Botanical Name: Rosa x damascena Mill.

Family: Rosaceae.

Synonyms: Rosa bifera Pers.; R. calendarum Borkh; rose oil; rose attar; Bulgarian rose; Turkish rose (Anatolian rose oil), damask rose.

Origin: The plant is of Asiatic origin. Countries where rose is extensively cultivated for extractive purposes include Bulgaria, Turkey, Morocco, France, Italy, China, Tunisia, Russia. It's cultivated extensively all over the world.

Botanical Description: A perennial bush rose up to 2-meters (6.6 ft) high, with much branched, thorny, large, highly scented roseate flowers.

Oil Extraction: Essential oil is obtained by a two-stage steam distillation of the whole flowers. The initial stage producing decant or first oil, then redistilling the water to obtain the second oil. Thus 1 kg of oil is obtained from approximately 300 kg of flowers in Bulgaria, 300-350 kg in Turkey. The oil is pale yellow to slightly olive-yellow liquid of medium viscosity. Crystals form at cooler temperatures.

Aroma Profile: Has a deep floral, slightly spicy top note. The middle note is warm, immensely rich, reminiscent of red roses. The dry out is tenacious, lingering floral.

Major Constituents: Citronellol (30 to 50%), geraniol, nerol, linalool, ethanol, geranyl acetate, phenylethyl alcohol.

Adulterants: Frequently with ethyl alcohol, phenylethyl alcohol, diethyl phthalate, synthetic compounds.

Regulatory Status: GRAS 182.20.

Aromatherapy: Romantic, creative, gently cheering.

Blends well with: Most all oils.

Safety Data: Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing. Avoid during pregnancy.