Introduction to Hydrosols and their uses
Softer than essential oils, hydrosols do not require the same usage precautions: they can be consumed in a drink at a rate of one tablespoon in a glass of water, for example (hot or cold), which is a dilution of about 1 to 10 of water.
They are highly prized for the medicinal properties of the plant from which they are derived, occasionally taken like a herbal tea, or as a course diluted in a bottle of spring water to drink throughout the day.
They can be used externally: facial or body application during or after toileting, scalp friction after shampoo rinsing. They all have a hydrating effect, some more soothing, others more toning depending on the plant.
They can also be used in atmospheric diffusion (sprays) as a purifier or simply for their scenting power.
Finally, thanks to the chefs we work with, we continue to discover their multiple potentials in the culinary field.
What is a hydrolate?
To understand aromatic hydrosols, it is best to describe their method of extraction. Like essential oils, they are extracts directly derived from distillation. The steam, passing through the plant in the still, picks up the aromatic compounds of the essential oil contained in the plant. This steam thus carries them through the swan neck and into the condenser coil. This is therefore a "steam distillation" process using spring water. All these volatile compounds then condense in the coil to give a distillate that flows into the Florentine flask throughout the distillation process.
A portion of the molecular and aromatic cocktail thus obtained then decants, most often on the surface of the Florentine flask: the essential oil.
Generally below, we find the aromatic hydrosol: the distilled spring water that has been enriched after decantation with aromatic active principles and molecules contained in the fresh plant water. Some compounds, identical to those present in the essential oil, are found there in lower concentration. Others, water-soluble, are only found in the hydrosol.
Throughout the distillation process, the hydrosol, like the essential oil, will gradually become enriched with 'light' compounds first, then heavier components. The goal is to patiently obtain a complete cocktail. For this, the hydrosol that has flowed throughout the distillation is homogenized, so that it is truly "complete", truly representative of the plant's potential.
All that remains is to filter it before storing it under the best conditions for its proper preservation. The very careful manufacturing work guarantees well-charged hydrosols which remain, therefore, stable when the bottle is kept closed, away from heat and light.
During this long distillation process, the smell of the hydrosol evolves with the molecular contributions. Its fragrance will continue to refine in the weeks or even months following distillation thanks to subtle biochemical rearrangements. Hydrosols should not have any additional additives (preservatives, water, alcohol, etc.) until their final packaging.
Purity and "AB" Labeling
Like our essential oils, our hydrosols are 100% pure and natural, directly derived from extraction. We distill the fresh plant respecting a rule of 1 liter of hydrosol for 1 kilo of fresh plant.
NB: Currently, some 'organic cosmetic labels' recognize as a floral water a product that would have been obtained by distillation, at a rate of 20 liters per kg of dry plant. Not to mention other additions accepted after the distillation stage...
Our hydrosols are not pasteurized or "cut" with water or alcohol, and are without the addition of preservatives. They therefore retain the primary, food use, of a plant cultivated in organic farming (AB).