Rose Otto Essential Oil

Rose Otto Essential Oil is steam distilled from the petals of the Rosa damascena flower. The aroma is deep and unmistakably rose: heavy sweet florals up front, with a soft honeyed edge underneath, much closer to burying your nose in a fresh-cut garden rose than to any rose-scented soap.

Steam distillation takes a very large quantity of petals to yield a small amount of oil, which is why Rose Otto is sold in small volumes. Its scent comes largely from naturally occurring citronellol, geraniol and nerol.

Rose Otto is a classic of natural perfumery. It is also sold as rose oil, rose essential oil and Damask rose oil, and it layers well under woody bases and over citrus top notes. The oil is thick and can turn cloudy or semi-solid in a cool room, so a closed bottle held in the hands for a minute or two brings it back to a clear liquid. For external aromatic use only, never taken by mouth.

How to use it

Use it in fine perfumery, in facial oils, creams and serums, in massage blends and in a diffuser. It blends with Sandalwood, Jasmine, Bergamot and Ylang Ylang, and with other floral, citrus and woody oils. Technique tip: dilute one drop in a teaspoon of carrier oil before smelling it on skin, because at full strength the top notes flatten out and you lose the honeyed middle.

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