A vitamin C gel filter neutralises free chlorine; a nominal 5-micron sediment filter catches rust and debris. 8 filters 30% off in the starter set, 60-day money-back guarantee on the shower head.
When Niki moved from Seoul to Europe, she wanted a shower routine that worked with the local water. She developed the PICKI NIKI Filtered Shower Head with her Korean manufacturing partner, around one idea: clean water is step zero of your beauty routine.
It doesn't replace your skincare. It changes the water you wash in.
Most of southern and eastern England, including London, is supplied with hard water. Here is what can reach your skin in the shower.
Can reduce how well the skin's outer layer holds water - measured in sensitive skin at London tap-water levels.²⁻³
Peer-reviewed research suggests it may aggravate discomfort in sensitive skin.⁴⁻⁶
Old pipes can release rust, metal flakes, sand and grit into your water.
That stretched feeling the moment you towel off.
That stretched feeling the moment you towel off.
Moisturised after the shower, dry again by midday.
Moisturised after the shower, dry again by midday.
New cream, richer serum - same tight feeling.
New cream, richer serum - same tight feeling.
A sediment pre-filter (nominal 5 µm) catches rust, metal flakes, sand and grit from old pipes.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a mild chelator of calcium: it can form water-soluble calcium ascorbate, which rinses away with the water rather than drying on skin and hair.¹
Vitamin C reacts with free chlorine on contact and turns it into chloride - the principle utilities use to dechlorinate water mains (AWWA C651-05).
Good Housekeeping Institute named it Best Flow Rate in its 2026 shower-filter test (83/100).
Vitamin C converts free chlorine to chloride before the water reaches your skin.
Vitamin C mildly binds calcium¹ - it does not soften the water, but there is less of that residue feel on your skin.
A sediment pre-filter (nominal 5 µm) captures rust, metal flakes, sand and grit from old plumbing before they reach your skin.
Rated Best Flow Rate by the Good Housekeeping Institute (2026). No build-up phase, no waiting - it works from day one.
One stage for particles from the pipes, one for free chlorine.
A melt-blown polypropylene cartridge (nominal 5 µm) in a sealed full-flow housing: 100% of the water passes through it. It captures rust, metal flakes, sand and pipe debris - not dissolved minerals.
Ascorbic acid neutralises free chlorine via a redox reaction, converting it to chloride (AWWA C651-05). It reacts on contact and is consumed as it works.
Designed to be used together – not separately.
Step 1 captures particles.
Step 2 neutralises free chlorine.
| Vitamin C Gel PICKI NIKI | Activated Carbon Adsorbent media | KDF 55 Zinc/copper redox | Mineral / Ceramic Beads Mechanism varies by product | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Showers | Drinking water & showers | Drinking water & showers | Varies by product |
| Used by | PICKI NIKI; Korean K-beauty filtered shower heads | Most pitcher and faucet filters; many premium shower filters | Industrial water treatment; some premium shower filters | Most cheap 'Vitamin C ball' shower heads and ionic/wellness products |
| Chlorine neutralisation | Direct chemical reaction (AWWA C651-05) | Catalytic surface reaction - depends on contact time and remaining media capacity | Zinc/copper redox media | Mechanism varies by product |
| Softens hard water | No - no shower filter softens water; hardness stays in the water | |||
| Sediment, rust & debris | Melt-blown PP cartridge, sealed full-flow housing - 100% pass-through | Adsorbent media - not a dedicated sediment stage | Redox media - not a dedicated sediment stage | |
| End-of-life signal | Visible - gel consumed | No visual change in the media |
WHAT CUSTOMERS REPORT
★★★★★…my skin would feel tight after every shower. Since switching, I've noticed that … my skin feels smoother and more hydrated.
Hsiao Li W.Verified buyer · Okendo · Jun 2026
★★★★★My skin no longer has that “dried out” feeling after showering where I need to immediately spray toner on my face.
AdaVerified buyer · Okendo · Mar 2026
★★★★★Living in a hard water area we’ve been struggling with dry skin but no more!
Alex H.Verified buyer · Okendo · Jun 2026
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Individual experiences may vary. Customer testimonials reflect their own use; results are not typical and are not a guarantee of similar outcomes.
More than half of our London customers bought for dry or sensitive skin (customer survey, n=90).
A shower filter changes the water, not your body. It does not treat, cure or prevent eczema, dermatitis or any other skin condition - if you have one, talk to your GP or dermatologist.
The filter material was dermatologically patch-tested as non-irritant (Skin Irritation Index 0.03, n=30).⁹
Short clips of people trying the shower head.
As tested by the press
Independently tested – 2026 and 2025 in a row.
Best for Water Hardness & Best Flow Rate
GHI Lab Panel · 83/100
"Our panel found it refreshing and invigorating …"
– Good Housekeeping Institute
Best: Shower head for aromatherapy
ES Best · The Standard
"… a worthy contender for those prioritising skin and hair health …"
– The Standard
Best Overall Filtered Shower Head 2025
IndyBest · The Independent
"After washing my hair just once, it felt smoother, silkier and shinier …"
– The Independent
We filter our drinking water. Why not our shower water?
Children's skin is more delicate. The PICKI NIKI filter material is dermatologically tested non-irritant (P&K Skin Clinical Research Centre, n=30).⁹
One shower head serves everyone in your household.
Moisturisers and serums work on your skin; none of them changes the water you wash in.
Refills: vitamin C gel filter £15, typically lasting 2-4 weeks for a household of two showering daily; sediment 3-pack £25, each cartridge lasting 1-3 months depending on water quality and usage. On a subscription, both refills are 20% cheaper.
60-day money-back guarantee: the shower head can come back even if used, filter cartridges while still unopened.
Tea Tree, Baby Powder or unscented vitamin C filters. The Standard named it Best Shower Head for Aromatherapy: "…turned my shower cubicle into a mini spa…"
No plumber, no tools: it screws onto your existing shower hose. "Installation takes seconds" – The Independent.
Compact, with a slim travel pouch for holidays or the gym. "…impressively compact and lightweight…" – The Standard.
A sediment pre-filter catches rust, sand and pipe debris; a vitamin C gel filter neutralises free chlorine.
The vitamin C is consumed as it neutralises free chlorine, so you can see when the gel filter is due - typically every 2-4 weeks for a household of two showering daily.
200 micro-holes for a full, even stream. The Good Housekeeping Institute named it Best Flow Rate in its 2026 test (83/100).
PICKI NIKI changes the water, not your skincare: free chlorine neutralised, rust and sediment caught.
Test it in your own shower for 60 days.
Not for you? Send it back for a refund: the shower head even if used, filter cartridges while unopened.
Starter set (shower head + 8 filters):
✓ 8 filters 30% off
✓ free UK shipping
✓ no subscription, no contract
Studies and test reports cited on this page. The studies describe water and skin in general, not PICKI NIKI's effect on skin.
Tsao CS. Equilibrium constant for calcium ion and ascorbate ion. Experientia. 1984;40(2):168-170.
Weak calcium-ascorbate binding measured in the lab; any effect at a shower filter's vitamin C dose has not been measured. No shower filter softens water.
Seki T, Morimatsu S, Nagahori H, Morohashi M. Free residual chlorine in bathing water reduces the water-holding capacity of the stratum corneum in atopic skin. Journal of Dermatology. 2003;30(3):196-202.
Effect from about 0.5 mg/L free chlorine in atopic skin, from about 2.0 mg/L in normal skin. Measures hydration, not skin lipids. Evidence on chlorine and skin is mixed (see note 4).
Thames Water. Water Quality Report 2026, Water Supply Zone 0016 Bloomsbury (2025 sample data).
Residual chlorine: mean 0.71 mg/L (range 0.24-1.00 mg/L, 132 samples). One central London supply zone; values differ between areas.
Danby SG, Brown K, Wigley AM, et al. The Effect of Water Hardness on Surfactant Deposition after Washing and Subsequent Skin Irritation in Atopic Dermatitis Patients and Healthy Control Subjects. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2018;138(1):68-77.
n=80. Hard water increased surfactant deposition on skin after washing, linked to skin irritation; a clear effect of chlorine was not observed. Funded by a water-softener manufacturer.
Lopez DJ, et al. The association between domestic hard water and eczema in adults from the UK Biobank cohort study. British Journal of Dermatology. 2022;187(5):704.
About 306,000 adults: a small cross-sectional association with very hard water (above 200 mg/L); no association with new cases.
Henning MAS, et al. The association between water hardness and xerosis - Results from the Danish Blood Donor Study. PLoS One. 2021;16(6):e0252462.
Adults: water hardness above 24 °dH was associated with more self-reported dry skin.
Korea Environment & Water Works Institute (KEWI). Drinking Water Quality Test, 60 parameters. Seoul, Korea. 2020.
Filter output (not feed water) within the Korean Drinking Water Standard on all 60 parameters; heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium) and cyanide not detected. Shows the filter does not introduce these contaminants; not a removal test. KEWI is not KOLAS / ISO 17025 accredited (certificate: 'KOLAS accreditation: No').
Korea Environment & Water Works Institute (KEWI). Residual Chlorine Removal Test. Seoul, Korea. 2020.
100 L of test water at 0.19 mg/L free residual chlorine through the vitamin C filter; outlet: not detected. Flow 2.52 L/min, 21-23 °C; real shower flow measured by KTR is 7.5 L/min. 'Non-detectable' states no detection limit, so no percentage can be derived. KEWI is not KOLAS / ISO 17025 accredited (certificate: 'KOLAS accreditation: No').
P&K Skin Clinical Research Centre. Primary Skin Irritation Test. Seoul, Korea. 2023.
24-hour patch test on the vitamin C filter material, n=30 adults: Skin Irritation Index 0.03 (0.00-0.25 = non-irritant), no adverse events. Conducted per MFDS Notification No. 2021-55; the report claims no KOLAS / ISO 17025 accreditation. A tolerance screen, not an efficacy trial.
