Key takeaways
- Over 40% of the global population faces water scarcity and beauty products contribute significantly to water consumption.
- Voshbon introduces a freeze-dried, waterless formula using Zero-Water Lyophilisation Technology.
- Each 75g bottle saves approximately 3.5 litres of water and reduces transport-related CO₂ emissions by up to 80%.
- The waterless range includes Hair, Face, and Body Wash products enriched with probiotics and active ingredients.
- Voshbon’s concentrated format means less packaging, no preservatives, and longer shelf life.
More than 40% of the world’s population already faces water scarcity, and by 2030, global projections estimate there will be a 40% gap between water supply and demand. As traditional beauty products are typically water-based – often containing up to 90% water – their production also consumes a significant amount of water. Voshbon was created to change this.
After six years of research and development, the pioneering brand has launched the world’s first high-performance freeze-dried (Zero-Water Lyophilisation Technology) waterless formula range for hair, body, and face wash.
The products all contain probiotics, alongside ingredients such as niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and natural extracts including rosemary, lavender, camellia, tea tree, marula oil, quinoa, and coconut.
According to the brand, the formulations save 3.5 litres of water per 75g bottle and reduce CO₂ transport emissions by up to 80%. It claims that one 75g bottle is equivalent to 750ml of traditional water-based product, and the freeze-drying process ensures the ingredients remain potent and undiluted, delivering a concentrated treatment that is more powerful than conventional liquid formulas, with less packaging and a longer shelf life.
World-first waterless luxury cosmetics: brand Q&A
We spoke to Voshbon’s Evelyn Zhang to learn more about this innovation and what’s next for the brand.
CosmeticsDesign-Europe (CDE): Hi Evelyn, can you tell us more about the Zero-Water Lyophilisation Technology?
Evelyn Zhang (EZ): Voshbon pioneers and reimagines the use of Zero-Water Lyophilisation Technology (freeze-drying) in the beauty industry — a process long used in food and pharmaceuticals. This technology locks active ingredients at their peak potency and reactivates them fresh with just a few drops of water, delivering maximum performance with every use. By removing water from the formulation, Voshbon creates cleaner, more stable, and highly concentrated products with exceptional performance.
CDE: What products are in the range, and why did you start with these?
EZ: As reflected in our name, ‘Vosh’ derives from ‘wash’ and ‘bon’ means ‘good’ in French, capturing our mission to create the cleanest, most effective cleansing experience from head to toe. Voshbon’s cross-category range includes Hair Wash, Face Wash, and Body Wash — each redefining what it means to wash well by supporting a healthy skin microbiome. For example, unlike traditional shampoos, Voshbon Hair Wash is designed to cleanse not only the hair but also the scalp as part of the skin system, promoting a healthy environment for hair from the root up.
CDE: Can you explain more about how you save 3.5 litres of water per 75g bottle and reduce CO₂ transport emissions by up to 80%?
EZ: Our lab studies show that producing 765kg of conventional shampoo requires around 3,536kg of water, while producing 75kg of Voshbon granules uses just 35kg. That means each 75g bottle of Voshbon saves approximately 3.5 litres of water. Furthermore, because a complete Voshbon set (Hair, Face, and Body Wash) equals roughly 2 litres of traditional liquid products, our compact, lightweight format also cuts transport-related CO₂ emissions by up to 80%.
CDE: The range has taken six years to develop. Can you tell us more about the R&D process? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
EZ: The R&D process spanned six years and was shaped by four major stages: the concept stage of defining a waterless format with a focus on performance and sustainability through extensive discussions and market research. The experimentation stage with extensive trials to identify and validate the freeze-dried granule format. Then there was the refinement stage with continuous improvements in formula quality, user experience, and performance. Finally, there was the scale-up stage, developing strategies for efficient and consistent mass production.
The main challenge was refining performance. While the granule form was developed early on, three additional years of testing were required to ensure the highest standards of efficacy, comfort, and sustainability.
CDE: Can you tell us more about the freeze-drying process? How does it ensure the ingredients remain potent and undiluted, delivering a concentrated treatment more powerful than traditional liquid formulas?
EZ: The freeze-drying process effectively removes all water while preserving the integrity of sensitive actives such as probiotics and vitamins. This allows the formula to remain highly concentrated, eliminates the need for preservatives, and ensures potency until reactivated with water at each use – delivering a fresh, powerful treatment every time.
CDE: Can you explain how these products use less packaging and why they have a longer shelf life?
EZ: Each Voshbon product is up to 10× more concentrated than traditional cleansers – a 75g Hair Wash is approximately equivalent to 750ml of liquid product. This concentration reduces packaging use by roughly two-thirds. Since the formulas contain no added water, they remain stable, fresh, and potent for longer, avoiding the instability caused by the 80–90% water content in traditional formulas. This is also why Voshbon’s formulation does not require preservatives.
CDE: What’s next in your pipeline? Any new launches coming up? Any expansion plans?
EZ: Voshbon launched in the UK on 7 October. It is currently available at voshbon.co.uk, and is also present on official social platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest). Our North American launch will follow in early November.
We currently offer nine SKUs across three categories: Hair Wash: Repair, Thicken, Brighten, Volumise; Face Wash: Nourish, Balance, Luminous; and Body Wash: Refresh, Moisture. Our refill options will also launch soon. With Voshbon, people will no longer have to choose between sustainability and performance – they can experience both.
