How are the Centifolia and Damascena roses used in the fragrance industry?

There are hundreds of varieties of roses, all wearing unique dresses and with extraordinary scents. However, the fragrant roses used in perfumery are limited in variety, there are only a few varieties in the perfumer's palette. It embellishes the feminine perfumed compositions and brings finesse and delicacy to the fragrances while giving substance and volume. It is estimated that 98% of women's perfumes and 46% of men's perfumes contain elements with a rosy note.

Two species of Roses are mainly used in fragrance, the Centifolia Rose, also called the Rose of May and the Damascena Rose. Gallica and Rugosa Roses are also used but in fewer quantities.

The Centifolia Rose is mainly produced in Grasse, France, it originates from the world capital of fragrance. The Damascena Rose, originally from Syria, is now grown in Bulgaria and Turkey, where Robertet runs two factories dedicated to the processing of the Rose. Today, Robertet processes approximately 1000 tons of rose petals at its Senir site, in order to produce essential oil and concrete.

The two varieties of Roses are harvested from mid-May to mid-June, the flowers are hand-picked at sunrise when the yield of essential oil is the highest, and is achieved before 10am so that the dew is still present on the flowers. These flowers must be processed quickly so as not to lose their olfactive properties.

?The Centifolia Rose:

The Centifolia Rose, is distinguished by its typical herbaceous scent with an aspect of dried petal and hay, it is moist, powdery and gourmand. The Rose de Mai absolute is a nice round note but also has a slight waxy and greasy aspect due to the use of a solvent.

Rose absolute lasts longer, is deeper and richer, with notes of honey. It is significantly more used in fine fragrance. Rose essential oil is more volatile, fresh and flowery. It is also more expensive than the absolute and less used in fine fragrance.?

Rich in citronellol, geraniol, nerol, phenylethyl alcohol, linalool and eugenol, it combines very well with jasmine and violet or brings a natural facet to the reconstitution of the scent of lily of the valley. The absolute of Rose of May is very used in the perfumes of high and medium ranges, soaps, cosmetics, eaux de toilette and any type of fragrance. It is particularly found in floral, chypre and oriental bases and is used to round off the rough and sharp corners of synthetic compositions.

In India and the Middle East, rose water is used in the preparation of ice creams, jams, Turkish rice pudding and yoghurts. Rose extract is also used to formulate many fruity flavors such as red fruit, cherry, raspberry or lychee.

In aromatherapy it has antidepressant and anti-inflammatory effects, it calms nervousness and activates cell renewal, soothes and cures skin infections.

"For us, the Grasse centifolia is still the standard. Probably because it has found here its land of excellence with fields at high altitude and a perfectly temperate climate with sunshine and just the right amount of freshness, thanks in particular to the marine environment. The result is a rich, sweet, honeyed fragrance with an unparalleled powdery quality."

Isabelle Sinigaglia, Natural Ingredients Perfumer

The Damascena Rose

The fragrance of a rose depends above all on the quality of the flower, its origin, its maturity, the time of the day it is picked and the time it is processed.?It must be recognized that the rose is full of scents with facets as different as they are pleasant. Naturally flowery, the rose note is also lemony, woody, spicy, and even fruity. The scent of damascena rose is rich, deep and fruity, its absolute has fruity notes of raspberry and liquorice. The essential oil has a fresh, metallic, artichoke-like undertone, with a green note of geranium, verbena and lemongrass. Rich in β-damascone and damascenone, it adds substance and volume to a fragrance.

Rose is used in the composition of many perfumes, just like Chloé, the successful perfume of our perfumer Michel Almairac, creator of Gucci pour Homme, Burberry Body and the first Bottega Veneta fragrance.

For Chloé, he recalls, "it all started with a brief that imposed a floral theme. After getting into the spirit of this couture house, we tested several accords around different flowers: mimosa, lily of the valley, honeysuckle and rose. This last one imposed itself to us by its fine, elegant, feminine side. It was also the most romantic. And it opened doors for us to write the rest of the story.” Although the rose is a great classic in perfumery, it is the basis of many successful perfumes, this did not stop the designer: "All these beautiful interpretations around the rose did not block us. On the contrary, these precedents were stimulating. A real challenge! We took it up by imagining our composition as a walk in a rose garden. To create this atmosphere, the essence of damascena rose, a sparkling, radiant product, dressed with fresh, fruity and slightly woody notes allowed us to create a perfume that is both original, powerful and seductive: Chloé Eau de Parfum". After this successful first attempt, Chloé immediately decided to transform it by commissioning a second fragrance from Robertet's nose. Chloé Intense was born in 2009. The iconic Chloé has been redesigned several times, bringing out a new facet of the flower that embodies the expertise of Grasse. There was Chloé Intense Collector in 2010, Chloé Rosebud in 2011, Eau de Chloé in 2012 and Roses de Chloé in 2013 as well as Chloé Fleur de Parfum in 2016 and Chloé Absolu de Parfum in 2017.?And in 2021, a new version of Chloé, 100% of natural origin, was born. A creation that recalls the origins of Robertet and is in line with the new consumer trend.?

Sourcing

Robertet has the benefit of controlling every stage of the supply chain - from seed to smell: growing, harvesting, processing, extracting and finally refining. This is how Robertet can guarantee quality, transparency and traceability.

"Robertet began in 1850 with the production of the Centifolia Rose of Grasse. It is part of our history. Our presence in countries such as France, Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco, among others, is the way in which Robertet can guarantee the highest level of quality to successfully serve the needs and expectations of its fine fragrance customers."

Philippe Maubert, President and CEO

Every year, our exclusive partners in Grasse harvest and deliver the rose to our workshops to make exceptional products, whose fragrance spreads throughout the city.Its rich, sweet fragrance, with its unrivalled powdery touch, offers a unique sensory experience, and the smell becomes engraved in your olfactive memory...

Robertet participates in the development of the culture of flowers in Grasse thanks to its numerous partnerships. This year, Robertet has established another partnership with a local producer for the growing of the Centifolia rose and an exclusive contract. The roses have been planted, and now we must wait patiently for the first blossoms. Through these partnerships, the Group supports French and Grasse-based agriculture, participates in the development of the local economic network, secures supplies and ensures an income for producers.

The Robertet Group has also been present in Turkey since the early 1960s, with production initially in Ke?iborlu and now in Senir. It is the largest non-foreign producer in the country, and grows almost 25% of Turkey's production of rose damascena. Robertet is committed to its farmers throughout the year, we pre-finance the crops to guarantee income for local producers, and participate in the development of infrastructure to improve the producers' living conditions.

In Bulgaria, Robertet maintains close relationships with local producers and has established exclusive partnerships to ensure a supply of Rose Damascena.

Yields :

More than 1000 tons of Rose are processed at our facility in Turkey, about 20 tons are collected and processed in Grasse for the Centifolia Rose. A picker collects 7 kg of flowers per hour.

Rose essence is obtained by distillation of the freshly harvested flowers, rose water is also obtained from this process. The concrete and the absolute are obtained by extraction with volatile solvents.

For the damascena, about 3500 kg of flowers are necessary to obtain 1 kg of essential oil against about 600 kg for 1 kg of absolute. For the centifolia rose, 750 kg of flowers are needed to obtain 1 kg of absolute.

With rather low yields, rose absolute and its essential oil are precious products in the fragrance industry, an expensive ingredient with an invigorating scent, it brings a luxurious touch to your most beautiful perfumed compositions.