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.

Shop Bundles

You've viewed 77 of 197 results

Load more

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.

Browse more

Featured Products with Water (Aqua) Reviews

Nutrafol Men's 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner
Nutrafol Men's 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner
5.0 (7 reviews) 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 7 reviews
$44.00
Shop Now
Read all Nutrafol Men's 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner reviews →
SkinBetter Science Even Tone Correcting Serum
SkinBetter Science Even Tone Correcting Serum
4.8 (57 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 57 reviews
$170.00
Shop Now
Featured review

“Gives the glow needed. Love the results on my Mom and myself.”

— Josephine A.
Read all SkinBetter Science Even Tone Correcting Serum reviews →
SkinCeuticals Emollience Moisturizer
SkinCeuticals Emollience Moisturizer
4.6 (113 reviews) 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 113 reviews
$85.00
Shop Now
Featured review

“Amazing for sensitized skin , sleek packaging, I put mine in a skin care fridge and it feels super refreshing every time I apply. It is a basic formula but I use a lot of serums...”

— Justisa
Read all SkinCeuticals Emollience Moisturizer reviews →