Tuesday 5 April 2011

hydrolsols packaging

Sp supply a list of organic hydrolats from steam distillation of the essential oils.  The water soluable elements remain after distillation and these have been found to have useful properties.  Today I am thinking about our packaging of the hydrosols.  There are many options.  Amber glass is not particularly attractive.    

Theres a nice discussion of packaging p164-166 in Suzanne catty's book, Hydrosols the next aromatherapy.

look inside

This book has an excellent section on the properties and uses of hydrolats entitled 'now what do I do with them' which we recommend to students including useful research.  See also Len Price's carrier oils.

As water based products hydrolats have a limited shelf life of 12 months so of course fresh production should be used.  Faked floral waters made with essential oils added in tiny quantity to water are not hydrolats and do not have the properties ascribed to hydrolats in the textbooks.  These products make some aromatherapists like Suzanne very cross when they are marketed by some companies as having therapeutic properties so take care not to be seen with one near her!

To my mind Miron glass while increasing shelf life by 15% cannot be justified on cost grounds. Hydrolats are cheap and should be enjoyed without the packaging adding unnecessarily to the cost (or be used to justify a large price!). Fresh season production is needed anyway.  This is not a product which will keep well even in a fridge for too long.  Glass though beautiful is heavy to ship and in larger sizes impractical.

Once beauty therapists and home users get into the uses of hydrosols they typically require large containers making plastic the packaging of choice.  It costs as much to package the hydrosols in attractive packaging as dull ones! The hydrosols should look beautiful and benefit from coloured plastic, usually blue.  So here we are Shirley Price hydrosols in beautiful 200ml blue glass and in stylish blue plastic 250ml containers with silver caps.  We also ship in natural plastic for those wanting a spray top.


Essentia

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