Why the future of beauty requires cleaner water

featured-post
type - big idea
Big Idea
sector - beauty
sector - health & wellness
Ryan Babenzien and Arjan Singh, co-founders of Jolie Skin Co, discuss the ways the beauty industry can improve and educate about water hygiene

Let's begin with what Jolie is, and the solution it's bringing to the beauty sector.

Ryan Babenzien: Jolie is a filtered shower head that removes chlorine, heavy metals and other contaminants from your shower water. After experiencing dry skin for years, we began to explore whether water was a possible problem. We found that water was not only a problem – it was the problem.

When we think about the beauty industry and the mass of products that are launched every year that promise to nourish your skin or shine your hair, we don’t consider that these products are prescriptive as a result of contaminated water. In the US, we chlorinate water to disinfect it and kill bacteria, but does chlorine need to be there when we're showering? No. Filtering your shower water is really step zero when it comes to your beauty regime – a way of fixing the root cause.

Arjan Singh: To add to that, regardless of the brand or the price of the skin or hair product you're using, if you don't have better water, then those products won't have the highest degree of efficacy because the contaminants in the water are causing problems.

How does Jolie’s purifying shower head work?

AS: It can replace your current shower head by being screwed on and off like a light bulb. There’s also a filter inside the neck, which is much like a filter you might use for your drinking water, an air conditioner or air purifier. Through our extensive research and studies by third-party independent labs, we’ve found the two best filter media for the shower. The first is KDF-55, which is copper and zinc shavings, and the second is calcium sulphate. Both not only remove chlorine, but also heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury from the water. While other filters already exist on the market, these are cheaply made and more than half of the material in these filters isn’t doing anything, whether it’s an 8-, 10- or 15-stage filtration system or has added rose quartz, it's more a marketing gimmick.

Published by:

16 February 2022

Author: Jessica Smith and Olivia Houghton

Image: Jolie, US

Share


Left: Petit Pli. Right: Second Skins by Malou Beemer in collaboration with Re-FREAM.

With a tagline stating ‘Beauty starts with clean water' and women in your brand imagery, what considerations did you make for Jolie's target audience?

AS: We were very thoughtful about how we designed it, both from the performance and design identity standpoint. Historically, shower filters haven't been adopted by the beauty consumer – this is an untapped and new audience. So, the design and the colour choice of the shower head was considered carefully, as well as the packaging, brand messaging, photography and the imagery that we're using – it all needs to speak to and feel like 'beauty'.

What changes should users see and feel with their skin, hair or health from using Jolie, and how long does it take to reap the benefits of cleaner water?

RB: If you think about it, water is fundamental to our daily routines. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and whatever's in that water is being absorbed by your skin. Focusing on the positive beauty benefits – which we can safely say you will feel immediately in your skin and hair – the simple science behind it is that it's less drying, so your hair will feel more nourished and your skin suppler. This is because we take out chlorine, lead and magnesium, which are known to be in hard water, so there's less impact on your skin, hair and scalp.

‘Products promise to nourish your skin or shine your hair, but we don’t consider that these products exist because of contaminated water’
Arjan Singh, co-founder, Jolie Skin Co
 
 

Want to unlock more?
This is a taster of the content we publish for members of LS:N Global

Sign up to our trends intelligence platform LS:N Global and get unlimited access to a hive of insights - from microtrends and macro trends to market reports, daily news, research across eight industry sectors.


DISCOVER OUR MEMBERSHIP

Already a member? Click here to login