- 22 January 2021
- Return
Discover the 4 aspects that you should be carefully reviewing when selecting hydrosols and floral waters for your formulations.
The popularity of organic floral waters and hydrosols is growing. Consumers are seeking for natural and efficient products with positive environmental and societal impacts. It is therefore not surprising that cosmeticians and aromatician are increasingly drawn to their virtues.
In order to find the right product that meets customers’ expectations and complies with industrial requirements, we recommend checking the following points.
1/ Plant expertise
The production process
Hydrosols and floral waters are obtained only by steam distillation, without any dilution or addition of other aromatic substances. As a result, it is particularly important to select products coming from high-quality plant material. The producer should also have strong know-how in distillation (temperature, duration) to extract the best from the plant. Differences in lesser quality starting materials and/ or insufficient distillation methods can explain lower prices from unreliable producers.
Avoid color and olfactory defects
Poorly maintained fields, plant materials heated under the sun before distillation, insufficiently dried plants for floral waters will result in color and olfactory defects.
TIP 1 - It is important to choose a producer who pays attention to the quality of the plants from the field and also throughout the entire process.
2 / Bacteriological expertise
Sensitive products
Some hydrosols and most floral waters are bacteriologically sensitive. As a result of the distillation, they contain nutrients (sugars and sugar derivatives) that promote the proliferation of bacteria and yeasts.
Ensuring an optimal shelf life
The use of these ingredients in cosmetics and food products requires stabilization operations to ensure enough shelf life for the end-users. The most widespread technic is membrane filtration with low porosity to eliminate as much as possible the microbial load.
Moreover, in cosmetics, various blends of natural preservatives compliant in organic products are used in addition to the filtration operation.
High-end quality control from production to delivery
The efficacy of this stabilization operation plays a key role in the industrial success of these ingredients.
Numerous difficulties are revealed by the bacteriological control of these ingredients, impacting their storage, use and the BBD (best-before date) of the finished products.
Stabilization is a dedicated procedure with specific hygiene and manufacturing methods for hydrosols and floral waters is not always compatible with the organization of production or packaging lines. Therefore, cosmetics and food manufacturers are asking their suppliers to handle this operation and to guarantee the bacteriological conformity of hydrosols and floral waters.
TIP 2 - Choose a supplier that has perfect control of these different steps, from production to quality check, in a global quality approach.
3/ Olfactory expertise
The olfactory hold
With the increase use of hydrosols and floral waters, requirements on their olfactory impact are increasing too. The way those ingredients behave during delivery and storage are becoming major concerns.
Several factors
The conditions and processes of distillation and filtration will have a great influence on olfactory quality. The interactions between the raw material and the preservatives will also impact the smell and its evolution over time.
TIP 3 - A supplier involved at all stages of the production process and providing strict control of the olfactory characteristics of the final product is the guarantee for a consistent and best in class product.
4/ Regulation expertise
Reliable commitments
Hydrosols and floral waters are still little-known ingredients. The development and regulatory departments need accurate and reliable data to certify their quality.
High requirements
These ingredients should give arguments in the finished products relating to functional activity, organic, fair trade methods, country of origin, etc...
TIP 4 - Choose a supplier that has a strong regulatory background, relevant labels and certifications to bring a real added value to your projects.
Choose Elixens
Elixens meets these 4 major criteria:
- Farming and distillation expertise with our Dauphiné-Provence and Sri-Lanka sectors.
- Strict quality process
- High olfactory quality
- Full documentation
Our hydrosols and floral waters are 100% natural, organic with a high lasting standart. Most of them are also fair trade certified, COSMOS and Authentic Provence.
Elixens strives to give you the best, easy to use and reliable floral waters and hydrosols.
Let your imagination go and create formulas relying on our hydrosols and organic floral waters. Let’s share what nature inspires!
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