Saturday, June 7, 2008

Rose de Mai (Rosa Centifolia)



My friend Sylvie, from Grasse, the world's perfume capitol, sometimes sends me photos. This last week she sent some of the famous "Rose de Mai"... Rosa centifolia, gathered from a friend's garden.


Most of you know I love all true Rose oils and absolutes, Bulgarian, Turkish, hydrodistilled or solvent extracted... centifolia or damascena; I'm not too proud to love them all. But the Rose de Mai is just SPECIAL... "Rosa centifolia"...the hundred petal rose.



I came across a wonderful description of the production of our Rose de Mai (yes, ours is also from Pegomas...the same Absolute Chanel uses!) at Jessica's 1000flowers blog.


Memo to me...I have to find some of the pictures Sylvie sent me of the Jasmine fields in Grasse, as well!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Marge, a question. Do the absolutes have any of the positive effects beyond permumery that the rose oils have? I find it hard to believe that anything that smells so uplifting is without effects. Heather

Marge said...

Okay...this is personal opinion only... For physical therapeutic use, I reach for a distilled rose. I want rose otto for skincare, for example. I don't want to use a solvent extracted product for that.

But for emotional uses, I am most apt to blend the two..rose otto and rose absolute. Somehow I think using both gives a fuller, richer effect.

Since we offer so many of our absolutes in diluted form, as well as the undiluted, I tend to just wear whatever is at hand.

(And hope that the diluted Rose de Mai is at hand...I really am in love with that one!) but, for example, for our Bliss Baths... we use the rose otto. I can't even verbalize why...just that it feels right. more healing.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I think if you do a little research you will find that your photgraphs are of Rosa damascena forma trigintipetala, - not centifolia.

Marge said...

With all due respect to "anonymous" the photos were sent by the French producer who is my source for the oil. I think she knows her roses.