Floral water is obtained by the same process as essential oil, namely steam distillation. Steam passes through the flowers. This steam, enriched with the essential oil contained in the plants, is condensed in a coil kept cold. The liquid collected is made up of traces of essential oil and water: floral water is water naturally enriched with traces of essential oils (around 0.1%). The concentration of floral water is expressed as a percentage. A 5% floral water means that 5 kilograms of dried plants were needed to produce 100 kilograms of floral water. Floral waters are also known as hydrolats. But floral waters and hydrolats are made differently, and so is the product obtained. Hydrolats are the by-products of essential oil production, and therefore contain a high allergen load, whereas floral waters are specially formulated with a defined, constant percentage of plants.