Resin Flower Preservation: What You Need to Know Before You Commit

If you’ve been searching for ways to keep your wedding bouquet or memorial flowers forever, you’ve likely come across resin flower preservation. Social media makes it look magical: flowers encased in a crystal-clear block, seemingly frozen in time. But here’s the truth, resin is not true flower preservation.

At For Keeps®, Australia’s longest-running flower preservation studio, we’ve seen countless clients devastated when their resin keepsake yellows, cracks, or even destroys the flowers it was meant to immortalise. In this article, we’ll explore the major issues with resin preservation and why professional preservation remains the safer, longer-lasting alternative.

What Is Resin Flower Preservation?

Resin flower preservation involves pouring a liquid polymer (commonly epoxy) over fresh or dried flowers. Once hardened, the resin gives the illusion of suspending blooms in glass.

But unlike professional flower preservation, resin doesn’t strengthen or stabilise petals at a cellular level. It merely seals them as they are. This distinction is crucial because organic decay and chemical breakdown still occur inside the resin.

Yellowing Is Inevitable!!!

No matter the brand or quality, resin will yellow over time.

• UV exposure degrades polymer chains, forming chromophores — molecules that absorb visible light, causing the resin to appear amber or yellow¹.
• Many resins begin yellowing within 3–6 months, particularly when exposed to sunlight or heat².
• Even “UV-resistant” formulations only slow the process; they don’t prevent it entirely³.

For a keepsake meant to last for generations, this is a serious flaw. Once resin yellows, there is no way to restore its original clarity.

Heat Damage During Curing

Resin curing is an exothermic reaction — meaning it generates heat.

• In thick pours, the heat can build to extreme temperatures, sometimes enough to cause cracking, warping, or internal scorching⁴.
• Delicate flower petals are especially vulnerable: they may become translucent, curled, or permanently discoloured during the cure⁵.
• Larger moulds or deeper pours amplify the risk, as heat is trapped and concentrated inside the resin block⁶.

This heat damage often isn’t visible straight away but weakens the structural integrity of flowers, leading to long-term deterioration.

Trapped Moisture, Decay, and Mould

If flowers aren’t fully dried, residual moisture and bacteria remain sealed inside, sometimes leading to mould growth or cloudiness over time.

Internal enzymatic breakdown continues within petals, even though they appear sealed.

The result: brown spots, collapsing petals, and visible decay inside what should have been a forever keepsake.

Reactions With Other Materials

Bouquets often include ribbons, charms, or jewellery — but resin can react with these items:

• Metals may corrode, tarnish, or stain.
• Plastics can soften, warp, or melt.
• Fabrics and dyes may bleed into surrounding resin.
• Photographs or paper often bubble, fade, or discolour when encased.

Instead of enhancing the keepsake, these reactions can permanently damage irreplaceable heirlooms.

No Second Chances!! 🙁

Perhaps the greatest risk of resin flower preservation is its irreversibility.

If the pour goes wrong, whether it yellows, cracks, traps bubbles, or warps, the flowers are lost forever. Unlike professional preservation, resin offers no possibility of repair or retreatment.

Resin vs True Preservation

At For Keeps®, our 48–56 step process:

• Removes moisture under controlled conditions.
• Strengthens flowers at a cellular level.
• Uses acid-free, lignin-free boards and UV-protective museum glass to prevent fading.
• Provides heirloom-quality framing and domes designed to last for decades.

The difference? Resin trends fade; preservation endures.

Your wedding bouquet or memorial flowers represent a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Choosing resin is a gamble that too often ends in heartbreak. Yellowing, heat damage, trapped decay, and irreversible mistakes are not risks worth taking.

Professional preservation offers what resin cannot: a scientifically proven process that ensures your flowers remain beautiful for generations.

References

1. Incure Inc. (2024). Epoxy Yellowing: What It Is and How to Stop It. Retrieved from incurelab.com ↩
2. Artistry Epoxy. (2023). How Long Does It Take for Epoxy to Yellow and How to Prevent or Fix It Like a Pro. Retrieved from artistryepoxy.com ↩
3. ResinTalk. (2023). Why Is Resin Yellowing? Retrieved from resintalk.com ↩
4. Epoxyworks. (2020). Controlling Exotherm — The Heat Reaction of Epoxy Cure. Retrieved from epoxyworks.com ↩
5. ScienceDirect. (2020). Study on curing kinetics of epoxy-amine to reduce temperature caused by exothermic reaction. Retrieved from sciencedirect.com ↩
6. Incure Inc. (2024). Does Epoxy Resin Generate Heat? A Manufacturer’s Guide to Exothermic Curing. Retrieved from incurelab.com ↩