Cistus Organic Hydrosol, 250ml
The Essenciagua Rockrose Hydrosol is 100% pure, certified organic, and artisanally distilled in Spain from the wild Cistus ladaniferum. This evergreen shrub thrives in the dry, rocky soils around the Mediterranean, and its aromatic gum-resin, labdanum, has been treasured since ancient times for its soothing qualities.
This hydrosol is especially loved for its skin-regenerating and calming properties, making it a beautiful choice for mature skin and after shaving. It supports the skin’s natural recovery processes and provides gentle comfort to delicate areas.
In holistic skincare, Rockrose Hydrosol is often used to support dry, sensitive, or reactive skin. It may be beneficial for soothing visible signs of imbalance such as redness or dryness. Used as a toner, it hydrates and refreshes the skin while helping to visibly improve tone and texture over time.
Its astringent nature also makes it a supportive ally for blemish-prone skin. With regular use, it can help refine the appearance of pores and calm visible signs of irritation – particularly in skin prone to sensitivity, rosacea, or couperose.
This is one of those hydrosols I always keep close. It brings not only skincare support but also a sense of grounded stillness with its warm, resinous scent.
How to Use:
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Mist directly onto clean skin as a toner.
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Apply with a cotton pad to soothe sensitive areas.
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Combine with your favourite clay mask or skincare recipe.
Certified organic, 100% natural, and free from preservatives or additives – just as nature intended.
Shelf Life of an Open Hydrosol (Refrigerated)
- Typical Duration: Once opened and kept in the refrigerator, a hydrosol will generally keep well for 6 to 12 months. Some delicate hydrosols may start to lose their freshness earlier, while more stable ones (like Rose or Lavender) often last toward the longer end.
- Storage Conditions: Always store in the refrigerator, tightly closed, away from light and heat. Avoid touching the inside of the cap or bottle opening to prevent contamination.
How to Tell if It’s Spoiled
- Olfactory Test: A fresh hydrosol should have a clean, pleasant plant aroma.
- Signs of Spoilage:
- The aroma disappears or changes to sour, vinegary, or musty.
- Cloudiness, sediment, or visible growth (mold/bacteria).
- A sticky texture on the surface or inside the cap.
Practical Tip
Even if the hydrosol is technically within the safe shelf-life window, trust your senses, if it smells or looks “off,” it’s best not to use it on skin or internally. It can sometimes still be used for household cleaning purposes if only mildly altered in scent, but not for therapeutic or cosmetic use.
250ml
Essenciagua hydrosols are 100% organic and natural, without any chemical additives, with impeccable traceability and sourced from short supply chains. They are of food-grade quality, allowing for oral consumption!
Top 3 Benefits for using Hydrosols
1. Gentle and Safe for All Skin Types: Hydrosols are mild and non-irritating, making them suitable for even the most sensitive skin. They maintain the essence of the plant in a less concentrated form than essential oils, offering soothing, hydrating, and toning benefits without the risk of irritation.
2. Versatile Usage: Hydrosols can be used in a variety of ways - as facial toners, in aromatherapy, as linen sprays, for wound care, or as ingredients in homemade skincare products. Their versatility extends to culinary uses, where food-grade hydrosols can flavor drinks, desserts, and dishes.
3. Therapeutic Properties: Despite their mild nature, hydrosols possess therapeutic properties that can benefit the mind, body, and soul. Depending on the plant they are derived from, they can have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, calming, or uplifting effects, among others, contributing to overall well-being.
How to use Hydrosols?
In Suzanne Catty's brilliant book "Hydrosols the Next Aromatherapy" she explains thoroughly all the benefits and the different ways of using hydrosols. I really recommend reading her book!
Here is what she writes:
"Hydrosols are mild but effective. They can be used undiluted without problems for most topical applications. In some ways you can treat them like water, for instance, to wash a cut or scrape, but it must be remembered that they differ from water in many ways. Hydrosols do contain some essential oils, so whichever one you use will contain some but not all of the properties of the oil, and you will receive some of the benefits that you would get if you used the respective oil.
Hydrosols have a very different pH than water; they are always either slightly acid, like lavender, or very acid, like rock rose. Rock rose, because of its extreme aciditity, is highly astringent and will constrict cells where it is applied. This means it is useful to stanch bleeding; it is also great for tightening pores and reducing wrinkles.
Lavender, with an almost neutral pH, may be better choice if a wound contains dirt or pus, since it can wash the debris out of the cut more easily, as the cells remain open and bleeding will help clean the wound."
Ways to use hydrosols
1. Spray undiluted hydrosols all over the body as a quick refresher, to cool the body temperature or stimulate circulation, to reduce the impact and damage of sun exposure, as a deodorant, or as a subtle perfume.
2. Use neat hydrosols to make your own wet wipes, for both adult and infant personal hygiene (Chamomile Roman is perfect for infants and kids)
3. Use as hand spray to prevent the spread of germs in cold season, or when you are traveling and are being exposed to far more germs than at home.
4. Treat skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and poison ivy. Use several small applications per day, the general rule would be no less than three and as many as twelve small localized applications per day, every day until symptoms resolve.
5. Hydrosols can greatly relieve the itching, pain, and redness of the skin in case of for instance eczema. They can slow down the flaking process and speed up the healing.
6. It is very important that you buy organic preservative-free hydrosols.
