Rose Hydrosol or Rose Water- which one is better? Are they same? Why should I purchase Rose Hydrosol when Rose Water is so cheap? These are some common questions we receive a lot. Hence, we are compiling this article to explain you the difference between Rose Hydrosol & Rose Water. We have also shared tips on identifying "pure rose water" when you have to choose from vast variety of options available in the market.
What is Rose Hydrosol?
Rose Hydrosol is steam distilled water of fresh rose petals. Rose hydrosol is made by traditionally steam distilling freshly collected rose petals in a distillation setup which takes a full day of labor and huge amount of delicate, freshly bloomed rose flowers. This is how it is made:
- pure water is placed in the still
- the rose petals are placed in the water (hydro-distillation), above the water (steam distillation), or both (combo hydro/steam distillation)
- the water boils, heats the petals, the secretory sacs break open in the flower
- the steam then travels up into the condenser
- in the condenser coils, the steam is cooled back to the water state and out comes the rose distillate (rose hydrosol)
Hence, Rose Hydrosol is the purest Rose Water.
What is Rose Water?
In the market, you will find many products termed as "rose water", "rose hydration mist", "rose dew" etc. However, most of these commercial products contain ingredients which are far away from being pure rose water. Rose water can have ingredients like glycerine, rose fragrance, rose extract, rose essential oil etc. Rose Water will always be cheaper because it is just fragranced water of roses.
So the above details conclude, Rose Hydrosol can be called as "pure rose water", however all Rose Waters cannot be termed as "pure rose waters". Many brands state their Rose Hydrosol as Rose Water which is totally right as long as the product inside the bottle is "rose hydrosol".
How to identify pure rose water?
Choice depends on you. To purchase the best possible Rose Water for your skin & wellness, please keep in mind the following points:
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Rose Water should be single ingredient: You may get many Rose mists and Rose Toners in the market. Most of them contain Distilled Water, Fragrance/Essential Oil and other harsh chemicals which implies they are not true hydrosols. Read your labels to check. Pure Rose Water should always just contain one ingredient which is Rose Hydrosol.
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It should be Steam Distilled: Pure Rose Water is steam distilled using fresh roses which is also called Rose Hydrosol. This is a traditional technique to produce the purest rose water.
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Fragrance should not be strong: Rose Hydrosol is made traditionally using the steam distillation technique, you will not find its smell overwhelming. It has a very mild woody aroma of roses.
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Should not foam: Shake your bottle of rose water/hydrosol. If it foams at the top, it is fake.
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It shouldn't irritate eyes: Pure rose water will never irritate your eyes too. According to Ayurveda, Roses are calming to the eyes.
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Transparent with no added colors: Pure rose water almost looks like water- no color & transparent.
At Blend It Raw Apothecary, Our Rose Hydrosol is steam distilled using freshly harvested organic Pahadi Desi Gulab. It takes around 55kgs of Rose petals to make 11L of our organic Rose Hydrosol. Rose hydrosol is the purest form of rose water.
Different Ways To Use Rose Hydrosol (pure rose water)
- use it as a toner after cleansing
- as a refreshing face mist on hot summer day
- underarm/ linen/ hair perfume
- activate your face masks with rose water
- soothing eye mist
