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

SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair
SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair
4.8 (87 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 87 reviews
$90.00
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Featured review

“Epidermal Repair is the perfect product to calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and lightly moisturize treated areas.”

— Lauren
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Obagi Nu-Cil Biostim Scalp Serum
Obagi Nu-Cil Biostim Scalp Serum
4.6 (21 reviews) 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 21 reviews
$125.00
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Obagi360 Retinol 0.5%
Obagi360® Retinol 0.5%
5.0 (13 reviews) 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 13 reviews
$80.00
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Featured review

“This is my first time using retinol, and was instructed to start with a low concentration and move up if my skin tolerated the produce well. I have been using this product nightly for 2 months,...”

— Jayda P.
Read all Obagi360® Retinol 0.5% reviews →