The Differences Between Hydrosols & Facial Toners

Organic Hydrosols vs. Facial Toners: Understanding the Difference for Your Natural Skincare Routine

If you've been exploring natural skincare, you've probably discovered organic hydrosols (also called flower waters) and facial toners. While they might seem similar at first, they’re actually very different in how they're made, their ingredients, and how they work on different skin types. 

Overall, Hydrosols are much simpler and gentler for your skin, whereas Toners are more targeted and stronger. However, there are a lot of other differences, so let’s explore them!

What Are Organic Hydrosols?

Pure hydrosols are the fragrant waters collected after plant materials are steam distilled. Fresh plant materials (flowers, leaves, branches, conifer needles, etc.) are usually used, but sometimes dry materials are used (like with resins). Traditionally, this was done in copper stills, but many hydrosol distillations are now done in large stainless steel stills. When the plants are steam distilled, the hot steam rises through the botanicals, capturing the water-soluble compounds from the plant into the steam. This steam then condenses into an aromatic water, this is the hydrosol.

Hydrosols contain the beneficial properties, essence, and energy of plants (since the properties are released by the plant when it's exposed to heat and extracted by the steam). 

With pure hydrosols (like ours), nothing else is added. This makes hydrosols very gentle, since there is no addition of essential oils, extracts, alcohol, or other potential skin irritants. This makes them perfect for those with sensitive, mature, and dry skin, plus those going through perimenopausal and menopausal skin changes.

However, here’s something important to know: not all hydrosols are created equal. Some hydrosols on the market are fake, made by simply adding essential oils to water - these are not real hydrosols. Others are byproducts of essential oil distillation, making them weaker and not as high in quality. And some hydrosols have preservatives added, which could irritate your skin.

Hydrosols are very versatile, gentle, and safe for all skin types and ages (my kids love them!). And, they naturally contain aromatherapy benefits.

What Are Facial Toners?

Facial toners are a broader category of skincare products, and they can vary dramatically from brand to brand. A toner can gently cleanse skin, leaving it feeling refreshed while also helping other skin care ingredients work better and restoring your skin's pH balance.

Our facial toners are a complex combination of herbal extracts, witch hazel infused with botanicals, aloe vera, and pure essential oils. They are more targeted and stronger than hydrosols. Face toner benefits include removing oils and impurities, balancing the skin, toning, and preparing it for skincare.

Toners are wonderful for normal, oily, and acne-prone skin, but some find them too strong for sensitive or mature skin. The alcohol content (within the witch hazel and herbal extracts) and essential oils in the blends can irritate some skin types that can't tolerate these ingredients in their natural skincare routine.

The Key Differences

Ingredients & Complexity:

Hydrosols: Single-ingredient, pure plant distillation water with no additives.

Facial Toners: Multi-ingredient formulations with extracts, witch hazel, aloe, essential oils, and sometimes alcohol.

Gentleness:

Hydrosols: Extremely gentle, suitable for all skin types including very sensitive skin.

Facial Toners: More potent and targeted, but may be too strong for some sensitive skin types.

Therapeutic Action:

Hydrosols: Mild, hydrating, soothing effects from water-soluble plant compounds.

Facial Toners: Stronger, more targeted benefits like deep cleansing, pore tightening, toning, and active treatment.

How to Use Hydrosols & Facial Toners

Using Hydrosols:

Hydrosols are wonderfully versatile and gentle enough to use throughout the day:

• Spray directly onto clean skin as a refreshing mist. I like to gently rub or pat hydrosols into my skin, but you can use whichever application method you prefer.
• Use as a gentle toner after cleansing.
• Apply before serums and moisturizers for added hydration.
• Use as a cooling facial mist during hot days.
• Spray directly onto your skin, clothes, pillows, or into the air for aromatherapy.

Using Facial Toners:

Our facial toners work best when used as part of a consistent skincare routine:

• Apply after cleansing but before serums and moisturizers.
• Mist and then apply all over the face – avoiding the eyes and mouth. I like to gently rub or pat the toner into my skin, but you can use whichever application method you prefer.
• Always follow with a moisturizer, especially if your toner contains alcohol-based extracts.

The Benefits of Each:

Hydrosol Benefits

• Soothing, cooling, refreshing and rejuvenating to the skin.
• Best for sensitive, dry, damaged, mature skin.
• Gentle and hydrating.
• Can be used as often as desired for skincare or aromatherapy.
• Toning the skin, tightening pores, soothing and freshening, and even promoting healing.
• Perfect for those who want minimal ingredients.
• Safe for all ages.

Facial Toner Benefits

• More intensive pore refinement.
• Deeper cleansing action.
• Targeted treatment for specific skin concerns.
• Better for normal, oily, or acne-prone skin that can handle stronger ingredients.
• More dramatic results are possible for those who can tolerate the stronger formulation.

Which Should You Choose?

The choice between hydrosols and facial toners really comes down to your skin's needs and sensitivity level:

Choose hydrosols if you:

• Have very sensitive or reactive skin
• Want the gentlest possible plant-based skincare
• Prefer single-ingredient products
• Need something you can use multiple times throughout the day

Choose facial toners if you:

• Want more targeted, intensive skincare benefits
• Have oily, acne-prone, or resilient skin
• Don't mind multi-ingredient formulations
• Are looking for more dramatic results
• Can tolerate ingredients like witch hazel, alcohol, and essential oils

Remember, there's no rule saying you can only use one or the other! Many people enjoy using both. For example, I often use toners in the morning and hydrosols at night for my dry, sensitive, and mature skin. So, you may need to play around a little to find a routine that fits your skincare needs best. The most important thing is listening to your skin and choosing products that make it feel balanced and healthy.

Explore Our Collection

At Fawn Lily Botanica, we offer both hydrosols and carefully crafted facial toners, so you can choose what works best for your skin's unique needs. Our facial toners combine the wisdom of traditional herbal medicine with effective natural ingredients, while our pure and organic hydrosols are distilled by expert artisan distillers in France and offer the gentlest possible plant-based skincare.

Visit our collection of hydrosols and facial toners here: https://fawnlilybotanica.com/collections/facial-toners to discover which option fits your needs best.