{"id":12509,"date":"2021-12-03T06:05:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T12:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=12509"},"modified":"2022-04-06T09:38:36","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T15:38:36","slug":"pcc-essential-oils-hydrosols-and-floral-waters-what-is-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/12509\/pcc-essential-oils-hydrosols-and-floral-waters-what-is-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Oils, Hydrosols and Floral Waters \u2013 What is the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NaturalWith so many aromatic compounds to choose from, what is right for your formulation<\/a> needs? If you are planning to make your formulas naturally scented, then you\u2019ll need to use either essential oils or hydrosols. How do you decide which of these best suits your formula, and how much should you use? What is the benefit of using an essential oil over a hydrosol, or the other way around?<\/p>\n

And what, then, is a floral water, and how does it get used?<\/p>\n

Essential oils<\/a> are highly concentrated oil-soluble essences of various plants. They should not just be considered ‘safe’ because they are natural, as they actually contain a myriad of allergens, just like fragrances. They are strongly aromatic \u2013 used in place of fragrances<\/a>, but not necessarily as substantive or as varied \u2013 but are ideal in products claiming to be all-natural. You can also source organic versions of many essential oils, making them suitable for Certified Organic formulations. As they are oil-soluble, they can only be added to formulas where oil can be stabilized or require solubilizing to be added to water continuous phases. Essential oils generally get used in very small quantities and need oxidative protection in a finished product formulation. They should also be checked carefully against regulatory limits, as some have restricted input levels for safety reasons.<\/p>\n

Hydrosols<\/a> are the water essences of many of the plants used to obtain essential oils. The hydrosol is the water collected from the steam distillation process of the essential oil, and as such, has a very similar aroma profile, albeit much diluted, as the parent oil. As they are water-soluble, they can be added easily into formulas with a high water phase content and don’t need to be solubilized or stabilized by emulsifying or surfactant agents. They need to be used in much higher quantities than essential oils and don’t give the same intensity of aroma, but can be a great way to lightly scent a water-based product without impacting stability. Unlike essential oils, they will not oxidize and are not affected by hot processing, so do not need antioxidant protection to maintain their aroma over time.<\/p>\n

Floral waters<\/a> are actually a finished product, rather than an ingredient to be used. Floral waters are made by solubilizing an essential oil in water and have a preservative present. They should not be used as a raw material or ingredient in a formula because the solubilizing agent could impact the final formula. Floral waters are great to freshen and hydrate the skin when humectants are also present or can be used as simple air and room fresheners because of their aromatic profiles.<\/p>\n

Join Belinda Carli, Director of the Institute of Personal Care Science, as she walks you through the differences of essential oils, hydrosols and floral waters in this video and helps you decide and recognize which material is best suited to your specific product applications. Watch now!<\/p>\n