4 October 2026

What Is a Lipid-Based Fruit & Vegetable Wash?

If you've read about PLANTAERA, you may have noticed that we describe it as lipid-based.

It sounds a little scientific, but the thinking behind it is actually quite simple.

Fresh produce has complex surfaces. Many fruits and vegetables have naturally waxy outer layers, and some may also have food-grade waxes applied after harvest. Oils and other residues can also come into contact with produce as it makes its way from the farm to our kitchens.

Not everything on those surfaces behaves the same way in water.

That's where the formulation of a produce wash matters.

First, what are lipids?

Lipids are a broad group of substances that include fats, oils and waxes.

Plants naturally contain lipids too. The protective outer surface of many fruits and vegetables contains natural plant waxes, which are lipids that help protect the plant and reduce moisture loss.

You can feel the difference between produce surfaces yourself. Compare the smooth, waxy skin of an apple with the delicate surface of a strawberry or the leaves of a lettuce.

They're very different surfaces, which is something we considered when developing PLANTAERA.

Why doesn't water behave the same way with oils and waxes?

You probably already know the basic principle that oil and water don't mix particularly well.

Water is very useful for rinsing away loose dirt and water-soluble material, which is why washing fresh produce under clean running water is standard food-safety advice.

Oils and waxy substances are different. They are generally hydrophobic, which means they don't readily interact with water.

You can see this yourself when water beads on a waxy apple or when you add oil to a glass of water and the two separate.

So when we were developing PLANTAERA, we wanted to think beyond simply putting another water-based liquid onto fresh produce.

So how does a lipid-based wash work in water?

This is the interesting part.

PLANTAERA is lipid-based in the bottle, but when you add one pump to water, the formulation is designed to form an emulsion.

An emulsion allows substances that wouldn't ordinarily mix easily with water to become dispersed throughout it.

So rather than the lipid-based formulation simply floating separately on top of the water, it disperses through the wash water.

This allows the formulation to interact with oily and waxy material on the surface of fresh produce, helping to lift it away so it can be rinsed off with fresh water.

That combination is important: a lipid-based concentrate that forms an emulsion when you add it to water.

A simple way to think about it

There's a useful principle in chemistry that substances with similar characteristics often interact more readily with one another ("like dissolves like").

Fresh produce can have waxy, oily and water-resistant material on its surface. PLANTAERA's lipid-based formulation was developed with those types of surfaces and materials in mind.

Is that different from a water-based fruit & vegetable wash?

It can be, but water-based doesn't automatically mean ineffective, just as lipid-based doesn't automatically tell you everything about how well a product will perform.

A water-based formulation can contain surfactants, emulsifiers and other ingredients that help it interact with oily or waxy substances.

The complete formulation matters.

The difference with PLANTAERA is the approach we chose from the beginning: a concentrated, lipid-based formulation that forms an emulsion when added to water.

Why isn't there water in the bottle?

This is another benefit of the way PLANTAERA has been formulated.

PLANTAERA contains no water in the bottle. It's a concentrate, and you add the water when you're ready to use it.

Because there is no water in the formulation, PLANTAERA has been able to be made without added preservatives.

It also means a small amount goes a long way.

One pump is all that's needed for one litre of water, with each 240 mL bottle providing up to 240 washes.*

Why we chose a lipid-based formulation

Our background is in agriculture and agricultural research and development, so we spend a lot of time thinking about fresh produce and the surfaces we're trying to wash.

We wanted PLANTAERA to be formulated specifically for fresh fruit and vegetables, rather than simply adapting a general-purpose cleaning product.

The lipid-based formulation and the emulsion it creates in water are part of that approach. You can read more on the science behind PLANTAERA.

PLANTAERA helps lift everyday dirt, oils, waxes and common pesticide residues from the surface of fresh produce.

How do you use it?

It's deliberately simple.

1 pump. 1 litre of water. Around 30 seconds. Rinse.

Add one pump of PLANTAERA to one litre of water and wash your fruit and vegetables for around 30 seconds.

Then rinse with fresh water and dry or prepare as usual.

The bottom line

"Lipid-based" might sound technical, but the idea behind it is straightforward.

Fresh produce has complex surfaces, including naturally waxy ones, and oils and waxes don't behave in water in the same way as loose dirt and water-soluble material.

PLANTAERA is a concentrated, lipid-based formulation that forms an emulsion when mixed with water. This disperses the formulation throughout the wash water and helps it interact with oily and waxy material on the surface of fresh produce so it can be lifted and rinsed away.

It's a different approach to washing fresh produce, and one we chose deliberately when developing PLANTAERA.