Everything you ever wanted to know about roses in perfumery
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Ah, the rose, the most beautiful of flowers, the queen of flowers. What a pleasure it is to smell it: fresh, delicate, recognizable even with your eyes closed. There are thousands of varieties, but only two are used in perfumery: the May Rose and the Damask Rose. Here’s everything you need to know about the rose.
Summary
How the Rose Became a Key Ingredient in Perfumery
The rose has been used in perfumery for over 2,000 years. The Persians were the first to create rose water, using it for religious rituals and medicinal purposes to soothe inflammation. It also became a fragrance for hair and the body. The Romans perfumed their baths, the Greeks followed the Persians' lead, and the Egyptians used the rose in funeral rituals. For millennia, the rose has been used as a luxurious ingredient, as it requires a large number of petals to produce rose water.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, especially under Louis XIV in Europe, the rose became a perfumery staple, used in eau de toilettes, powders, and scented oils. From luxurious, it also became elegant. Fragrances like Patou’s ‘Joy’ and Chanel’s ‘N°5’ modernized it, crowning the rose as the queen of flowers, at a time when fragrance became an accessory for everyone.
The 2 Roses Used in Perfumery
The Damask rose and May rose are the varieties you smell in your perfumes. Two roses, two different vibes.
The Damask Rose is a hybrid of the French rose, the musk rose, both European species, and the Fedtschenkoana rose from Central Asia. Originally from Bulgaria, it was introduced into Turkey by a farmer in 1894, who used it to make rose water. It became so popular that the Turkish government helped him set up production. In 20 years, Turkey became one of the top Damask rose producers, creating a ‘rose triangle’ in Anatolia. This rose is highly fragrant, with a green, spicy character and a touch of red fruit or lychee, making it perfect for intense, dark perfumes.
The May Rose, on the other hand, was created by botanist Gilbert Nabonnand in the late 19th century by crossing the Damask rose with the ‘dog rose’ (Rosa canina) and a third unidentified rose. Nabonnand, living in the South of France, contributed to its popularity in Grasse. The scientific name ‘Rosa Centifolia’ comes from its hundred-petal structure, and it’s called Rose de Mai because it’s harvested in May, just like the Damask rose, which is harvested between May and June. The scent is powdery, with hints of honey and light spices. It is softer and less vibrant than the Damask rose, ideal for fresher, lighter perfumes.
How Are Roses Cultivated for Perfume?
Roses are delicate, and the harvest process is precise. The Damask rose thrives at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 meters in well-drained, rich soil with a cool climate, light rains, and little sun. The May rose requires warmer temperatures and more sunlight, which is why the Damask rose prospers in Turkish plateaus, while the May rose flourishes in the Mediterranean hills of Grasse.
The harvest for both roses lasts a month: May for May rose and between May and June for Damask roses. The ideal time for picking is before 11:00 AM, sometimes as early as 5:00 AM in Turkey, when the flowers are richest in essence. Roses lose 40% of their fragrance power by midday.
Each rose is handpicked, placed in bags, and quickly transported to extraction sites for distillation or solvent extraction, producing either essential oil or absolute before noon, while they are still fresh.
How Is Rose Used?
The rose can be transformed in two main ways: distillation to create essential oil and solvent extraction to obtain a concrete, which is then turned into absolute. Both methods reveal different facets of the roses.
Distillation uses steam to evaporate the essence from the petals, which is then cooled to produce essential oil. Solvent extraction involves washing the petals with a solvent, which is heated and filtered to separate out the fats, producing an absolute. It takes 400kg of flowers to make 600g of absolute, and between 3.5 and 4 tons of flowers to make 1kg of essence, which is why rose-based perfumes are so luxurious.
Damask rose essential oil smells fresh, vibrant, slightly spicy, and powerful, like holding a freshly cut rose. May rose essential oil is softer, honeyed, and fruity. The absolutes of both roses differ: May rose absolute is more resinous and honeyed, while Damask rose absolute is spicier with a hint of citrus.
Iconic Rose Perfumes
rose is present in 90% of women’s perfumes and 50% of men’s fragrances. In the Middle East, it's a flower for men.
There are many ways to wear rose in perfume. In 1904, René Coty created ‘Rose Jacqueminot’, an intense, deep, powdery, velvety rose that used Rose de Mai absolute. ‘Nahema’ by Guerlain (1979) featured a fruity, velvety rose with balsamic accords. Clinique's ‘Aromatics Elixir’, launched in 1971, blends rose with patchouli, becoming a pioneer fragrance that inspired later perfumes like ‘Portrait of a Lady’ by Frédéric Malle.
How can we talk about rose without mentioning Paris by Yves Saint Laurent? In 1983, roses had fallen out of fashion, but that didn’t stop the designer and perfumer Sophia Grojsman. The rose in Paris is paired with creamy, powdery violet, ylang-ylang, and mimosa for a spicy, fruity, and honeyed touch, all grounded in a musky, amber base. This perfume propelled the young perfumer into the spotlight, where she remained.
Finally, Portrait of a Lady, created by Dominique Ropion for Frédéric Malle, showcases a Middle Eastern-inspired rose, without the oud but with patchouli, smoky woods, and musk. This fragrance solidified the brand’s status as a niche powerhouse and once again demonstrated Ropion’s immense talent.
And what about Oud Rose by Horace?
Oud Rose was launched by Horace in October 2024. Created by perfumer Caroline Dumur in collaboration with Marc Terlet, co-founder of Horace, the Damask rose is enhanced and darkened. Geranium highlights its green notes, rosemary brings freshness, and blackcurrant buds add a slight fruity hint. Finally, patchouli, oud, cypriol, and sandalwood give it a sensual, deep, and mysterious side. Oud Rose is refined and extravagant, like wearing a leopard-print tuxedo to the opera. It’s unforgettable.