February - The Month of Roses
The following article is by
Katie Novak
Elizabeth Van Buren, Inc.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-425-8218
When we think of February we think of Valentine's Day and the image of beautiful red roses (and chocolates) floats through our mind's eye. Our nose knows that perfect rose scent and we will sniff every bouquet in the flower shop just to find the 12 roses that produce nature's most ecstatic and enduring essence.
Our organic Rose (Rosa damascena) oil comes to us from the world famous Valley of the Roses in Bulgaria. This valley rests at the foot of the Balkan Mountains and is home to the Damask Rose bushes that thrive on the perfect mix of mountain rain, rich soil, cloud-filtered sunlight and humidity. Harvest season begins every year in May as the blossoms reveal their exquisite beauty and are picked by a 300+ year old tradition starting at sunrise and commencing in the late morning while the dew is still glistening on the petals. The blossoms are gathered and brought to the distillery owned by a cooperative of families who have lived in this valley for generations. It is here we find two methods of extraction are used depending on the yield. Rose absolute is produced through a solvent extraction whereby the flower essence is extracted into a wax-like "concrete" and followed by a second extraction of the concrete producing an absolute. The absolute is rich in color and maintains the deep aroma of the Rosa damascena. The yield is 7 pounds of Rose Absolute to 10,000 pounds of Rose petals.
The Rose Otto (attar) of the Rosa damascena is produced via a double steam distillation reminiscent of the first steam distiller created by Persian philosopher & physician Avicenna in the early 10th century. Rose petals are placed inside the stills and filled with water. The water is boiled and steam passes through the plant material into a condenser. The cold water in the condenser cools the steam and reverts it to liquid which is then passed to a flask whereby the Rose Otto essential oil floats atop the water (Rose Water or Hydrosol). A second distillation of the Rose hydrosol is required in order to extract all of the Rose oil and is combined with the original distillation to produce a sweet clear-colored oil. The yield is 1 pound of Rose Otto to 10,000 pounds of Rose petals.
The Rose Hydrosol from the resulting distillation is sweet, heady and has many many uses. It is famously used in cooking, baking, and as a hydrating toner for the face. Our organic Rose Hydrosol comes from the same distillation of the Roses (Rose Otto) from this Bulgarian valley.
Aside from our organic Rose Absolute, Rose Otto, and Rose Hydrosol, we also have a couple of products available here at Elizabeth Van Buren, Inc. produced from these three exquisite Rose extractions. While we love our Rose Absolute and Rose Otto - we also like to combine the two for a perfect balance of the scent of Rosa damascena and Lavender in jojoba oil called Lavender Rose Body Oil. This can be purchased in a beautiful blue-glass roll-on applicator or dropper bottle and also in bulk size to add to massage oil. One of our local spas uses this blend in their facials. Our most popular mist is our Lavender Rose Aromamist made from Rose Absolute, Rose Hydrosol, Lavender, and Palmarosa essential oils.
Rosa damascena is a complex oil containing over 300 chemical constituents comprised mostly of beneficial alcohols (mainly phenyl ethyl alcohol), soothing esters and anti-inflammatory sesquiterpenes. Known as the Queen of Flowers, this oil is renown for opening the heart and a tonic for the physical heart as well. Our many years of GC/MS testing has revealed the extreme adulteration that occurs in this industry of this precious oil. From carrier oil extenders (diluents such as Diethyl phthalate) to synthetic chemicals and their isomers, it is difficult to find a true pure Rose oil.
We are pleased to bring you a unique batch of organic Rose Absolute, Rose Otto and Rose Hydrosol from Bulgaria in this month of the roses.
