“When I met Dara in San Francisco, during our first meeting to see if she would be a good fit as our first retailer in the US, something happened that only occurs on rare occasions, when you meet someone and feel like you’ve known them your whole life… I never thought she could be the driving force behind the formulation challenge of my first cleansing water,” says Pedro Catalá. Dara is none other than Dara Kennedy, the founder of Ayla Beauty, a true connoisseur in selecting the best and safest natural and effective cosmetics on the market. A true benchmark in the sector and a role model to follow.
And so begins the magical story behind one of Twelve Beauty’s latest launches: Dara’s Water, the micellar water that isn't micellar, and has managed to completely revolutionize the cleansing water category. “That lively meeting led to lunch and a short walk before I caught my flight. During that encounter, Dara lamented micellar waters, as it was the only category where she hadn’t found any satisfactory product. Since then, there hasn’t been a conversation where micellar water didn’t come up,” Pedro continues.
As a Doctor in Pharmacy and an expert in formulation, that idea presented quite a challenge. “So, I gathered my courage and began the research. In the end, it was almost more a matter of pride and proving (to myself and others) that I was capable of creating a unique cleansing water!” he concludes. And if Dara has given her seal of approval, the challenge has been overcome.
What makes Dara's Water unique
The master, Pedro, clarifies: “The difficulty with cleansing water, wrongly called micellar water due to its peculiar structure, since surfactants (detergents) form spheres called micelles, is that they must be formulated at a pH identical to that of the tear duct (7.4) to avoid stinging. This pH is higher than that of facial skin (5). And even though the skin has the ability to restore its pH value, it always ends up suffering.”
“On the other hand, there’s also the fact that surfactants (present in the structure of micelles), even those of natural origin, are irritating. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve a high dose that is effective but at the same time non-irritating. Finally, there is the inconvenience of preserving a formula with such a high water content,” he concludes.
The reason why Dara's Water is considered a unique cleansing water is because of how its formulation was approached:
– The use of surfactants has been avoided, and instead, a combination of polysaccharides and humectants has been used, which are capable of effectively removing dirt, makeup residue, pollution, etc., without altering the skin's structure.
– It has been developed based on a pH identical to that of the skin. Despite being used around the eyes, the delicate balance of the final formula is not irritating to the eyes.
– The amount of free purified water has been reduced by replacing it with organic Damascus rose (in high concentration, 20%) and oat extracts, distilled exclusively for the brand in Italy by order, which reduces the need for additional preservatives that could irritate the skin. These organic botanical waters are then blended in small batches, made to order at TWELVE's studio in Spain. As a result, this might be the freshest cleanser you will ever use.