Materia Aromatica

The Rose Library

Rosa damascena and Rosa alba, read by origin and by method.

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Rose oil is usually spoken of as a single material. The range holds two species, three countries of origin and two methods of production, and each changes the result. Distilled rose and rose absolute differ even when made from the same flower, because the principal aromatic alcohol of the blossom divides between oil and water in the still.

01 · The Genus

Damask and alba

Rosa belongs to the Rosaceae. Of its many species, very few are grown for aromatic material. Rosa damascena, the damask rose, supplies most of the rose oil and absolute in trade. Rosa alba, the white rose, is an old European garden rose grown in Bulgaria beside it in smaller quantity. Both are cultivated, and both are picked by hand early in the day while the flowers are fresh.

Method divides the range as sharply as species. Steam distillation gives the otto, rich in citronellol and geraniol, with a waxy stearoptene that sets in the cold. Solvent extraction gives the absolute, darker and led by phenylethyl alcohol. The water of distillation, drawn off as hydrolate, holds the water-soluble fraction that the otto loses.

Distilled

Otto

Citronellol, geraniol and nerol, with the waxes nonadecane and nonadecene. Clouds or sets below room temperature.

Extracted

Absolute

Phenylethyl alcohol leads. Deeper, honeyed and markedly more tenacious on the skin.

Hydrolate

Rose water

The condensed water of the still. Sweeter and greener than the oil, and closer to the fresh flower.

Side by side

5 oils at a glance

Oil Botanical name Origin Cultivation Main constituents From Availability
Rose Water (Bulgarian Organic Hydrosol) Rosa damascena Bulgaria Certified organic Citronellol, Geraniol, Farnesol $22.00 Sold out
Rose Blossom, Absolute Rosa damascena Turkey Conventional Phenylethyl alcohol, Citronellol, Nonadecane, Geraniol, N... $17.00 Sold out
Rose Blossom, Bulgaria (organic) Rosa damascena Bulgaria Certified organic Citronellol, Geraniol, Nonadecane, Nerol, Nonadecene $55.00 Sold out
Rose Blossom, White Rosa alba Bulgaria Conventional Citronellol, Geraniol, Nonadecane, Nerol, Nonadecene $43.50 Sold out
Rose Blossom, Morocco Rosa damascena Morocco Conventional Phenylethyl alcohol, Heneicosane, Citronellol, alpha-Terp... $36.50 Sold out

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02 · The Range

Five materials, two species

03 · Side by Side

Origin, species, method

Rose Blossom, Bulgaria (No. 2575) beside Rose Blossom, Morocco (No. 12551) is a study in origin. The species is the same. The Bulgarian otto is heavier, with honey and beeswax depth. The Moroccan is lighter at the opening and needs a strip to show itself; phenylethyl alcohol stands out more in its profile, and heneicosane takes a part in its wax fraction.

Rose Blossom, White (No. 2565) beside the Bulgarian otto holds country constant and changes species. Both are distilled in Bulgaria. The alba oil is fresher and more green-floral, with less of the sweetness associated with damask rose.

Rose Blossom, Absolute (No. 2540) beside either otto shows the effect of method, since the absolute retains the phenylethyl alcohol that distillation largely passes to the water. Rose Water (No. 5200) holds that other share. Smelled beside the otto, it shows the water-soluble side of the damask flower.

04 · In Practice

Handling and formats

The ottos set in a cool room. Gentle warmth in the hand returns them to liquid, and the bottle is warmed before drops are counted. Cloudiness is a property of the stearoptene and not a fault. Rose is used in very small proportion: a single drop of otto carries through a massage blend or a facial oil.

In natural perfumery rose is a heart note. The absolute supplies tenacity and depth, the ottos a brighter, more transparent floral. Rosa alba and the Moroccan oil suit compositions where Bulgarian damask would weigh too heavily. Classic partners across the range include sandalwood, geranium, neroli, jasmine, bergamot, patchouli and frankincense.

Rose water serves as the water phase in skincare formulation, and in toners, mists, compresses and linen sprays. An unadjusted hydrolate can show fine sediment or slight variation in colour between batches. Once opened it is kept cool and used within twelve months.

Essential oils are for aromatic and topical use. Dilute before applying to skin. Keep out of reach of children.