No flower embodies love and romance quite like the rose. The essential oil of rose Rosa damascena (Mill.) is also known to provide psychological and emotional support when added to a bath blend or diffused into the air. It’s a mood booster that can promote joy, relaxation, as well as memory and mental clarity.
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, why not try experimenting with an essential oil that’ll give you warm fuzzies on the inside? Whether or not you’re sharing this Valentine’s Day with a special sweetheart, you’re pretty special year-round. Celebrate this holiday of love—and some sweet self-care—with rose R. damascena essential oil.
Before you start whipping up your “love in a bottle” with our favorite recipes (keep reading!), here’s a quick crash course in blending with rose essential oil:
How to Use Rose Essential Oil in Perfumery and Blending
If you’re a budding aromatherapist, natural products manufacturer, or perfumer, rose R. damascena essential oil is a standard floral for your tool kit. When 100 perfumers were asked to select a standard for a floral aroma, they chose Bulgarian rose.
Rose oil has a warm, deep floral, slightly spicy, rich, honey-like odor. The absolute is unique in that it has a high tenacity alongside a deep, rosy fragrance. Distilled rose otto has more of a top note, and absolute rose has more fixative power.
Rose is the perfect oil to blend with other florals (like jasmine Jasminum grandiflorum (L.) or geranium Pelargonium graveolens (L'Her.)) to create sweet, romantic, and uplifting fragrances. On a chemical level, rose R. damascena contains about 2% of a sesquiterpene alcohol and farnesol, which is an important constituent for perfumery. Additionally, the esters, the nerol, the nonyl aldehyde, and trace constituents (such as carvone and rosefuran) are all important for perfumery.
Specifically, rose blends beautifully with:
- anise Pimpinella anisum (L.)
- benzoin Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartwich
- bergamot Citrus aurantium (L.) var. bergamia
- black pepper Piper nigrum (L.)
- chamomile (Roman) Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All.
- costus Aplotaxis lappa (Decne.)
- fennel Foeniculum vulgare (Hill)
- ginger Zingiber officinale (Roscoe)
- immortelle Helichrysum italicum (Roth)
- neroli Citrus aurantium (L.) var. amara
- orris root Iris ×germanica notho var. florentina (Dykes)
- patchouli Pogostemon cablin (Benth.)
- sandalwood Santalum album (L.)
- vetiver Vetiveria zizanioides (Nash)
- ylang ylang Cananga odorata (Lam.) var. genuine
My all-time favorite—which is super quick, easy, and simple—is a blend of rose R. damascena and neroli C. aurantium var. amara.
Don’t forget: less is more. A small quantity goes a long way in your rose essential oil blends. The suggested use level is 0.02-0.05 mg%.
Bottling Romance: 3 Recipes with Rose Essential Oil
Valentine’s Day is almost here, so let’s get blending! Here are three recipes with rose essential oil that are sure to make you feel like falling into a bed of roses this holiday.
Holiday Romance Aromatic Room Spray
Ingredients:
Rose Rosa damascena essential oil: 5 drops
Ylang ylang Cananga odorata var. genuina essential oil: 3 drops
Patchouli Pogostemon cablin essential oil: 2 drops
Bergamot Citrus aurantium var. bergamia essential oil: 2 drops
Alcohol: 2 teaspoons
Directions:
To make a 2 ounce room or body spray, mix 60 drops of your aroma concentrate (above) with 2 ounces of distilled water or witch hazel hydrosol. Shake well. Spray upward into the air and walk underneath. If the aroma is not strong enough, add more concentrate in 5 drop increments and test again.
Romantic Rose Body Scrub
Ingredients:
White clay: 1/8 cup
Ground almonds: ¼ cup
Ground oatmeal: ¼ cup
Powdered roses: ¼ cup
You can also substitute lavender Lavandula angustifolia or peppermint Mentha ×piperita
Rose Rosa damascena essential oil: 2-3 drops
Directions:
Mix together and then add water to make a paste. Rub paste into face and scrub body. Wash off. Add an additional base oil for a moisture rich scrub.
Dulcet Diffuser Sweethearts Blend
Ingredients:
Neroli Citrus aurantium var. amara essential oil: 5 drops
Rose Rosa damascena essential oil: 3 drops
Jasmine J. grandiflorum absolute: 2 drops
Directions:
Blend all the oils. The mixture can be used in an electric diffuser or an aroma pot with a candle to create a romantic, floral ambiance.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Editor's Note: This blog post was originally published in February 2015 and has been updated for accuracy. (February 2018)
