Lebanese tap water reaches your face after a long trip. It leaves the city network, sits in a roof tank, runs through old pipes and only then comes out of your bathroom tap. Every step adds something your skin doesn't need.
What's in it
- Chlorine added to the city supply to disinfect it.
- Rust and sediment from roof tanks and old, corroded pipes.
- Hard minerals like calcium and magnesium.
- Bacteria and microplastics that get in when water sits in tanks or travels through damaged lines.
Much of Lebanon's water network is decades old and poorly maintained. Limited supply pushes most homes to store water in tanks, where it can pick up more contamination before it reaches your sink.
What it does to your skin
- Chlorine dries skin out, leaving it tight, itchy and flaky, especially if your skin is sensitive.
- Calcium and magnesium leave a film that can clog pores and lead to breakouts.
- Microplastics and rust can irritate skin and cause redness.
No matter how good your cleanser and serum are, they work on whatever the water left behind.
The test you can do at home
Add 5 drops of chlorine tester to a glass of tap water. In our tests in Lebanon it turned yellow. The same tap through Nakawati stayed clear.