In Sight: Water from the Outside-in

By: Katie Schaefer, Cosmetics & Toiletries

Posted: March 2, 2007, from the March 2007 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Editor’s Note: This column is the first in a two-part series on innovative uses of water in personal care. The second column will appear in the April 2007 In Sight and will focus on water’s enhancement of beauty from the inside out.

Water is the building block of life. It is found in most personal care products on the market and is essential to the success of the industry. The body needs it, the skin needs it, bottom line—it’s important. So really, it is not that surprising to see it employed in new and unconventional ways. Water conventionally has been used in personal care as the starting ingredient in formulations but rarely has it been the single ingredient in an aerosol delivery system.

When Drew Aultman, founder and president of Watersall (Albany, Ga., USA), started her company, she decided to focus on water, literally just water without other skin-benefiting ingredients, to create a line of water atomizers for skin care. Aultman’s initial goal was to create a convenient, purified water spray without added performance benefits. Ultimately, however, she says she got more than she expected.

The Concept
Aultman knew of an existing product on the French market that delivered water in an aerosol form, but noted that the availability of the product was scarce. “I thought it was great that the company made [a water atomizer] but found it hard to believe that no manufacturer in the United States was producing something similar to it,” said Aultman.

She thus launched her own line of water atomizers in the United States in May 2005 that focused on being chemical, mineral and additive-free. By omitting chemicals from her products, Aultman chose to make products suitable for all skin types, sensitivities and ages.