Cape Town drought inspires launch of P&G's latest hair care brand

The new brand, called Waterless, includes a lightweight foam dry shampoo, a dry shampoo spray, a range of dry conditioners and a range of alcohol-free hair refreshers. According to P&G Beauty, the collection is designed to cater to the different hair care needs of women of all hair types and ethnicities.

The Waterless brand was recently previewed by P&G’s chief marketing officer, Marc Pritchard, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland as part of the new "innovation agenda” from P&G, the 50L Home, that was announced during the Bloomberg Year Ahead Event. The 50L Home, initiated by P&G, will bring together companies, policymakers and communities to develop and scale innovations for the home that help solve the urban water crisis.

Meaningful innovation

According to the World Wildlife Fund, only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water and by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. Market research firm Mintel has also found that 27% of consumers are now trying to reuse or use less water.

“At P&G Beauty, our goal is to be both a force for good and a force for growth. Water is a precious commodity that is under great stress, and we believe that we can play a role in helping people achieve the end result they desire despite water shortages through insightful and meaningful innovation”, said Alex Keith, CEO, P&G Beauty. “This is the intent behind the Waterless brand: Whether she has to or wants to use less water or is just on-the-go and needs a quick refresh, we are committed to providing every woman with products that work for her unique hair care needs.”

The Waterless brand is also joining forces with The Nature Conservancy to champion water preservation by supporting The Greater Cape Town Water Fund. This new initiative from The Nature Conservancy focuses on addressing the Greater Cape Town region’s long-term water security concerns while tackling near-term social and ecological priorities.

“Science-guided nature conservation can yield 50 billion litres of water annually for the region – that’s about two months of water supply at current usage rates – at a fraction of the cost of desalination,” explains Louise Stafford, director of the Greater Cape Town Water Fund. “The support provided by P&G Beauty will help us to expand our on-the-ground work to restore nature and save water.”

The Waterless collection will be available exclusively at select Clicks stores from this month.