The Therm4skin project studied the use of the thermal water of Chaves in cosmetic products, created mycellar water and a hair spray and tests revealed a “positive impact”, especially in women in peri and menopause, it was today published.
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10/11/2026
by
Lusa
O therm4skin project studied the use of thermal water of Chaves in cosmetic products, created micellar water and a capillary spray and tests revealed a “positive impact”, especially in women in peri and menopause, was today published.
Starting in 2023, the project aimed to study the bioactive properties of Flaviense thermal water and its application in dermocosmetic products.
“What we want is to build new solutions, new products and make known what are the intrinsic properties of thermal water. We believe that there is still much to discover and much research process to accomplish ", said, quoted in a statement, the president of the Chamber of Chaves and the Board of Management of Equipment Management of the Municipality of Chaves (GEMC), Nuno Vaz.
The investigation also brought together the AquaValor Collaborative Laboratory and the Fine Biotechnology and Chemistry Center of the Portuguese Catholic University.
“ And the fact that we have AquaValor, which is dedicated to a central theme that is the study of water in different aspects and with different purposes, is an opportunity to be able, in a partnership logic, to enable new approaches ", added the mayor.
At the end of 2025 a pre-presentation of the two products was made, and now the results of a pilot study that validated “the scientific evidence obtained in the first phase of the project” were revealed.
The trials were conducted by Portuguese researchers, with volunteers and in real conditions, who concluded that products developed with thermal water “are beneficial for the well-being of their users” and confirmed their “impact, especially in women in peri- and menopause”.
“ We conducted a pilot study, did some tests to validate all these claims, both in the micellar water and in the capillary spray, and it was found that the microbiota remained intact, which means that we are not breaking the barrier that the skin has,” added, also mentioned in the statement, Maria José Alves, AquaValor researcher.
According to the description, micellar water is recommended to clean, unmask, moisturize and tonify the skin, promoting a feeling of freshness and capillary spray is, above all, indicated for hydration of the scalp, relieving itching and discomfort and promoting a calming and fresh feeling.
“ In addition to the formulation having a naturality index above 90%, using 80% thermal water in the formulation, we now have this claim to maintain the microbiota, in the case of mycelar water, to tone, clean, moisturize and also create this feeling of freshness when it applies. In the case of capillary spray, the microbiota is also intact, unaltered, and has the particularity of providing a soothing and fresh feeling. These were essentially the allegations that we were able to add with the pilot study,” the scientist said.
Brigite Gonçalves, administrator of the Hot Springs of Chaves, defended new research projects that could further value Flaviense thermal water and recalled that the dermocosmetic line of the hot springs incorporated these two products and already has a total of nine products.
Therm4skin involved a total investment of EUR 197,000 and had the financial support of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the “la Caixa” Foundation and BPI.
In Chaves, thermal water flows from 73o to 76o, is gasocarbonic, bicarbonated and composed of various minerals and, in the city, its heat is already used to heat public and private buildings.
Over 2,000 years ago the Romans discovered the benefits of the thermal waters of this region of Vila Real district.