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Pure Frankincense Water
Pure Frankincense Water
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A steam-distilled frankincense water, and nothing else. Light, resinous and dry — the quietest mist we make, and the one to reach for when you want something grounding rather than floral.
What a hydrosol is
Hydrosol, floral water, hydrolat — all the same thing. It's the aromatic water that comes out of a steam distillation, carrying the plant's water-soluble compounds. The essential oil is the concentrated layer that floats to the top; this is the gentler half left underneath, and unlike an oil it goes straight onto skin without dilution.
If you'd like the longer version, we wrote one: hydrosols and essential oils, and when to use which.
About frankincense
Frankincense isn't a flower or a leaf. It's a resin — tapped from Boswellia trees growing in dry country across Oman, Somalia, Ethiopia and India. The tree is cut, it weeps, and the sap hardens in the air into pale amber pieces called tears. Those tears are what get distilled.
In water form the aroma is much softer than the resin burning: cool, dry and faintly citrus-pine, without the smoke. It's the same material that has been burned in ceremony for thousands of years, and in Chinese herbal practice it's known as ru xiang.
How to tell a real hydrosol
Read the ingredient list. A true hydrosol names the distillate and very little else. Anything beginning with aqua followed by fragrance, parfum, alcohol or an essential oil plus a solubiliser is scented water — it smells fine, but it isn't the same material, and it's far cheaper to make than the price usually suggests.
The details
| Use | Face and neck, and quiet spaces |
| Keeps | Six to twelve months once opened |
| Storage | Cool and out of direct sunlight — the fridge works well in summer |
| Origin | Made in China. Packed in Sydney. |
Part of our frankincense botanicals, and there's more on the resin itself in What Is Frankincense? Find us at Manly Market every Sunday, 9am–5pm, if you'd like to try it first.
