEMIS. “We had to take the volume of products we sold that were ‘wash’ off and attributed three litres of warm water for face and 35 litres of warm water for those used in the shower or bath. We are now looking at ways to encourage customers to turn the tap off in between rinsing – similarly to how one would do when brushing their teeth.”

Frank also explains that promoting cold water cleansing, and cleansing with minimal water use, has become a priority for the brand. “At ELEMIS, we are currently conducting independent testing to understand if there are any key differences when using our Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm with cold water, instead of warm, and whether the results are not as good, the same, or better,” she explains. “Even if we encouraged this in the warmer months, that would reduce carbon emissions for that product by 50%. We hope to have results through in the next few months which we will be sharing with our customers.” 

Now, we simply need other brands to follow suit and most importantly, for us all to make the switch to cold water. Your skin will love you for it, and so will the planet!