Rose

Rosa × damascena / Rosa × centifolia

Middle (heart) note Floral Absolute / CO2

Deep, honeyed and velvety rose with a spicy, slightly winey richness. Nothing like a synthetic rose — fuller and a little earthy.

Made from: Solvent-extracted from fresh petals as an absolute; the steam-distilled version from Damask roses is called rose otto.
Strength: ●●●●○
Cost: Luxury
Moods: Romantic Sensual Calming
Seasons: Spring, Summer
Rooms: Bedroom, Bathroom, Living room

Blend with it

No special cautions at normal use, though it contains small amounts of sensitizing constituents — follow your supplier's guidance.

How it behaves

CandlesWorkable

Too precious to burn; rose candles are almost always fragrance oil. Palmarosa and geranium give a natural rosy note far more cheaply.

Wax meltsWorkable

Reed diffuserGood

Room & linen sprayGood

Electric (water) diffuserWorkable

The absolute is thick and costly; dilute it before diffusing or use rose otto.

Cold-process soapWorkable

Rarely worth it in cold process. Rose fragrance oils are notorious accelerators, so if you switch to one, soap-test first.

Melt-and-pour soapGood

Laundry & cleaningAvoid

Pairs well with

Base · Resinous & amber

Don't have it? Try Geranium, Palmarosa.

A little lore

Bulgaria's Rose Valley near Kazanlak has distilled rose oil for centuries, and thousands of kilograms of hand-picked petals go into a single kilogram of oil.