It has been two years in the making, but finally, our new Concentrate range is here! What are concentrates? Well, we provide naturally derived and sustainably sourced active ingredients in a compostable cardboard box, and you add the water to make products like shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and surface cleaner.One Concentrate saves 700ml of water and one plastic bottle from manufacture and disposal into landfill. So if you don't like bars, but still want to #giveupthebottle, you can!If you haven't seen these clever little bars yet, take a look via the button below. For those of you who have and have questions, read on. 1. Can I add more water? No, I'm afraid not. It took almost two years to formulate concentrates that work and are shelf stable as when you add a lot of water to something, you invite microbial growth! So, our concentrates are carefully balanced with correct pH and preservative levels to ensure your safety when using them. Worried about the preservative? Don't be. We use benzyl alcohol and dehydroacetic acid at amounts lower than 0.4% each and at these levels (and higher) they are perfectly safe for use and approved around the world (our products comply with the toughest safety standards in the world - the EU.) 2. What if they are too thick? This is a little deceptive. Some of these products, such as the shampoo, body and handwash can be harder to pour into bottles if left to cool too long as they thicken up quick. However, when you exert force on them (by squeezing the bottle, pushing down a pump), they thin out into a lovely usable texture. So, pouring them can be a bit tricky, but using them is perfect. 3. Can I dilute my existing Ethique bars? Also no I'm sorry. Most of our solid bars are preservative free and will turn into a mouldy, smelly bottle of goo within a week or two of being mixed with water. Use bars as bars, and concentrates as concentrates. 4. Can I add other ingredients to them? This one is a yes! Kinda. Several products have unscented variations for those of you who are sensitive to scents, or who want to take the chemistry up a notch and create your own variations. If you want to add essential oils or fragrances, firstly, ensure they are rated to be safely used externally (candle fragrances, for example, are not acceptable as they are not necessarily rated for topical use.) With one full concentrate, you can use up to 3.5g (approximately 3.5ml) of scenting agent. Any higher can start to cause irritation with some oils, so do proceed with caution.If you want to make yours more hydrating, or add in some of your favourite ingredient, this is where the maybe comes in. If you want to add an oil like coconut or jojoba, following the above guidelines and sticking to 3.5-5g is fine. However, if you want to add something water based, or sugary, such as honey or an extract, step away from the bottle! Adding these sorts of ingredients will potentially cause the preservative to fail. If you are adamant you want to, make up your concentrate as normal, then add a small amount (enough for a week) into a separate bottle. You can add your extras into that bottle and discard any leftovers after a week. We are not being pedantic when we tell you you do not want to use a product that is contaminated with microorganisms. It can be very dangerous on rare occasions. 5. What is better value, a bar or a concentrate? Depends on the user really. If you are looking at them purely from a numbers perspective, the bars are better value. One shampoo bar, for example, is equivalent to three plastic bottles of liquid shampoo (1.1L). A concentrate makes up 350ml. However, some people struggle with storing their bars, so may find they don't last as long as they would like. Some people don't like bars because they find them harder to use, and some people don't like using bars because of accessibility and usability issues. So, it depends on you and your personal requirements. 6. Which is better for the environment? Great question, and it looks to be the bars again. To use a shampoo bar as the example, they not only rid the world of three bottles, they also save 2.7L of water. A concentrate saves one bottle and 700ml of water. The carbon footprint for bars is again lower because you get more from the product. However, if you won't use bars, a concentrate is MUCH better than buying the bottled stuff every time. Concentrates are a brand-new product to the market and they are going to take some getting your head around. So, if you have more questions, please let us know at hello@ethique.com and we will create more blogs and videos to help you #rethinkrefillables! Discover more: #rethinkrefillables with Ethique Concentrates 6 easy ways to sustainably spring clean your home