When I was approached by Robertet to speak at the recent Elements Showcase in New York on utilizing rose in perfumery, I was thrilled. We natural perfumers love to talk about beautiful essences; how to source them, how to use them, how their unique scent profile inspires. I am particularly drawn to new exotic ingredients that expand our natural perfumery palette. Robertet's new rose petal distillation does all of the above and I welcomed the chance to wax poetic on it's virtues.
Robertet held two workshops titled "Celebrating 160 Years of Roses." The first day the panel included Mandy Aftel from Aftelier and Olivia Jan, a Senior Perfumer from Robertet. I attended the workshop and was impressed by the audience participation. Samples of Rose Absolute, Rose Essential Oil and the new Rose Petal Essential Oil were passed on blotters to audience members. Afterwards blotters of each of the natural perfumes created with the rose petal distillation were sampled.
One of the highlights of the first day workshop was listening to the perfumers describe their creation process and how they utilize rose in their fragrances. After the workshop I met Mandy Aftel and her husband Foster. I found them funny and down to earth and I enjoyed speaking with them. My husband Dan snapped a picture of us. You can tell Mandy and I were laughing in the photo. Did I mention I found her charming and down to earth?
Arnaud Adrian and Jennifer Powderly from Robertet led the workshops both days, and their presentation outlined the commitment Robertet has to ecological farming of the Turkish damask rose. Despite the rose harvest lasting just a few weeks from May to June, Robertet employs 60 families year round in Turkey to tend the farmlands. All the water used for distillation is reused and the petals are composted post distillation.
The actual description of Robertet's Rose Petal Essential Oil is as follows: The Rose Petal Essential Oil utilizes all the natural extraction methods developed by Robertet are used in this natural extract in order to capture the genuine scent of the flower itself: hydrodistillation, molecular distillation, fractionation... Odour: Cosmetic, modern, quintessence of the Rosa Damascena flower at a lower price than the essential oil. Floral, spicy, peony odor.
The essential oil is clear colored, powerful and full bodied. I was impressed with it's clean, precise rose aroma and sheer strength. When using the rose petal essence I was able to use a much smaller quantity to obtain the crystalline rose note I was seeking. The distillation of the rose petal oil was described in detail which was complex. The result is a rose that smells quite different (and quite beautiful) than any other rose essential oil I've experienced. Arnaud mentioned that the price of rose absolute and essential oil will increase 25% this year. Yes, you read that correctly. Sigh. One of the selling points of the rose petal oil was it's price point--placed just between rose absolute and rose otto.
The second workshop included myself, Anne McClain from MCMC Fragrances and Jerome Epinette, a Robertet Senior Perfumer. Being the only natural perfumer on the panel made me all the more determined to convey my passion for naturals to the audience. I spoke on the power of natural essences, their unduplicated beauty, their primal ability to transport the wearer. I discussed my Rose Boheme perfume, and the challenges of I encountered with getting the rose to pop in a base note heavy composition. I described the rose petal essential oil as possessing the qualities I associate with both Turkish and Bulgarian rose. I described a childhood memory of hiding in a thicket of wild rose bushes next to our home. How I found a cool dark spot underneath the tangle of thorns and roses. I would go to this spot when I wanted to be alone, and smell the dark fertile earth and rustle the boughs of miniature roses above my head as I lay on the ground. The pale petals would fall on my face and I would pretend it was "snowing" in June. This memory is fond and the inspiration for my perfume Rose Bohème.
35 comments
I would love to sample the rose petal oil. I am very passionate about roses and use the oils in my natural perfume recipes.
I wish I lived near enough to attend. The rose petal oil sounds so lovely. Your passion for your work comes through clearly.
I was moved by your early memory of laying under the wild rose bush pretending it was snowing in June. I was surprised that the rose petal oil was clear. So glad you were able to express with passion your love of naturals to the audience. Thanks so much for the draw.
I loved meeting you (finally) and hearing about your passion for your work. I felt such a warm connection with you and your blog is lovely.
Excilerating Charna, for you and for me…you just took me on a trip down memory lane….I too share your childhood delight amongst roses. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by them. I had favorites that I would hide under and others that I would collect petals from and spread all over my bedroom… It was a joy to read this blog and it would be a joy to smell the rose petal oil.