Extraction methods:

Our ‘Made For Life’ vision means that all of our products are created using processes that are considerate to the environment. This is also true of our extracts, essential oils and vegetable / seed oils, meaning no damaging chemical by-products, only natural Organic material that can be returned to the land.

We find the methods to produce the Spiezia Organic range fascinating so thought we would share a quick guide to the processes involved:

Flower and Herb Extracts

We have developed a unique process here at Spiezia which uses solar and lunar energy to make the most of the air-dried herbs and flowers used in our products. Each product has, at its heart, a targeted ‘maceration’ which gives it its unique properties, using the essence of the plant to benefit your skin in just the right way.

To create a maceration we take a measured quantity of herbs and flowers, mix with a measured quantity of extra virgin olive oil and allow to stand in a glass jar in our maceration room for four weeks. Over this time, the heat from the sun and the cooler nights draw the essence from the plant and infuse the oil. The mixture is then pressed and filtered, removing all the solid particles and used as the base of our formulations.

Cold Pressing

Cold pressing refers to oils obtained through pressing and grinding fruit or seeds with the use of heavy granite millstones or modern stainless steel presses. Whilst heat is generated through friction in the process, the temperature must not rise above 50C for it to be truly classified as Cold Pressed.

The benefits of using cold pressing extraction techniques are twofold – no harmful, chemical by-products and a higher quality of oil that retains all of its aroma and beneficial value to the skin.

Steam Distillation

Due to the temperature sensitivity of essential oils, it is vital to use a steam distillation process. The process involves taking the part of the plant from which you want to extract the essence (eg. Lavender flower, lemon peel, rosemary leaf). Introducing water or steam to the process lowers the boiling point of the oils that you require. The oil is the condensed or extracted from the remaining water, leaving you with the purest, highest quality essential oil and above all, the only by-product is water!

We ensure that 100% of our products have Soil Association certification demonstrating our commitment to only ever using the highest quality certified Organic ingredients.