Is ‘Waterless' the Next Big Thing in Clean Beauty?

Los Angeles Times

18-05-2025

The beauty industry relies heavily on water, with traditional skincare products containing up to 90% water as a filler
Waterless beauty is currently the fastest-growing segment within the beauty industry and is expected to grow to 17.21 billion U.S. dollars by 2028, according to Grand View Research.
Santa Monica-based Olive Tree People is pioneering the waterless beauty movement as the fastest-growing waterless beauty brand in the U.S. – outperforming clean beauty brands like Beautycounter by growing 600% faster in its second year and popular celebrity beauty brands like JLO Beauty by Jennifer Lopez (which averages sales of $75 million per year compared to Olive Tree People's $105 million in their second year).
In a world that is still learning what exactly waterless beauty is, Olive Tree People strives to educate – leading to more than 50,000 women joining the brand as waterless beauty consultants to educate the 168.6 million women in the U.S. on the beauty choices they are making.
If a formula contains water as its first ingredient, it comes with preservatives and filler oils. That's why waterless beauty is the way forward – and compared to other waterless beauty brands, Olive Tree People is a true pioneer. Rather than focusing on solid or solely oil-based product formulations like other waterless brands, Olive Tree People is leading the next chapter in clean beauty by replacing water with its potent formulations powered by liquid olive leaf extract and hydroxytyrosol – a groundbreaking antioxidant that replaces the water phase in skincare.
Founded by olive tree farmer and entrepreneur Thomas Lommel, Olive Tree People cultivates and eco-certifies wild mountain olive trees to produce its exclusive Holistic Beauty Molecule (hydroxytyrosol), delivering skincare that is 70% more effective than conventional water-based products. This globally unique Holistic Beauty Molecule, which is only found indigenously in their mountain olive trees, replaces 100% of the 70% water phase that is otherwise common in skin care products. This commitment goes beyond sustainability – it's a necessity for the future of beauty.
Olive Tree People started its mission with a holistic methodology it coined as 'Beautiful Cycle,' which is also the messaging behind the company's slogan 'From Tree to Beauty.' As well as transforming skincare, Olive Tree People is actively addressing global water scarcity through its OLIVEDA for Africa initiative as the last stage in the Beautiful Cycle.
The brand's Beautiful Cycle mission starts with acquiring land with wild mountain olive trees, which are then cultivated and eco-certified. These trees then supply the unique Holistic Beauty Molecule (hydroxytyrosol) found in the olive leaf extract, which can protect the cells of the trees for up to 4,000 years and has wonderful antioxidant benefits for humans. This Beauty Molecule replaces the 70% water found in conventional beauty products, making them 70% more efficient. The water not used in products is brought to the people of Africa by building water wells in an effort to counteract the 4.4 billion people globally who have no access to clean drinking water, according to the latest statistics reported by Deutsche Welle.
For every 100 hectares of olive trees grown in Spain, Olive Tree People funds the construction of a well in Africa – providing clean water to over 15,000 residents in Senegal and beyond. With 31,000 eco-certified olive trees thriving on OLIVEDA land, this initiative has provided clean water access to around 15,000 residents across Senegal and other nations.
More than a philosophical trend, Olive Tree People has recently opened its first flagship store in Venice. Its newly opened flagship store in the U.S. is setting new standards by creating a world of experience that is unique worldwide. It brings the history of the Olive Tree People's brands – OLIVEDA, LA Dope, Olive Rose, Olive Mush, Is That Matty and Olive: Reconnected – to life, as well as the life-changing power of olive trees, around the legendary Olive Tree House of Oliveda founder Lommel.
'We are not only Waterless Beauty but also the first company to work with the frequencies of our wild mountain olive trees in Spain and make them accessible to everyone worldwide,' said Lommel. 'For the first time in history, our flagship store at 1335 Abbot Kinney in Venice will offer visitors a unique opportunity to step inside a 3,000-year-old mountain olive tree and experience what it feels like to be one with nature again while simultaneously reconnecting with its unique nature and thus connecting with the infinite life force of Mother Nature.'
Another important part of the flagship store, according to Lommel, will be to make the holistic cycle that has been practiced for 21 years tangible.
'This is in order to understand that Olive Tree People – through its more than 50,000 waterless beauty consultants in the U.S. – wants to educate 168.6 million women on the difference between conventional and waterless beauty,' said Lommel. 'The holistic cycle explains that we replace the 70% water found in conventional products with the power of our mountain olive tree cell elixir and the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol it contains. We replace the mostly refined oils with our bioactive Arbequina oil. Additionally, for over 21 years, we have been the largest nature conservationists in the region, protecting more than 31,000 ancient mountain olive trees – reviving them and receiving from them what we need to make waterless beauty a reality. Since 2013, we have been bringing the water that we do not process in our mountain olive trees to the people in Africa by building our own water wells on-site.'
With water scarcity on the rise, Olive Tree People is leading the charge in a waterless beauty revolution, proving that skincare can be both high performance and planet friendly.