Reader Question - Packaging Essential Oil Bath Salts

I wanted to know what is the best container to keep bath salts that have essential oils added to them?  I have heard that plastic and paper are no good because the oils will wick out/ escape from the salt.  What is good to package bath salts with oils, besides glass jars?  ~Jill

Hi Jill,

Glass is definitely the best material to package products that contain Essential Oils.  Since glass is not porous, it keeps the Essential Oils from wicking out or eating away at the packaging.  Unfortunately, packaging products in glass can be expensive and sometimes dangerous.  For example, packaging a salt scrub in a glass jar can be dangerous if it is dropped in the shower or tub.

I've found the next best alternative to glass packaging is high density PET plastic.  PET Plastic Jars and bottles can effectively contain products containing Essential Oils for some time before they begin to break down. (If they ever break down) These crystal clear jars and bottles also showcase colored salts and other products quite well.  These are a great solution for bath salts, scrubs, and other products that contain Essential Oil.

PET cannot, however, serve as long term storage for pure Essential Oils.  PET can be used to temporarily store Essential Oils, but even high density plastic will eventually be corroded by Essential Oil, especially Citrus or Spice Oils.

Do you have another packaging option that Jill could use for her Bath Salts?  If so, please tell us about it in the comments below.

Comments

[Robyn]

I found out the hard (& expensive) way that paper is not a good way to store or sell bath salts in. They go rock hard!! I think they must draw moisture from the air into them which hardens them. I had even used dendritic salt which is supposed to stop this.
I have since then found really nice plastic ziploc bags with a little window in them so that you can see the salts. They come in all colors including black, gold and silver, and different sizes as well. I am waiting for a shipment to arrive to use them but am pretty certain they will work great for selling/storing bath salts.

[Kassie]

Thanks Robyn! Yes, bath salts tend to attract moisture if you don't package them in airtight, moisture-proof packaging. Plastic bags will work well for bath salts as long as they are not made with essential oils. The essential oils may eat through plastic bags and would also evaporate through the plastic, leaving very little scent.

[Cynthia]

Hi,

I make a consistent line of natural beauty products, but have one lingering frustration: the loss of "red" in my colored bath salts. If I color the salts pink, they turn white within a month, and if I use purple, they turn blue - whether I use pre-mixed purple, or mix my own red/blue combination.

The colors I use are food coloring, either in liquid or in paste form. The pink salts are scented with fragrance, and the purple are scented with pure essential oil. The colors change whether I put them in plastic bags, or in glass jars. The only other ingredients I use (in addition to the salt) are dendritic salt, and a small amount of oil.

Does anyone have an answer to this phenomenon?

[Emmy Gabriel]

Hi Cynthia. Thanks for your question. I believe the culprit could be the use of Food Dyes. Food Dye, or DC and FDC Colorants are notorious for fading. Though they are easy to use, and produce bright, vibrant colors, they tend to fade and lighten over time. Try using a more stable Color Additive on your Salts instead. Pearlescent Micas are a favorite of mine for use in Bath Salts. They offer stable, bold color, and the slight shimmer that they add is very pleasant. Avoid the FDA Color Micas, as they may fade in a similar way to FDC Dyes. Some nice red Micas are Rouge Flambe, Sienna Lustre, and Red Heart. You can also try using Oxides or Ultramarines, but they are a little harder to work with than Micas.