Long considered the “Queen of Flowers”, the rose has unquestionably been the star ingredient in perfumery. And like all stars, it sometimes gets caught up in a storm! Some people (its fans) argue that rose fragrance is timeless, while others (its haters) claim that it has had its day. For some, rose fragrance rhymes with romantic, while for others, it rhymes with old-fashioned.
How about dusting off the image of rose fragrance a little?
Rose perfumes are among the oldest in the world. Rosewater, the first form of rose fragrance, appeared among the Berbers in the early century B.C. more than 2000 years ago! Given how long they’ve been around, it’s not surprising that some people criticize rose perfumes of being a little old-fashioned.
But the rose is standing firm and holding its head high in the face of its detractors; it knows what it’s worth. And so do we! This sublime ingredient is a must-have in the perfumers’ palette and remains an absolute must in perfumery. It is, of course, part of our palette of 64 ingredients in its various expressions.
What’s more, far from the outdated impression some people might have of it, the rose has caught on to the latest trends. In fact, rose perfumes have evolved and modernized.
How do you make a rose fragrance?
Superstar varieties of roses
Among the 3000 types of roses that exist in the world, only two varieties have been selected by perfumers for their exceptional qualities. And the names of these superstars? The Damascena rose, and the Centifolia rose (“with a hundred leaves”).
The Damascena rose, or Damask rose, is native to Bulgaria and Turkey. It is used in perfumery as an essential oil. This essence is extracted by using water vapour, so the captured components are relatively light and volatile. The Damask rose notes are therefore fresh and fruity, slightly lemony, and they leave an airy scent.
The Centifolia rose is also called the May rose, or the Grasse rose because it is harvested in May and cultivated mainly in Grasse (and Morocco). So far, are you following? Next, it gets a little more technical. The Centifolia variety does not lend itself to the extraction of essential oil, so we extract a concrete from it using solvents, then, from the concrete, we get the absolute by performing an extraction using alcohol. It is this absolute that is used in rose perfumes. With this method of extraction, heavier elements are preserved, so Centifolia rose absolute produces rich, warm, waxy and slightly spicy notes. As delicious as burying one’s nose in an immeeeeeense bunch of roses!
Plucked with love
In both cases, the precious petals need to be handled with delicacy and love. Roses are therefore harvested individually, by hand, and with the greatest care. As a matter of facts, pickers harvest only the open roses with a precise and light gesture. It involves turning the flower and making a slight flicking movement with the wrist to detach it from the stem.
The time of harvest is just as precise and important! It takes place just after Mother’s Day for the Damascena rose, and in May for the Centifolia rose. It takes place at dawn, when the flowers are still beaded with the morning dew.
They are immediately transported to the vats where the extraction takes place to preserve their freshness. To guarantee the purest and finest rose fragrance, extraction is performed as soon as possible after harvesting, and, at all stages, the flowers are regularly aired and treated with the greatest delicacy. In short, we pamper them! Like our customers at Sillages Paris ;))
French pride time : Grasse, capital of the rose
Grasse is the world capital of perfumery. It developed this know-how in the Middle Ages when the numerous glove makers in Grasse became glove perfumers. Leather tanning gives off a very unpleasant smell, so the glove makers decided to perfume the gloves to mask the tanning smell. Flower fields multiplied in Grasse, and through the centuries, the city became THE place for the cultivation of flowers used in perfumery. This is particularly the case with jasmine, orange blossom, and of course, the rose! Grasse’s expertise is world-renowned, and it remains unequalled to the extent that the Centifolia rose is also called the Rose de Grasse.
However, the region has seen a sharp decline in its floral activity, and rose and jasmine plantations have been considerably downsized, mainly due to urbanization and the development of much cheaper synthetic compounds. In recent years, however, Grasse has returned to centre stage and its production is on the rise again. It is capitalizing on the trend towards a return to naturalness, as perfumery, and especially Haute Parfumerie, are increasingly favouring the most natural and finest materials.
The trend for a rosy scent
From cosmetics to fine perfumery…
The rose has been used for thousands of years, first in the form of rose water, and made its debut in cosmetics and skin care in the 1920s. At the time, it was the favourite ingredient in skin care and make-up products. It is used to perfume powders, lipsticks, creams, body lotions, etc. Not only does the rose smell divine and add a delicate scent to beauty products, but it is also an active ingredient! Indeed, it has many virtues and is suitable for all skin types. It is at once soothing for sensitive skin, astringent for oily skin, and smoothing for fine lines.
It was only in the 1990s that the rose came back into fashion in the big league: high perfumery! An opulent rose notably made a striking appearance in Lancôme’s Trésor de Lancôme (launched in 1990). And Trésor quickly became a worldwide bestseller for its powdery peach-pink accord. Since then, the leading perfumers haven’t stopped working on this sublime flower with a thousand olfactory facets. For experienced and seasoned perfumers, the rose offers hundreds of subtle variations of petaly and sweet notes.
But then how do you dust off the rose to create a rose scent that’s in tune with the times? By daring to use surprising accords!
Try surprising accords!
The rose is a resourceful and multifaceted flower! It therefore lends itself to many different combinations. What is the key to creating a modern rose perfume? The trick is to use the rose in combination with other ingredients and not by itself, as was the case in the past.
For example, the rose combines very well with other flowers to create luminous and bucolic floral bouquets. It can also add sweetness to a sweet and fruity arrangement. In short, the rose lends itself to the wildest and most daring combinations!
At Sillages Paris, we are daring! So you will find the rose in a surprising porcelain bouquet, in super lustrous lipstick, or a spicy and powdery composition, or even in a completely crazy melted plastic accord. Discover our creations featuring the Rose and find your formula!
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