A quality hydrolat cannot be improvised. It has to be earned, drop by drop.

Sometimes all it takes is a few drops to feel that something is happening.
A feeling of softness settling in. A fuller breath. A discreet but real refocusing.
Cistus hydrosol, for example, has its own way of bringing people together. It’s as if it’s gently bringing order where things used to be scattered.

But why is this effect so tangible with some hydrosols, and not with others?

What is it that makes a hydrolat seem alive, stable and effective, and makes it stand the test of time without fading or weakening?

At Essenciagua, we believe the answer lies in the care we give to each stage of the production process… Not to obtain a label or an analytical score, but to remain faithful to the plant and to those who expect something real from it.

Before the water: the plant, in all its truth

A quality hydrosol doesn’t begin in the still.

It begins in the light of a harvest morning. In the way you recognize a ripe plant. In the precise choice to harvest fresh, at the right time, in the right place.

All the plants distilled at Essenciagua are fresh.

Not dried, not stored. Harvested sometimes on the very day of distillation, as part of a short plant circuit. And because we don’t distill a field but a plant, each species is respected in its specificity: blackcurrant doesn’t have the same tempo as lavender, laurel doesn’t have the same density as thyme.

The choice of water, that invisible solvent

The water we use is food-grade, soft and respectful of balance. Because in a hydrolat, it’s not the essential oil that’s at the heart of the product, it’s the water’s ability to retain its imprint.

And this capacity depends on its quality, its neutrality, its right minerality. It is water that will carry the aromatic compounds, the water-soluble molecules, but also the plant’s signature.

Slow, uncompromising distillation

We distill for a long time while preserving the optimal ratio between hydrosol and plant

Not to extract more. But to extract just the right amount!

At Essenciagua, we respect the plant’s natural time, the time it takes to deliver its compounds, including the most discreet, volatile and subtle ones.

This long time allows us to reach what is sometimes called the aromatic plateau. That moment when water vapour and plant are in equilibrium, and each drop collected contains the complete imprint of the plant.

This is where a form of invisible mastery comes into play. Knowing when to stop, when the steam no longer provides anything essential, when the water has collected all it can carry, without excess, without lack.

For in a hydrolat, each molecule has its own affinity with the water, but the time it takes to pass through is brief, the balance subtle. The aim is not to saturate the water (this almost never happens), but to capture the right aromatic fraction, in a natural, living balance.

The right moment can’t be calculated, it has to be listened to.

This is also what makes our hydrolats stable over time. Because they have reached their natural aromatic balance, they don’t need any help to preserve themselves.

No preservatives, no correctors, just plant, water and water-soluble aromatic compounds. This can only be achieved by guaranteeing cleanliness between all points of contact and the final product.

A living, stable, welcoming product

Our hydrolats are food-grade.
But this is no accident, nor is it a standard obtained by addition or artifice. It’s the direct result of our time-consuming approach to distillation, respecting the plant, choosing pure spring water and excluding all preservatives.

Because a well-distilled hydrolat, up to its point of equilibrium, doesn’t need to be corrected. It’s naturally stable. It stands on its own. And that’s precisely why it can be used internally, in complete safety, without risk to the body and with all its benefits.

And it’s also what enables it to go much further than is often imagined.

This opens up a wide range of sensory, practical and therapeutic uses:

Internally, to support digestive, circulatory, immune or emotional needs. A tablespoon in a glass of water, as a course of treatment or occasionally, is enough to initiate a subtle dialogue with the body.

Externally, to soothe the skin, refresh the face, support healing or accompany a skincare ritual. A simple spritz can transform an everyday gesture into a moment of presence.

As a gentle diffusion, to act on the olfactory level without saturating the space. Perfect for a child’s bedroom, a treatment room or a meditation room.

In cosmetics, as an aqueous phase in a mask, liniment, cream or homemade serum. Their softness makes them a precious ally for sensitive skin.

In the kitchen, to liven up a dessert, refresh a drink or surprise in a vinaigrette. A few drops of geranium in a sorbet, peppermint in lemon water, or orange blossom in a pancake batter, and the hydrosol becomes a creative ingredient.

In energetic or spiritual care, as a support for an anchoring, a purification or a set intention. The vibration of the plant, carried by the water, can accompany a simple but meaningful gesture.

A complete hydrosol is a stable hydrosol.
A stable hydrolat is a hydrolat free of constraints.
And a free hydrolat knows how to invite itself where it is not always expected, but where it can do a lot.

Discreet expertise, serving the essential

We’re not looking to produce fast, to produce a lot. What we seek is to do the right thing. To remain faithful to the plant, to its rhythm, to its natural balance.

It’s this demand, this refusal to compromise on time or quality, that gives our hydrolats their own identity and, without doubt, something that sets them apart.

Perhaps that’s what you feel when you open one of our bottles. Something that can’t always be explained by chemistry, but is immediately perceptible. A true hydrosol, in which the plant has had all the room it needs to express itself.