What You Ought to Know About Crystal Stones
2021-08-19
Crystal stone is a seemingly interesting product that in its own right is jumping on the natural bandwagon. An entirely natural stone made from mineral salt, crystal stone can come in many forms, including a spray, stick, powder, and stone, though always starting with a singular mineral crystal. The mineral crystal of choice for crystal stone is potassium alum. Potassium alum is an antimicrobial mineral that is soluble in water.
Potassium alum is found in deposits in the Earth’s crust typically in the South American Andes and near the Mediterranean Sea. When potassium alum is extracted from the earth it is a colorless, translucent crystalline stone, also known as a mineral crystal. Another more common mineral crystal that shares a similar appearance is quartz. Therefore, a truly natural crystal stone stone or stick that is made from unaltered potassium alum appears the same as the day it was extracted – colorless and translucent.
The impressive list of benefits matched with its 100% natural origin led to the transformation of the crystal stone market and created what most consumers today know as crystal stone. Companies were simply unwilling to endure the costly mineral extraction process, and through scientific advancements and thorough R&D, manufacturers discovered that potassium alum can be synthetically manufactured. However, the synthetic mineral that is more commonly used in mainstream crystal stone is actually more closely associated to ammonium alum.
Below is a picture Natural Cosmetic News took comparing two crystal stones we found that were both labeled natural and listed the same ingredients. The one on the right is clearly colorless and translucent, and the one of the left is obviously opaque and white.
Only 100% pure crystal stones, which have been clinically tested, provide the aforementioned benefits, but what about the impure ones? Until the term “natural” becomes more regulated with stricter standards that eliminate synthetic replicas, the best judge for the true origin of the crystal stone is your own eye.
Potassium alum is found in deposits in the Earth’s crust typically in the South American Andes and near the Mediterranean Sea. When potassium alum is extracted from the earth it is a colorless, translucent crystalline stone, also known as a mineral crystal. Another more common mineral crystal that shares a similar appearance is quartz. Therefore, a truly natural crystal stone stone or stick that is made from unaltered potassium alum appears the same as the day it was extracted – colorless and translucent.
The impressive list of benefits matched with its 100% natural origin led to the transformation of the crystal stone market and created what most consumers today know as crystal stone. Companies were simply unwilling to endure the costly mineral extraction process, and through scientific advancements and thorough R&D, manufacturers discovered that potassium alum can be synthetically manufactured. However, the synthetic mineral that is more commonly used in mainstream crystal stone is actually more closely associated to ammonium alum.
Below is a picture Natural Cosmetic News took comparing two crystal stones we found that were both labeled natural and listed the same ingredients. The one on the right is clearly colorless and translucent, and the one of the left is obviously opaque and white.