What are Hydrosols?

You most likely have heard about the essential oils trend that has been sweeping the personal care industry over the past 5 years. You can think of hydrosols as essential oil’s lesser known cousin. Similar to essential oils, hydrosols are extracted from plants and offer an aroma to whatever product they are added to.

Hydrosols can be extracted from virtually any plant that offers a pleasant aroma like lavender or witch hazel. Hydrosols are especially beneficial because they are considered clean ingredients and can be added to clean skincare formulas to boost the scent of the product. In this blog we will discuss the difference between hydrosols and essential oils, and then get into the benefits of using hydrosols in clean skincare (Source). Let’s go!

Hydrosols vs. Essential Oils

Both hydrosol and essential oil is extracted from aromatic plants, however the distillation process of each is different, which is what makes up he difference between the two types of ingredients. Hydrosols used to be considered a by-product of the process of creating essential oils, however many industries have taken notice of the benefits of using hydrosols, and have even started producing just hydrosols instead of essential oils (Source). 

The biggest difference between the hydrosols and essential oils in terms of formulation is that essential oils mix best with mainly oil formulations, while hydrosols mix best with mainly water formulations (Source). If you think about it, this is an easy difference to remember being that hydro refers to water, and oil…well you get the point. 

Many people claim that essential oils have a stronger aroma to them, while hydrosols have a more subtle scent, however, depending on the manufacturer of the hydrosol, this is not always the case. 

Benefits of Hydrosols: 

The benefits of hydrosols really depend on what type of hydrosol is being used. There are over a hundred different plants that hydrosols can be extracted from, so there are a wide variety of potential benefits that can come from using hydrosols in skincare formulations. Below we will get into the benefits of hydrosols using the most commonly used types. 

Stress Relieving

Depending on what type of plant the hydrosol is extracted from, hydrosols can be stress relieving. Common hydrosols that offer stress relieving properties are lavender or mint (Source). Similar to essential oils, these types of hydrosols lead to a relaxed feeling when their scent is inhaled. Lavender and mint are great hydrosols to add to skincare products meant to relax its user when used, such as a face mask. 

Anti-Inflammatory: 

Hydrosols like those extracted from witch hazel or lavender can also be anti-inflammatory (Source). It's a commonly known fact that witch hazel is good for healing wounds and reducing inflammation, so it should make sense that hydrosols extracted from witch hazel can have the same effect. Witch hazel and lavender are good ingredients to include in skincare formulations meant to fight acne or maintain an even skin tone. 

Skin Tightening: 

Another benefit of using hydrosols in skincare formulations is that hydrosols, such as those extracted from rose, witch hazel and chamomile, are that they can offer skin tightening (or astringent) properties (Source). Skin tightening is a great benefit to include in skincare formulations meant to be anti-aging. Hydrosol’s anti-inflammatory and astringent properties are what make hydrosols a common ingredient in toners. 

Natural (!) Fragrance: 

The biggest benefit that almost every type of hydrosol offers is the scent. Many ingredients in skincare used to add fragrance to formulations are considered “dirty” ingredients. Hydrosols, conversely, are considered clean ingredients and also offer a good scent profile along with the other benefits mentioned above.

Hydrosols are commonly praised for offering a subtle, yet pleasant aroma to skincare products, and even more importantly, they are clean ingredients!

Hydrosols can be much less irritating to the skin in comparison to other unnatural scents. They come in a large variety of scents since they are extracted from plants, so if all else fails, just pick your favorite scented plant and use its hydrosol as a fragrance for your product!

Genie Supply offers a variety of hydrosols to be added to formulations for their aroma as well as the other benefits mentioned above. Check out all natural fragrance and scents we offer here!

Work with Genie! 

Are you thinking about starting your own skincare line, but aren’t sure what the next steps are? Genie Supply offers a variety of informative blogs for anyone looking to do a little research on how to start a skincare line. If you are ready to take the next step, reach out to us via phone or email and we would be more than happy to work with you and discuss plans and goals for your skincare line. 

There are a couple of routes you can take including custom formulation or private label. For more information on the difference between private label and custom formulation check out this page!

A big benefit of private labeling with Genie Supply: We offer at least 1 free addition of a scent or fragrance to all of our private label formulas, which means you can add your favorite smelling hydrosol to your formula with no additional cost! We want you to love your product and adding a personalized scent can make it feel like your own.

From moisturizers to a variety of serums, Genie Supply offers all clean formulations for private label. To see all of our private label formulas, check out this link and browse all of our formulas or even order a sample to test it out for yourself.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to reach out to us at customerservice@geniesupply.com or give us a call at 812-329-1105.