What are Hydrosols / Floral Waters?

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Home Page > Aromatherapy Article Archive > What are Hydrosols?


An array of aromatherapy products. Pictured is a spray bottle that works wonderfully with hydrosols.

Briefly stated, a hydrosol is the water that remains after producing an essential oil via steam or water distillation. Hydrosols are sometimes also referred to as a floral water or distillate water.

Suzanne Catty, author of Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy proposes the following definition: "Hydrosols are the condensate water coproduced during the steam- or hydro-distillation of plant material for aromatherapeutic purposes." [Suzanne Catty, Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 2001), 10.]

The plant matter used in essential oil distillation imparts a wonderful aroma to the water. This hydrosol also offers therapeutic benefit and is also sold for aromatherapy use. Some plants are actually distilled for the resulting hydrosol instead of the hydrosol being simply a byproduct of the distillation. It is always wise to ask vendors for details about the hydrosols that they sell (and preferably request samples, too).

Important Note: Sometimes water simply blended with essential oils are sometimes sold as floral waters or even falsely referred to as hydrosols. It is important that you ask the vendor for specifics about his/her "floral waters."

Hydrosols can be used in place of water in creating facial toners and other skin care products. They can also be added to the bath, used as a light cologne or body spray, and even used in finger bowls for elegant, romantic dinners. Examples of commonly available hydrosols are rose, roman chamomile, neroli and lavender.

AromaWeb's Business Plaza provides a wonderful categorical directory of sellers of hydrosols and other aromatherapy products.

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