Cool, dewy, almost transparent rose with a green-waxy start. Rosa alba smells like white petals left on a windowsill in early morning -- lighter and airier than damask, with a quiet spice underneath.
Cool, green-waxy opening followed by a transparent, dewy rose heart. Less honeyed and jammy than Rosa damascena, less heavy and narcotic than centifolia. A faint spicy undertone (hint of clove, trace of pepper) sits at the base. The overall impression is airy, almost aqueous -- a rose washed clean.
Clean rose heart emerges, citronellol-dominant, faint spice
After a few days
After a few days
Soft, transparent floral warmth, quiet and close to skin
Terroir & Origins
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Rosa alba is the White Rose of York, a garden rose of uncertain parentage with an odd chromosomal arrangement that resists hybridisation. Despite its name, flowers range from white to soft pink. The scent profile is distinctly lighter and more transparent than Rosa damascena (damask rose) or Rosa centifolia (May rose), with a green-waxy opening and a clean, dewy quality.
The essential oil yield of Rosa alba is roughly half that of Rosa damascena -- around 0.015-0.02% by steam distillation versus 0.03-0.04% for damask. This economic disadvantage has made it a marginal crop in Bulgarian rose production, where damascena dominates. The resulting oil is richer in citronellol and geraniol (characteristic rose alcohols) but with a higher proportion of waxy, green aldehydes that give it its particular coolness.
In composition, Rosa alba serves where a perfumer wants rose without heaviness. It reads cleaner than centifolia, less honeyed than damascena, and works in fresh-floral, green-floral, and white-floral accords where a dense Turkish-rose impression would overwhelm the structure.
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Rosa alba's chromosomal makeup is hexaploid (six sets of chromosomes), an anomaly among roses that makes it resistant to cross-breeding. Its exact parentage remains unknown despite centuries of cultivation -- a genetic orphan in the rose family.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of fresh petals yields Rosa alba essential oil at approximately 0.015-0.02% -- roughly half the yield of Rosa damascena. Solvent extraction produces an absolute with a deeper, waxier profile. The low yield makes alba oil significantly more expensive than standard damask rose oil.
Rosa alba provides a lighter, more transparent rose quality than damascena or centifolia. It functions as a heart note in fresh-floral and green-floral compositions where dense, heavy rose would overwhelm the structure. The oil is richer in citronellol and green aldehydes, giving it a clean, dewy quality. It works in white-floral bouquets, modern soliflores, and as a modifier to soften heavier rose absolutes.
