Oh Sweet Roses…

“And she was fair as is the rose of May” – Geoffrey Chaucer

Rose oil is probably one of the most popular essential oils used in high end skin care. The majority of the world’s rose supply is grown in Bulgaria. The better of the two species is damascena (or damask) rose. 

Rose is extracted from the petals of the flower. It takes tens of thousands of rose petals to extract one ounce of rose oil, and hence rose oil is also one of the most expensive essential oils there is. Then, why do people still use so much of it?

Besides some of the medicinal claims of rose oil (irrelevant here so I won’t dwell into it), the sweet smell of rose is an anti-depressant. In skin care, rose oil calms and relaxes your skin, moisturises it, and reduce redness. It also helps sooth irritations. 

Do note that some oils out there are diluted with other oils like geranium for example (with very small amount of rose inside), so if you are buying your own rose oil, do watch out!