Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Cost of Deionized Water for Cosmetics

  • Cost of Deionized Water for Cosmetics

    Posted by Graci on June 29, 2018 at 5:39 am

    Hi All, 

    I would like to know what the cost to produce deionized water for cosmetics is? 

    I’m studying the difference in cost if I were to replace DI water with Hydrosols. 

    Any insights will be very much appreciated. 

    Regards, 
    Graci

    sven replied 5 years, 8 months ago 9 Members · 18 Replies
  • 18 Replies
  • EVchem

    Member
    June 29, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    I think that depends on where you plan on getting the DI water from/ size of your operation. Are you going to buy it from the grocery store? Are you going to order cation and anion tanks and deionize the water in-house?

  • gunther

    Member
    June 29, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Real deionized water is devoid of most soluble gases like CO2.
    By the time you finished formulating, it became distilled water since it absorbs gases from the atmosphere.

    Quality distilled water is enough.

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    July 1, 2018 at 10:49 am

    The cost between distilled water and hydro-sols is massive. Distilled water can be bought very cheaply.

  • gunther

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 2:50 am

    You can do most hydrosols yourself. Provided you can buy the whole or powdered plant.
    Since they’re water soluble, extraction ain’t no big deal.

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 2:56 am

    Gunther are you talking about floral water? is floral water the same as the hydrosol, now I have myself confused..

  • gunther

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 3:06 am

    Just hydrosols in general
    technically speaking hydrosol is just a fancy term for ‘dissolved in water’.
    Even tea, which you can make at home, is technically an hydrosol.
    Of course getting tea leaves is way easier and cheaper than getting fresh flowers.
    I’ve always wondered how do they manage to get hydrosols fresh trough mail hot temperatures, without preservatives.

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 3:11 am

    what about buying the powder of the plant, like aloe powder. Not that expensive in small amounts.

  • oldperry

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    @Gunther - Since there are limited regulations on them and no one has the incentive to check, I’d guess companies would just put preservatives in the hydrosols and not tell anyone.  Or the ingredients are contaminated and none of the users bother checking.

  • Graci

    Member
    July 2, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    Thank you @Gunther. We are growers of Essential Oil and the Hydrosol is produced naturally during the steam distillation process. The Hydrosol then has some therapeutic properties and a mild aroma from the EO.
    We only sell 100% Pure and Natural and our customers add their chemical or natural preservative themselves. The shelf life on the Hydrosols is usually 12 months, but it all depends on how their are stored. 
    I’m aware Hydrosol is way more expensive than DI water, however, I would like to study the difference in cost, but I see that there are many variables and will be hard to make a comparison. 
    Thank you.

  • gunther

    Member
    July 3, 2018 at 1:10 am

    Hmmm I don’t think hydrosols would last 12 months with no preservatives added.
    Probably not even if they were sterile filtered (trough a 0.22 micrometer filter).

  • Sibech

    Member
    July 3, 2018 at 2:21 pm

    @gunther If the product (hydrosol) is bottled in a completely sealed container and sterilized (gamma radiation for instance) then the water could arguably have a decent shelf life (until it is opened, at which point preservatives should be added).

  • gunther

    Member
    July 3, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    You’re right @Sibech that could be done
    but I doubt most manufacturers actually sterilize their hydrosols.

    The simplest thing would be freezing them during storage, until they are shipped. Even if they lose some scents, they are kept from spoiled.
    But again I doubt they do that. Hence my advise to extract your hydrosols yourself to ensure freshness.

  • Sibech

    Member
    July 3, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    @Gunther without wanting to nitpick; are hydrosols not, strictly speaking, a byproduct of steam distillation? Whereas extracting it through infusion would yield an extract?

    The distinction would be in the fact that not all water-soluble compounds are sufficiently volatile to evaporate off during distillation but may still be extracted.

    @Graci As for the price difference, it is markedly more expensive to use hydrosols than it is to use water.
    Obviously, prices may differ from vendor to vendor but as an example (ex. taxes),  I can get 20L distilled water for 18.5£ and a quick search on Amazon for rose hydrosol gave prices ranging from 4£ to 10£ per 100ml (assuming 19% VAT £673 for 20L). Being fair there is likely cheaper sources, a google search lead me to “The Soap Kitchen” in the UK with a rose hydrosol 25L for §
    £358.

    Summary in rounded numbers:
    Distilled water 20L = £19
    Amazon Rose Hydrosol 20L = £673
    The Soap Kitchen Rose Hydrosol 20L = £287
    That is for the cheapest option I found in a cursory search a whopping factor 15 in price difference.

  • Graci

    Member
    July 9, 2018 at 5:02 am

    Hi @Sibech, thank you for your help, much appreciated. 
    Just so you have an idea, we sell Tea Tree Hydrosol at AUS$7.00 per kg (around £89 for a 20 kg drum). 

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    July 9, 2018 at 6:07 am

    @Perry yes they do put preservatives into the hydro sols but are known as incidentals.Well we need to call it that otherwise the organic clients would not like it.

  • Gene

    Member
    July 10, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    We distill essential oils. A true hydrosol is produced during essential oil distillation It is basically distilled water with residues of aromatics. There’s not really anything there needing preserved. And yes, they are more costly than DI water.

  • microformulation

    Member
    July 10, 2018 at 1:50 pm
    There’s not really anything there needing preserved.

    This is patently false. A medium with a high level of free water (Aw) can foster bacterial/yeast/mold contamination. Can Hydrosols become contaminated? Absolutely yes. I have seen opened containers of Hydrosols that have had a pronounced yeast/mold coverage as demonstrated by a black ring of mold/fungus on the interior of the closure.

  • sven

    Member
    July 10, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    That’s also been my experience. I though we did not store it properly

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