There appears to be a trend amongst cosmetics manufacturers these days to stop using water as the main ingredient of their products. They have started replacing this by something called “aqua”. I checked the labels on my hair gel, facial scrub, and shampoo this morning, and found no trace of water listed on any of them. They all list this “aqua” as their main ingredient instead.

I find this slightly disturbing. I mean, water used to be the main ingredient of these products, in some cases accounting for more than 95% of their bulk. We all know that water is a perfectly harmless substance (except when ingested in extremely large doses). But what do we know about this “aqua”? Virtually nothing. Has it been subjected to the same extensive clinical testing as good old water? Has it been sprayed under the eyelids of helpless little bunny rabbits to ensure that it won’t sting my eyes? What is its toxicity? Does it have any negative environmental impact?

I, for one, plan to stop washing myself until I find all the answers. I encourage you to do the same.