Hydrosol
A hydrosol is aromatic water produced by distillation. Learn how it differs from essential oil and scented water, and what to check before choosing one for use.
Updated
A hydrosol is the aromatic water collected during distillation of plant material. It contains water-soluble volatile components and may contain small amounts of dispersed aromatic oil. Hydrolat is another name for it.
Rose water and orange-blossom water can be hydrosols, but a scented-water label alone does not prove a liquid was distilled. Some waters are formulated by mixing fragrance or extracts into water; read the maker’s description.
A hydrosol is not simply essential oil diluted with water. Its composition follows what enters and remains in the water phase during distillation. It can be produced alongside an essential oil or as the intended result of the distillation.
- Hydrolat
- Another term for a hydrosol.
- Floral water
- A common description for an aromatic water, although the label does not always specify how it was made.
- Distillate
- Liquid collected after vapor is condensed. The water fraction can be the hydrosol.
- Essential oil
- A separate aromatic oil fraction. Mixing essential oil into water does not reproduce a true hydrosol.
- Rose water
- An aromatic water associated with rose; check whether the specific preparation is a distillate or a formulated water.
- Storage
- Follow the maker’s storage and use-by directions. Being mostly water does not make a preparation indefinitely stable.
- Intended use
- A cosmetic hydrosol, a food preparation and a perfumery ingredient are not automatically interchangeable.