Why Hydrosol?
As it cools and condenses, hydrosol becomes an ultra anti-inflammatory, cooling liquid that boasts all of the benefits of essential oil but with a higher h20 content, rendering it a gentler and and lighter product that can be applied straight to the skin without dilution. We’re loving hydrosol as a fantastic base to use in lieu of water: it contains tiny molecules of the essential oil that is was distilled from, giving it its signature divine scent and ultra gentle toning and antiseptic qualities. Naturally derived hydrosols awaken your complexion, quench parched skin cells, and provide a soothing dose of absorbable nutrients that were once within the flower’s petals. Hydrosols can be used in the AM and PM to nix redness, prep skin for heavier moisturizers, and tighten pores. Definitely a summer skincare champion!
History of Hydrosol
Hydrosol’s intuitive, close-to-nature production process draws on its long global history of being used for beauty, health, and spiritual healing over thousands of years. Use of flower water dates back to fourteenth century Italy, Hungary, and France, when herbalists would hand harvest flowers to create fragrant sprays, hot compacts, and cosmetic elixirs. Popular recipes were complex and varied by region, passed down by oral tradition and folk tales.
To this day, herbalists argue over the exact recipe of one particularly celebrated hydrosol recipe: The Queen of Hungary’s Water. Some say it was formulated by an alchemist in the 1300s to reverse the queen’s aging; the legend goes that it was so effective, the 25 year old grand-duke of Lithuania proposed to her when she was 70. We’ll take 10 bottles, STAT! The recipe includes a distillation of wonderfully PH normalizing and gently astringent hydrosols that do in fact have proven anti-aging properties: rose, lavender, lemon balm, elderflower, sage, and peppermint. When it comes to herb and flower based organic cosmetics, it’s fascinating to look to yesteryear for inspiration: we’re totally onboard with the queen of Hungary’s PM routine!
Benefits of Hydrosols for Skin
The benefits of hydrosol are gloriously varied and depend on the unique composition of the type of flower that’s being used; because of this, hydrosols are like nature’s building blocks for putting together targeted skincare treatments. Acnegenic skin calls for a more astringent hydrosol fusion (like Witch Hazel), while dry skin might require a slightly more emollient recipe that re-incorporates essential oil back into the flower water after it’s been produced (like rose hydrosol). All hydrosols contain approximately .04% of dissolved essential oils, as well as carboxylic acids (an organic compound that aids in moisture retention). They’re the ideal base for health-promoting facial sprays, hot compressions on wounds or irritated skin, healing toners, and essences that aid in skin repair and cell turnover.
A few of our fave hydrosols make a star appearance in our current floral obsession: Puristry Flower Water Toner. So what’s in this divine tonic? It starts with a base of rose hydrosol, a potent anti-ager with antioxidant properties to strengthen skin cells and regenerate tissue. Calendula hydrosol provides a gentle, day-safe source of carotenoids and vitamin A (both key for battling free radicals which can cause premature aging), as well as calming benefits for skin. Witch hazel provides light antibacterial astringent properties to help put over excited sebum and oil production back in their place.
Keeping sensitive skin types in mind, the formula also features Honeysuckle extract, an ultra gentle PH balancer that plays nice with easily irritated skin, and Hyaluronic acid to lock the formula together and prep skin for maximum absorption. Gentle enough to apply AM and PM, Flower Water Toner is incredible as a standalone to nix impurities, or as an early prepping step for a more complicated product layering regime. If you’re battling dry, damaged or dull skin this summer, this beauty is your new best friend/ skin therapist.
Take a peek at the rest of the Puristry collection for serious summer skin benefits. With a philosophy based in condensed, specific, and naturally derived results, this new collection is a current must-have. Get ready to fangirl over the ingredients (more floral water please)!
Keep up with us for more Puristry product roundups, ingredient stories, and summer inspiration.
