Rose oil is valuable for its use in the perfume and aromatherapy industry. For centuries, the beauty of the rose and its intoxicating scent have driven the demand for the flowers themselves and for their aromatic essence. Extraction of rose oil, or otto of roses, is a highly concentrated and costly rose scent. It takes 10,000 lbs. of rose petals to extract only 1 lb. of pure rose oil, according to Botanical.com
History
Before modern extraction methods, the scent of rose was preserved by steeping the flower petals in fatty oils to enhance the aroma of the oil, resulting in a pomade, reports Botanical.com. Around the turn of the 16th century, Persian scientists learned how to distill the essential oil from the rose, creating the first otto of roses.
Rose Varieties
Although more than 10,000 rose varieties exist, the cabbage rose, the damask rose and the tea rose represent the main aromatic rose scents. Damask rose is grown on a large scale in Iran, India and Bulgaria for oil extraction, because of its strong and captivating scent, although other varieties are cultivated on a smaller scale, notes Botanical.com.
Process
Manufacturers of rose oil employ large stills filled with fresh rose petals and water. As the temperature increases in the stills, the essential oil in the petals releases and mixes with the water. The water evaporates and travels through a long tube, where it gradually cools and condenses, separating the oil from the water.
Rose Water
Rose water, a byproduct of the extraction of rose oil, is a weaker and much less expensive source of rose scent. Rose water is an ingredient in cosmetics and culinary delights, usually sweet deserts.
Potential
Rose oil has potential benefits not only in perfume but in aromatherapy for its potential to relax and soothe the emotions. A 2009 study, conducted at Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand and published in the journal Natural Product Communications, monitored the vital signs of test subjects after they inhaled the fragrance of rose oil. Subjects who inhaled the aroma experienced lower blood pressure rates and slower respiratory rates and reported feeling more calm and relaxed than the subjects who did not receive the rose aroma. Further studies are necessary to determine the extent of rose oil aroma benefit to humans.
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