Троянда

Rose is the most documented material in perfumery — reframed in PREMIEREPEAU's Rose Monotone, where rose oxide locks into Brazilian pink pepper, lychee, and Haitian vetiver.

Two major species of rose are cultivated for the production of rose oil, Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia. The Damask rose, Rosa × damascena, is a rose hybrid derived from Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata. DNA analysis has shown that a third species, Rosa fedtschenkoana, made some genetic contributions to the Damask rose. Rosa × damascena is a cultivated flower not found in the wild. The Damask rose is a deciduous shrub that grows to a height of 2.2 metres. Rosa × centifolia, the Provence rose, cabbage rose, May rose or Rose de Mai, is a hybrid rose developed by Dutch breeders between the 17th century and the 19th century, possibly earlier. Its parentage includes Rosa × damascena. The flowers of Rosa × centifolia are round and globular, with numerous thin overlapping petals that are highly scented.

Rosa damascena production today is dominated by three producers that account for over 70% of the rose oil market share: Bulgaria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Rosa × damascena is optimally cultivated in hedgerows to help protect the blooms from wind damage and facilitate harvesting. In Bulgaria, damask roses are grown in long hedges, while in Turkey, individual plants are spaced apart along trenches. A state cooperative in Turkey's Isparta region carefully regulates the commercialization of rose oil, although families still operate small distilleries. Oil produced in Russia is mainly traded and consumed locally. The bulk of all export is to France, the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. A period of winter dormancy is essential for damask rose to induce bud development. All flower parts contain essential oil, which generally reaches its maximum when the petals become cup-shaped and the stamens bright yellow; the petals contain most oil. The economic life of a plantation is 10–12 years, and flower yield normally increases during the first 5–7 years and then declines gradually. Because production is labour-intensive and the rose blooms hold little oil, rose oil commands a very high price. Some of these oils are up to 90% geranium or palmarosa to 10% rose, a practice called extending the rose fragrance.

About 283 components have been identified in the composition of Bulgarian rose oil. Analysis has revealed more than 300 constituents in rose oil, most in very small proportions but many of them important for the depth of its fragrance. Rose oil contains citronellol (20–34%), geraniol (15–22%) and nonadecane (8–15%) as major components. Damask rose oil contains more than 1% each of citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool and phenylethyl alcohol. The ratio of citronellol to geraniol and nerol, the three main terpene alcohols, is of major importance in determining the quality of rose oil. In Bulgarian rose oil, the odour carriers form the liquid part, the eleoptene, while the odour fixatives, the stearoptene, are hard at room temperature and odourless but give the odour durability. Stearoptene is odourless and makes up 15–25% of the oil. When cooled below 20 °C, Bulgarian rose oil precipitates white or colourless crystals of stearoptene, and the remaining liquid is known as elaeoptene. The Rosa centifolia absolute is composed of more than 50% phenylethyl alcohol, and the rest of its composition resembles that of Rosa damascena. Bulgarian distilled rose oil is naturally low in phenylethanol, and Ukrainian or Russian rose oil is naturally high in phenylethanol.

Beta-damascenone makes up 0.01–1.85% of rose oil, and its presence is considered the marker for the quality of the oil. The other key components are beta-damascone, other damascones, beta-ionone and rose oxide, each under 1% of the oil. These key components usually make up less than 1% of rose oil, yet they account for slightly more than 90% of its odour content because of their low odour detection thresholds. A component's contribution to the overall smell can be assessed in odour units, the concentration of the molecule divided by its odour threshold. Low-abundance but intensely smelly molecules such as beta-damascenone, beta-ionone, beta-damascone and rose oxide contribute most to rose aroma. Beta-damascenone is a major contributor to the aroma of roses despite its very low concentration. Damascenone takes its name from Rosa damascena. The damascenones belong to the rose ketones, a family of chemicals that also includes damascones and ionones. The damascenones are derived from the degradation of carotenoids. Beta-damascenone cannot be detected in rose petals but is present in rose oil, which means it must form from a precursor compound, possibly by heating. Phenethyl alcohol, or 2-phenylethanol, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₈H₁₀O. Phenethyl alcohol is found in extracts of rose, carnation, hyacinth, Aleppo pine, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, geranium, neroli and champaca.

Damask rose petals are edible and are used to flavour food, as a garnish, as herbal tea, and preserved in sugar as gulkand. Damask roses are used in cooking as a flavouring ingredient or spice, and they are an ingredient in the spice mixture ras el hanout. Rose water and powdered roses are used in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. Rose petals can be crystallized with sugar to make a sweetmeat, and dried petals are added to drinks as a flavouring.

Rose oxide drives the crystalline quality ofRose Monotone, paired with lychee and pink pepper in a deliberate exploration of rose's cooler, mineral side.

This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Nuit Élastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.