Check out the colour of our latest batch of The Dewy Oil! You can see that it is significantly greener on the right, compared to our previous batches where the colour was more on the yellow side. This is due to - as you might have heard by now - batch by batch differences that occur naturally in natural skincare and other natural products. Read on to learn what factors affect these differences and why more conventional products are not affected by these factors.

Why is this batch greener than the previous batch?

The primary ingredient that gives our Dewy oil its signature greenish hue is none other than the Chamomile German Blue Oil. This is a unique essential  oil that is dark blue in colour. The dark blue colour comes from a compound called Chamazulene. Chamazulene is  not present in the original flower, but is created when matricin (a compound that exists in the fresh flower of German Chamomile) reacts to heat during steam distillation. So, the higher amount of matricin that exists in the plant, the darker the colour of the essential oil extracted will be, as there will be more Chamazulene in the final product. For any type of plant-based ingredients, each batch will have slightly different compounds based on the growing season, soil nutrients, harvesting and distillation practices, which differs from one harvest to another as well as between different manufactureres.

Our previous batch has 2.4% of Chamazulene content. For this batch, it is a whopping 7.5%! Sometimes, there can be slight differences in fragrance but in this case it was the same. Before dilution, we couldn't tell visually that it was different as it  just appeared dark blue to the naked eye. At Root Remedies, our top priority is to ensure the quality and authenticity of our products, thus, we do not use any additives or other methods to modify the colour of this new batch.

Image via: Botanical Kiss

So, how do conventional products keep things consistent?

After understanding the above factors for batch by batch differences, you might start to wonder, how do conventional products maintain their consistency? If every harvest is different, shouldn't every batch smell, taste, feel and look different? If this is so, why does every batch of Nescafe taste the same?

The answer is simple, all of these consistent products are blends. This means that, a single jar of Nescafe contain coffee beans from many different growers. Professional blenders will have extensive knowledge of which beans contain what flavour and colour profile, and will modify the blend based on the batch by batch differences of each batch of beans to ensure that the taste, colour and feel of the final blend is always virtually identical. 

This blending processes happens to many commercial products with natural origin like tea, coffee, and of course, skin care. This is why today's consumers are used  to 100% consistent products, and we expect a product to be exactly the same all the time. Interestingly, there are professional blenders for the humble Teh Tarik as well. Did you know that different parts of Malaysia have different preferences for their Teh Tarik blends? Professional tea blenders will take into account these regional differences and offer a blend that suits the local taste!

So what about Single Origin? What does that mean?

Now that you understand the blending process, its very easy to understand what Single Origin means. When you purchase a bag of coffee labeled as  Single Origin, this means that the beans are (supposedly anyway) to be from a single grower from a single location. This is why Single Origin coffees are prized - you can taste the batch by batch differences in the product - including the effort and care of the plant itself, the microclimate in the specific growing area, and so forth.

As expected, Single Origin products will tend to have bigger batch by batch differences than blended products. Our Pure Oils are mostly single origin, so the differences between each batch can be significant enough that you might notice it! This is completely natural and they should retain the same benefits from previous batches.

Do I need to worry if the products are slightly different in scent and colour?

No! While there are potential differences in the amount of each component in the product, there will not be different compounds that do not occur naturally. In addition, many of our producers are registered and monitored in their respective countries by relevant governing bodies to ensure quality. Furthermore, when they are bottled or processed in Malaysia, their quality and safety is verified again before the manufacturing of the final product. Therefore, if it is in a Root Remedies bottle, it has gone through extensive quality control checks and is perfectly safe to use.

We at Root Remedies appreciate the growers and producers all around the world. I hope that this post helps you understand more about the processes behind the creation of the wonderful products with natural origin, both commercial and artisanal that are available to us in the modern world!