Thermal Water is collected from mineral springs and bottled to be sold for spritzing and misting your face to solve every skin issue imaginable.
They’re making a big splash in the world of skincare. What could be better than spritzing with pure spring water … from France!?
On a popular skincare website that reviews trends and products, French Thermal Water is regarded as an “equal-opportunity ingredient benefiting each skin type—including sensitive. Thermal water can be used safely and effectively for all ages, helping comfort dehydrated skin and lightly moisturize”
Sounds awesome, right?
A handful of peer-reviewed studies seem to show that thermal waters have beneficial effects on cells in a petri dish. Unfortunately, all of them are performed by the manufacturers themselves.
“A general problem of studies dealing with spa waters is that most of these studies are initiated by the spa water manufacturers themselves. Independent scientific investigations are rare and necessary to provide a more solid basis to evaluate spa water-mediated effects … Particularly in the last few decades; the French cosmetic industry has marketed thermal spa waters as cosmeceuticals, requiring some effort to prove cellular effects.”
Needless to say, human skin is much more complex than a handful of cells in a petri dish.
A google search comes up with pages of articles and bloggers repeating Thermal Waters many benefits including soothing relief for sensitive, irritable skin. All of these refer back to studies done by the companies of the Thermal Waters themselves. All tout Therma’ neutral pH of 7 - 7.5 as beneficial for our skin.
All of the Thermal Waters available are about 7 - 7.5, which is neutral …
Are your red lights flashing yet?
Maintaining your skins slightly acidic pH of 4.5 - 5 is a foundation of skin health and must NOT be overlooked!
I am going to say that again a little louder …
skin care products with a neutral pH should be avoided.
Overexposure to water and skincare products with a pH over 5.5 can damage your skin and lead to problems over time, even if it’s “just” mild dry skin. In fact, the underlying cause of most “dry skin” stems from the alkalizing effects of hard water and poorly formulated skin care products.
So why does Thermal Water have a pH of 7?
All water that has a high dissolved mineral content will have a basic pH. The tap water in our homes fits this description and, in some cases, can have a pH as high as 9!
You’d expect that a higher mineral content might work better, but interestingly, comfort, softness, suppleness, and reduced irritation are supported with water, which has a lower mineral content, not higher. Water with a lot of dissolved minerals is considered a skin irritant for a few reasons. First, hard water is bad for rinsing stuff off our skin, so it leaves residue behind - minerals and soap scum accumulate, which irritate, clog the pores, and impair the vital functions of the Strateum Cornium. This is well documented.
Some Thermal Waters are lower in dissolved minerals than others, but by their very nature, all Thermal Waters will still present a neutral or basic pH.
when we factor in the pH, the choice becomes crystal clear
Steamed distilled hydrosol water
100% steamed distilled hydrosol waters all have a pH of between 4 and 5.5, perfectly matching the desired acidity of our skin’s Acid Mantle.
The Acid Mantle is a microscopic film formed by your skin. Many things disrupt this barrier, and the body rebuilds it over time. Even just jumping in a clear pool of water will temporarily disrupt the acid mantle. The more the skin pH is forced towards basic or alkaline by hard water, the longer this rebuilding process takes.
During the time of reforming, our skin functions are impaired, making us more vulnerable to the damage done by solar radiation, increased permeability of the epidermis, reduced integrity/cohesion of the stratum corneum, and impaired antimicrobial defense mechanisms.
So, if you find yourself tempted to spend $14 for a bottle of French spring water - remember, pH is everything! So instead of spritzing it on your skin, DRINK IT and upgrade your skincare routine by reaching for pure, steamed, distilled, hydrosol waters with a skin-loving pH.
Since hydrosols can be made with an untold number of plants, a whole new level of awesomeness can be achieved. Not just lovely, natural aromas but hundreds of medicinal plant compounds captured in the condensation during the distillation process can address a wide variety of skin disorders.