HOW TO MAKE A PILLOW SPRAY
MAKE A PILLOW SPRAY
How to...
The stress of Covid-19 has lifted pillow spray from a niche category into the product du jour. Dr Anna Persaud and Dr Barbara Olioso provide their respective tips for formulating the perfect spray
Dr Anna Persaud, CEO, This Works At This Works we have been investing in the science of sleep since 2007,
working with independent experts in the fields of neuroscience and aromatherapy to create a suite of award-winning, internationally acclaimed natural sleep solutions.
Fragrance is key to a successful pillow spray in terms not just of the essential oils used but also where they are sourced, how they are distilled and at what percentages each fragrance is used at.
Our best selling Deep Sleep and Sleep Plus pillow sprays were developed to help our customer either fall or stay asleep and at the heart of each is a 100% natural, therapeutic-grade blend of French ‘true lavender’, wild camomile and vetivert essential oil – each known for their sedative, anti-anxiety effects and blended for us by experts in the field of aromatherapy. Of these three key ingredients lavender is the fragrance that comes to mind when we think of pillow sprays and is also the best example of why an expert understanding of essential oils is crucial when developing a functional fragrance. The lavender oil needed to help promote sleep and used in our formulations is ‘true lavender’ (Lavandula angustifolia). This lavender is not usually found in the shops in its original, unadulterated form and so when we buy a bottle of ‘pure’ lavender essential oil, it is likely that it will have been adulterated or it could even be a synthetic creation.
Keeping our clinically proven sleep fragrance blend at heart, but focusing on how the fragrance is released over time, we are able to offer a natural solution to a number of sleep concerns, enabling a customised approach to sleep versus the one-size-fits-all approach.
44 December 2020
2020 has seen many consumers experience sleep issues, pushing pillow sprays – like the line of sleep sprays from This Works (including Love Sleep, below) – into the spotlight
Deep Sleep pillow spray releases an immediate burst of fragrance that is proven to calm a racing mind, but which will fade through the night. Sleep Plus pillow spray is micro-encapsulated, with the fragrance captured in tiny spheres that break on the pillow as you toss and turn, continuously releasing fragrance throughout the night to support a less interrupted sleep.
Dr Barbara Olioso, founder, The Green Chemist Consultancy
At the present time, travelling is not an option; but room sprays can open the doors to sensorial journeys in the comfort of our homes, that can lift our mood in an instant. They can be sprayed on fabrics or on pillows to promote sleep. Room sprays are not a cosmetic product as such, but they are often made by the cosmetic industry because they contain lots of cosmetic ingredients.
In my career I have worked on three types of non-aerosol room sprays: • Alcohol-based sprays, using ethanol (either of natural or petrochemical origin);
• Water-based and alcohol-free sprays; and • Sprays that are a combination of the two. Room sprays that have a high alcohol content are much like perfumes, where the fragrance is solubilised into the alcohol and water is added to top it up. These are the most traditional form of room sprays. This type of room spray has several advantages, such as simple manufacturing, self preservation and quick drying time. But, given the flammable nature of alcohol, they are not as popular as they used to be. Water-based sprays were developed as non- flammable alternatives. They still contain water and fragrance plus two more ingredients to replace the alcohol’s function of solubilising the oil soluble fragrance into the water and protecting the product from bugs. The most common and effective types of oil used in water solubilisers are ethoxylated surfactants. However, even if they are naturally derived, the chemistry used to manufacture them involves 1,4 dioxane residues, a substance which is undergoing risk evaluation by the EPA in the US under TSCA. However, in the last few years, there have been quite a few interesting launches of green solubilisers that have broad solubilising power. The third type of room spray combines the benefits of alcohol-based and alcohol-free room sprays, being non-flammable, as well as fast at drying. This is achieved by having enough alcohol to reduce the drying time, but not too much, which would make the product flammable. Even if alcohol helps with solubilisation and preservation, an additional solubiliser and preservative will still be needed to stabilise and protect the product from microbial spoilage
cosmeticsbusiness.com
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