Filterbaby Skincare Faucet Filter Review

I’ve been using the Filterbaby skincare faucet filter for three years, so this review with my honest opinion is way overdue. I was skeptical about needing one since I have a whole-house water softener and recently installed a microbiological (or microbial) filter as well. However, these two filters alone do not remove all contaminants from the water. And because I remain curious and try beauty-related products so you don’t have to, I caved in and purchased a Filterbaby faucet filter for skincare.

Why use a faucet filter for tap water?

The municipal water in the US, while considered potable, contains over 30 contaminants. According to 3rd party lab results, tap water in the US contains disinfectants such as Chlorine and Chloramine, Industrial & Organic Chemicals, as a result of disinfectants reacting with contaminants, Microplastics & Industrial Compounds (including PFAS), Pesticides, Herbicides, & Insecticides, Pharmaceutical Contaminants, VOCs, Rust, and Heavy Metals including Lead.

These contaminants in water can negatively impact your health even if you are not ingesting them, and can cause or worsen skin conditions such as acne, dryness, dullness, eczema, premature aging, irritation, and allergic reactions. 

If you have skin or hair issues, having a faucet or shower filter might be a good idea to support your skin and hair health. However, not all filters are created equal, as most consist of a single filtration medium, mostly carbon, and can’t physically filter the variety of contaminants found in water. However, Filterbaby faucet filters are built differently and can filter most of these impurities out at a very high filtration rate.

Municipal Water Quality in Texas

Filterbaby has an interactive website that can show water contamination by state. Since I’m located in Texas, I will focus on this state; however, you can easily check water hardness and top contaminants of the state you live in.

According to Texas Water Utilities, Texas ranks 6th in the nation for statewide average water hardness, which is over 200 parts per million, falling under Hard to Very Hard on the hard water scale (US Geological Survey), with two cities making it to the top 10 cities with the hardest water in the US.

When it comes to water quality and contaminants, the data will vary from one municipal utility district (MUD) to another, especially considering that Texas is the second-largest state. Therefore, I went a step further and checked the water quality report for the MUD of my residence and found information on which filtration system is needed to treat the contaminants in water in EWG’s Tap Water Database. You can check your MUD report or see average stats across Texas.

While the quality of water at my local MUD is somewhat better than at other large MUDs in Texas, I decided to include some of my findings here as well.

Despite a shorter list of contaminants found in my local MUD’s water quality report, I can still see a number of heavy metals, including Lead, which, according to the EPA and CDC, has no safe levels in drinking water. And to my surprise, neither of the two whole-house filters installed in my house (a water softener and a microbial filter) is designed to remove heavy metals that naturally occur in the groundwater. One may argue that heavy metals such as Lead, Arsenic, and Copper don’t penetrate the skin barrier; however, there is still a chance of irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin. I have a Reverse Osmosis filter for the kitchen, which removes most contaminants from the drinking water; however, I used regular tap water to wash my face and body, which wasn’t helping the eczema symptoms I was experiencing.

What is the Filterbaby skincare faucet filter?

Filterbaby is an easy-to-install, dermatologist-tested, lab-certified, and clinically-approved faucet filter designed by healthcare professionals. 

Filterbaby is designed to filter out skin-damaging contaminants and impurities from tap water and, according to a clinical study, delivers visible results in as little as 2 weeks.

Besides, the redesigned Filterbaby Faucet filter surpasses standard filters by not only eliminating 99.9% of chlorine but also reducing 99.9% of chloramine, which is prevalent in over 30% of American households. According to the brand, Filterbaby Faucet Filter have IAPMO contaminant certification. The Filterbaby Skincare Faucet Filter is certified to NSF/ANSI 177 for chlorine reduction in shower applications. This filter claims to remove the following impurities:

• chlorine
• chloramine
• microplastics
• rusts
• soluble lead
• heavy metals such as arsenic, iron and manganese
• neutral aluminum
• chloroform
• bromoform
• dibromochloromethane
• bromodichloromethane
• tetrachloroethylene
• trichloroethylene
• trichloroethane
• volatile phenols
• benzene

Besides, it filters dirt, turbidity (sediment and rust from aging underground water and utility pipe infrastructure, that clouds the water and may irritate the skin), sediments, hundreds of certain parasites, cysts, bacteria and impurities in tap water, and other micro-contaminants as small as 0.000001mm.

It is important to note that Filterbaby filters haven’t been tested for PFAS, so it’s hard to say if those particles are being filtered by the filter or not. Besides, there is more data published on Filterbaby Shower Filter test results than Skincare Faucet Filter.

Filterbaby Clinical and In vitro Studies results

What caught my eye about this filter is that Filterbaby did not just conduct a consumer study, but also ran a 3rd-party clinical skin study and commissioned a certified 3rd-party in vitro study that looks at the effect of filtered water on skin at the cellular level. Here are the results from these studies:

• 63%Increase in skin hydration — Clinical Study N1 ’22/’23, N=35*
• 13.13%Increase in skin moisture — In Vitro Test N2 ’25**
• 126.5%Increase in skin lipids — In Vitro Test N2 ’25**
• 96%Agree skin’s health and appearance has improved — Consumer study, N=155††
• 20.61%Increase in keratinocyte cell growth — In Vitro Test N2 ’25**
• 69.1%Increase in wound healing rate — In Vitro Test N2 ’25**
• 15.54%Improvement to skin lipid barrier — In Vitro Test N2 ’25**
• 61%Improvement in skin radiance — Clinical Study N1 ’22/’23, N=35*
• 91%Agree it’s the best their skin’s ever felt — Consumer study, N=50†††
• 2 weeks To clinically measurable skin hydration improvement — Clinical Study N1 ’22/’23*

Use my affiliate link for 10$ OFF your Filterbaby purchase

The design of the Filterbaby faucet filter for skincare

The redesigned Filterbaby 2.0 faucet filter is made of 80% less plastic; however, according to the brand, internal filter refills use roughly 70% less plastic by weight than typical filters. 

The filter’s window is made of Tritan – a highly durable, heat- and shatter-resistant material that is FDA-approved and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)-cleared for food contact. I’m confirming with the brand of the filter shell composition and will update when I get the response.

The faucet filter for skincare comes in five colors: chrome, white, black, pink, and blue. It is also available in two limited edition colors: shiny silver and shiny gold.

Despite the high filtration rate, the facet filter features a built-in water-pressure limiter and is designed in Switzerland and made in Germany. This design also features a toggle switch between Filtered and Regular Tap water, so you still have regular tap water if you need it. Both options use 25% less water than a regular faucet with an aerator because of their spray-style stream, without sacrificing pressure. According to Filterbaby, the spray stream distributes flow across a wider area, increasing effective pressure while using less water. However, you won’t notice a lower water flow rate, which is optimized at 1.6/2.0 L/min. The stream is pressurized, controlled, yet comfortable, and gentle enough for skincare. 

According to the brand, The Filterbaby Skincare Faucet Filter uses 2 powerful filtration steps: Advanced Activated Carbon Fiber and Japanese Premium Ultra Filter (Polyethylene Membrane).

Advanced Activated Carbon Fiber is a premium high-grade filtration medium that does the heavy lifting, reducing up to 99.9% of chlorine, chloramine, certain heavy metals, and more.

Image Source: Filterbaby.com, 2026

Japanese Premium Ultra Filter (Polyethylene Membrane) is another premium filtration medium made of over 4000 nano threads, responsible for capturing up to 99.9% of tiny contaminants, as small as 0.000001mm—that’s 7000x smaller than the width of a human hair. It also filters microplastics, rust, dirt, sediment, and other particles.

This filter also features a dedicated mineral-reduction layer in its composition.

My experience with the Filterbaby Faucet Filter

Frankly, I didn’t go down the rabbit hole on the water quality when making a purchase decision (as I did writing this post), so seeing a few ads showing that filtered tap water helps with rosacea and eczema (my two main skin concerns) was enough for me to make up my mind.

Installing the Filterbaby Skincare Faucet Filter

I love that Filterbaby comes in a box with a variety of faucet keys and adapters that fit 99% of round aerator tips (screened nozzles that control water flow), plus a user-friendly guide for installing the filter. The brand also claims to offer a custom-made faucet adapter if your round faucet aerator tip falls under that 1%. Filterbaby is not compatible with rectangular or square aerator faucets, so check the shape before ordering one.

My original Filterbaby 1.0 filter was installed by my dad – we had an aerator tip stuck on my faucet, so I appreciated my dad’s help with the initial installation. After using it for a while, a part of it broke, and the brand sent me a replacement, which was an upgraded version – Filterbaby 2.0, that I installed myself. It was pretty easy for a woman with pressed-on nails to install a filter herself, and all nails remained intact.

When changing my filter for the first time, I was confident it wouldn’t be as dirty as I saw on social media because of my whole-house filters, so I wasn’t rushing to replace it at the 3-month mark. However, keeping it for longer wasn’t a good idea either, considering how gross it ended up looking.

Maintaining the Filterbaby Faucet Filter

The brand outlines a ±6% efficacy range from lab-certified testing and confirms that the claims are true when the filter is used and replaced as directed, as filtration rate drops for some of the contaminants significantly according to the published data below. Filterbaby recommends replacing filters at least every 90 days; however, depending on usage and water quality in your area, you may need to replace them more often, every 60–90 days.

You can subscribe to get a faucet filter for skincare refill every 3 months on the brand’s website. Filterbaby used to carry filters that matched the system’s color; however, with their commitment to sustainability, they now offer only white refills.

How to replace Filterbaby Faucet filter

Replacing a filter is very easy, even for people with long nails. All you have to do is to unscrew the filter from the chamber and replace it. After replacing the filter, you need to flush the new filter for a minute before use. I recently shared a video replacing a filter on my social media accounts, and you can see the process below. I went a step further and unscrewed the top circle (the adaptor) to detach Filterbaby from the faucet, then unscrewed the filter chamber, replaced it with a refill, and secured it within the filter system before returning Filterbaby to the faucet to flush it. Also, I gave the whole filter system a little rinse and wipe off camera before inserting a new filter to keep it nice and clean.

What to Consider

While Tritan is considered a safe plastic, it can still leach microplastics over time from use. Of course, the ideal version of the filter system should be free of any plastic, but I believe it is not practical at this time, especially from a maintenance standpoint. 

Besides, there are still contaminants in the local water that Filterbaby does not remove, including some found in my MUD’s water quality report, such as barium, uranium, fluoride, and nitrates, that are successfully filtered by the Reverse Osmosis system, which can also be installed for the whole house so you can enjoy the benefits of filtered water in your bathroom. However, some experts suggest that stripping away disinfectants from water may cause microbial overgrowth inside of the pipes when filter is installed for the whole house. This goes beyond the scope of this post, but if you are interested, please let me know, so I can research more on this topic.

My results from using the Filterbaby Skincare Faucet Filter

While I don’t have the dramatic results that other users of Filterbaby report, I do see improvement in my rosacea and hand eczema, and I seem to have less hormonal acne. This is enough for me not to want to go back to the tap water, and after going down the rabbit hole with water quality in Texas, I’m definitely getting one more for my daughter’s bathroom sink and shower. 

Besides, the brand offers a 3-year warranty and has pretty good customer service.

Where to buy Filterbaby Faucet Filters for skincare?

Filterbaby faucet filter for skincare is available at the brand’s website, Ulta, Nordstrom, Erewhon, and Macy’s.

Final Thoughts

Filtered water helps balance your skin’s PH level, protects and improves your skin barrier, promotes skin healing, reduces dryness and irritation, increases skin radiance and hydration, soothes sensitive skin, prevents clogged pores, helps clear acne, and improves skin longevity.

Taking everything into account, from the ease of use, maintenance, design, and results, the Filterbaby faucet filter for skincare is #SunKissedBlush_approved, and I can definitely recommend it as part of your skincare routine. Because I loved this skincare filter so much, I partnered with Filterbaby to offer you a discount that can be stacked with other discounts.