Shape Magazine: Waterless beauty is an eco-friendly trend

UC expert explains potential benefits of waterless beauty products

With more than 1.1 billion people worldwide lacking access to water and, by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population possibly facing water shortages, the beauty industry has slowly started to remove water from its formulas to cut out preservatives. The impact is to make products more stable, and to support sustainability. Water-free or waterless beauty refers to limiting the use of water in product formulations.

K.P. Ananth, Ph.D., professor and director of the cosmetic science program at the University of Cincinnati's James L Winkle College of Pharmacy, spoke to Shape magazine about the potential benefits of waterless beauty products. The Winkle College of Pharmacy is home to the oldest and largest cosmetic science programs in the U.S.   

Featured Image/Stanard

Related Stories

1

Students prefer AI chatbots, until they know it is one

April 7, 2026

A University of Cincinnati College of Nursing pilot study found that Doctor of Nursing Practice students preferred AI chatbot responses over human answers — until they suspected the source was a chatbot, revealing trust issues in higher education advising.

2

What is the 'cicada' COVID variant?

April 6, 2026

A formerly rare strain of COVID, BA.3.2, now is showing up in Ohio and 24 other states. Experts say so far it hasn't caused illness any more severe than other strains, but it might be somewhat more resistant to vaccines, as 91.7 WVXU News recently reported. Scientists have nicknamed the variant "cicada" due to its former low profile and current resurgence.

3

UC opens zebrafish research facility to study infertility

April 6, 2026

The University of Cincinnati is launching a state-of-the-art zebrafish research facility that scientists say could help explain how environmental toxins affect fertility, as WKRC-TV/Local 12 and WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 recently reported.