Floral · Natural material · Top notes, Heart notes
Rose
Rose is the scent of the rose flower, mainly from the petals of Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia. It can smell fresh like just-picked petals, or rich, sweet and honeyed. In perfume, rose usually sits in the heart notes and blends easily with many scent families.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does rose smell like in perfume?
Rose smells like fresh rose petals: sweet, slightly tart like fruit and a little green. Rose otto, the distilled oil, feels fresher and brighter, while rose absolute is denser, sweeter and more honeyed. On skin, rose moves from fresh to soft and warm.
Rose water smells lighter and cleaner than the oil. Where the roses grow also shapes their character, although inside a perfume those differences are often blurred by other materials.
Where do perfume roses come from?
Perfume roses come mainly from two species. Rosa damascena (damask rose) is grown in Bulgaria, Turkey and Taif in Saudi Arabia. Together these three supply more than 70 percent of the rose oil market, and the Rose Valley near Kazanlak in Bulgaria is one of the world's main rose oil centres.
Rosa centifolia, also called rose de mai, is the rose closely tied to Grasse in France, and it is also grown in Morocco and Egypt. Rose oil (rose otto) is made by steam distillation, while rose absolute comes from solvent extraction. The water left from distillation becomes rose water.
Rose in a perfume
Rose most often sits in the heart notes and sometimes appears in the top notes in a fresher form. Rose blends easily with many families: with citrus it feels fresh, with vanilla it turns sweet, and with woods it feels more grown-up. Rose also contains a little beta-ionone, which adds a powdery, violet-like side.
In Middle Eastern perfumery, rose is often paired with oud and saffron, a warm, dense and slightly smoky combination. Other classic partners are patchouli, jasmine, geranium and musk.
When to wear a rose perfume
A fresh rose perfume, for example with citrus or berries, is comfortable for daytime and hot weather. Rose with oud, saffron or amber feels richer, so it suits evenings, events and air-conditioned rooms. In hot, humid air, a few sprays are already easy to notice.
