About Hydrosols

Learn what hydrosols are and how you can use them.

Aromatherapy, essential oils and traditional herbal remedies have become increasingly popular and there are a few reasons for that:

• Aromatherapy offers emotional balance, relaxation and positively affects mood.

• Consumers are familiar with the benefits of essential oils and herbal remedies and they value them.

• They come from nature and the perception on natural ingredients is that they are better and safer (which is not necessarily the reality)

But today I would like to touch upon a special group of natural ingredients that I personally love:

HYDROSOLS.

WHAT ARE HYDROSOLS?

Hydrosols are condensate water produced during the steam distillation of plants for aromatherapeutic purposes (essential oil production). In the past, it was regarded as a waste. They are known by many names, such as floral waters, essential waters, hydrolats, and plant waters.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Hydrosols are mixtures containing a low level of essential oil (around 0.01-0.02%) and other volatile, water-soluble, secondary metabolites. The composition of essential oil and related essential hydrosol is often very different! Essential oil constituents are more lipophilic (that is why well soluble in carrier oils), whereas the fraction that gets dissolved in steam water is more hydrophilic. As a result, very often they smell differently. For example, lavender essential oil is more green and herbal, whereas hydrosol is more sweet and floral (smells like lavender honey!).

SKINCARE USE

Hydrosols do not have the adverse effects of essential oils such as skin and eye irritations on contact. The less volatile odorous molecules are integrally dispersed in water in ionized form, which avoids all irritation of the skin. Hydrosols are highly appreciated for their beautiful scent and mood-elevating qualities. Gentle to the skin, with a balanced pH around 5.5, makes them a perfect, natural choice for skincare use. They are often used undiluted, even on sensitive skin. I personally use them directly on my face in the form of a mist to hydrate my skin just before I put the cream on.

SELF-PRESERVING

Also, what’s beautiful about them is that they have self-preserving properties, which is why they can last up to 2 years unpreserved. Important to add that they should be stored tightly closed and used up once opened. The optimal storage temperature is 10-17C. Lower temperatures might cause solubility issues, and increased temp might accelerate spoilage and change the olfactive profile. They are perfectly fine to be used as a distilled water replacement in any cosmetic preparation; they are not too problematic to work with either. However, when formulating, an appropriate preservation system should be applied, as other ingredients will attract microorganisms and cause degradation.

FOR COSMETIC USE AND MORE

Lastly, hydrosols are great for baking and flavoring! I use them for tea and to flavor my drinking water. You don’t need much to enjoy it (5-15 drops). My favorite ones are chamomile (sweet & herbal), linden (sweet & herbal), mint (refreshing), verbena (sweet & lemony), rose (floral) and neroli (aromatic floral). I have also made rose water muffins and they came out really delicious!

If you are interested and would like to learn more, you will find a list of books I recommend below:

• Hydrosols The Next Aromatherapy” Suzanne Catty

• “Hydrosol Therapy. A handbook for Aromatherapists and Other Practitioners” Lydia Bosson

• “Understanding Hydrolats: The Specific Hydrosols for Aromatherapy. A Guide for health professionals” Len Price and Shirley Price.

Let's create beauty together.