Hydrosols

Rapid Shipping Methods

Transportation of the waters is the next issue in preserving their shelf life. Depending on where you live and what you are buying, hydrosols may come from very near or very far away. Australia and New Zealand, fo instance, are very far from anywhere except each other. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to obtain hydrosols from that part of the world. The cost of air transportation is very high, and hydrosols are heavy: like water, one liter weights one kilogram. Surface transport means shipping by boat. This is exceedingly slow, and unless you are willing to find and pay for temperature-controlled shipping, it is out of the question, as spoilage is sure to occur in the weeks or months at sea. 

I have begged one Australian distiller on countless occasions to ship me some of his unique hydrosols, explained that I would assume all the risks of spoilage, and arranged air cargo, but to no avail. He, like many others, has had experiences in shipping the waters in the past and are reluctant to try it again. For this reason most of the eucalyptus hydrosol on the market comes from Portugal, where a high-quality oil is being produced. 

It is a fact that at least 20 percent and up to 60 percent of the cost of a hydrosol is in the transport. Air transport is the only viable method, since any shipping means that there are no controls over temperature and storage conditions. Hydrosols are fragile, and if they are left in a hot warehouse or boat for weeks on end, the likelihood of degradation skyrockets. Even air transport means the hydrosols are not temperature controlled for at least a few days. I once shipped a product to Banff, Alberta, in the middle of January. Sent priority courier overnight, they arrived frozen and solid but were quite fine when thawed very slowly: It is only with prolonged exposure to unsuitable conditions that the problem really begin.

It is worth taking care and spending what needs to be spent on transportation. There is no way to guarantee how the hydrosols have been treated  prior to shipping, although you do your best to buy reliably. But you do have choices in how the products are treated after you receive them, and storage is critical.

Reference: Hydrosols the Next Aromatherapy: Suzanne Catty