Products with Water (Aqua)

Water is the primary base and solvent in most skincare and haircare formulas. It dissolves water-soluble ingredients and gives products their overall texture, spreadability, and consistency, allowing everything else in the formula to work together.

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Why aqua leads almost every ingredient list

Water sits first on the INCI list of 192 products we stock, and that position is a statement about formula architecture rather than about value. Actives such as vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid are water-soluble, so they need an aqueous phase to dissolve into before an emulsifier can bind that phase to the oils carrying texture.

You can see the pattern in Revision C+ Correcting Complex, in SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, and in cleansers such as the Papaya Enzyme Cleanser and Brightening Facial Wash. The anhydrous exceptions — balms, oils and powders — are the handful of products missing from this page.

Does a high water content mean a product is diluted?

No. The concentration of an active is set independently of how much water carries it, and a serum dosed at a clinically studied percentage is no weaker for being mostly water. What water does change is feel: it is why a gel absorbs in seconds and a balm sits on the surface.

How to shop at ELLEMES

Because water-based formulas depend on an intact preservative system, buying from an authorized retailer with proper storage matters more here than almost anywhere else in skincare.

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Featured Products with Water (Aqua) Reviews

Revision Skincare C+ Correcting Complex
Revision Skincare C+ Correcting Complex
4.8 (185 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 185 reviews
$120.00
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Featured review

“Love the results without the irritation some Vit C products may cause.”

— Erin
Read all Revision Skincare C+ Correcting Complex reviews →
Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream
Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream
4.7 (118 reviews) 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 118 reviews
$75.00
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Featured review

“I LOVE this eye cream. I have tried so many eye creams and they usually either irritate my skin or just don’t do anything for me. This has given me almost immediate results without any irritation....”

— Jessalyn F.
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Revision Skincare Intellishade Original SPF 45
Revision Skincare Intellishade Original SPF 45
4.8 (111 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 111 reviews
$89.00
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Featured review

“Love how it feels on my face!!!”

— Kellene C.
Read all Revision Skincare Intellishade Original SPF 45 reviews →