Propolis Tincture 1 Litre (30%)

01 · WHAT THE 30 % MEANS

Thirty propolis, seventy alcohol base

Ethanol is the classic solvent for propolis because it takes up balsams, resins and phenolic compounds well. Wax, on the other hand, is barely soluble in alcohol and is removed in filtering: a clean extract does not carry the waxy fraction of raw propolis.

Which is why extracts are not interchangeable. A water extract, a glycolic one and an oil macerate start from the same propolis but do not carry the same profile, and dropping the alcohol makes an extract neither milder nor equally concentrated.

02 · THE YIELD

33 bottles of 30 ml, or 50 of 20 ml

The litre goes into roughly 33 bottles of 30 ml or 50 of 20 ml, the two usual retail formats.

For that, amber glass or otherwise light-protected bottles, and a tight closure: alcohol evaporates from a badly closed bottle and what is left is no longer the extract you bought.

03 · WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE GLASS

It clouds in water, and that is normal

Mixed with water the liquid turns whitish or milky. That is not a fault or a sign of poor quality: the resins the alcohol was holding in solution are not water-soluble and come out.

And it stains. On clothes, worktops and plastic it leaves a resin film that water will not lift, so work over a washable surface.

04 · IF YOU REPACKAGE IT

The label becomes yours

Repackaging and selling makes you responsible for the product you place on the market: labelling, batch, date and whatever formalities its category requires. The container is a raw material, not a finished product with its label already on.

Propolis is a relevant allergen for some people. Not to be used in case of known allergy to bee products, and always follow the manufacturer's label.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A litre is a working format: you buy it to split it or to formulate with it.