Rose oil facts for kids
Rose oil is a special oil made from the petals of different kinds of rose flowers. You might also hear it called rose otto or attar of roses. This oil is a type of essential oil, which means it captures the natural scent and flavor of the plant.
There are two main ways to get rose oil. One way is called steam distillation, which makes rose otto. Another way is called solvent extraction, which creates rose absolute. Rose absolute is often used to make perfumes. The idea of making rose oil first came from Persia. Even though rose oil can be quite expensive, it is still one of the most popular essential oils used in perfumes today.
Contents
What's Inside Rose Oil?
Two main types of roses are grown to make rose oil:
- Rosa damascena, also known as the Damask rose. It grows in places like Bulgaria, Turkey, India, and Iran.
- Rosa centifolia, or the Cabbage rose. This one is often grown in Morocco, France, and Egypt.
Rose oil gets its unique smell from many different natural chemicals. Some of the most common ones are citronellol, geraniol, and nerol.
A few special chemicals give rose oil its amazing scent. These include beta-damascenone and rose oxide. Even though these chemicals are only a tiny part of the oil (less than 1%), they create most of its smell. This is because we can smell them even in very small amounts.
How Rose Oil is Made
Making rose oil takes a lot of work. Rose flowers have very little oil in them. Because of this, rose oil is quite expensive. Workers pick the rose flowers by hand early in the morning, before the sun rises. The flowers are then used to make oil on the same day.
There are three main ways to get the oil from the rose petals:
- Steam distillation: This method makes an essential oil called rose otto.
- Solvent extraction: This method creates an absolute called rose absolute.
- Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction: This is a newer method that can produce a very pure oil.
Steam Distillation
In this method, large pots, often made of copper, are filled with roses and water. The pot is heated for about an hour or more. The steam and rose oil rise up and then cool down in a special device. This creates a very strong oil called "direct oil."
The water that condenses with the oil is then distilled again. This helps to get more of the rose oil that dissolved in the water. These two oils are then mixed together to make the final rose attar.
Rose attar is usually clear and light yellow. It can form white crystals if it gets cool, but these disappear when the oil is gently warmed. It has a very strong smell, but it is lovely when diluted for perfume.
The Rose Valley in Bulgaria is famous for making rose attar. In India, the city of Kannauj is also well-known for making rose attar.
Because of the heat used in distillation, some of the rose's natural chemicals can change. This means that rose attar doesn't smell exactly like fresh roses.
The water left over from distillation is called rosewater. It's much cheaper and is used in food and for skin care.
Solvent Extraction
In this method, rose flowers are mixed in a large container with a solvent (a liquid that dissolves things), like hexane. This solvent pulls out the rose's scent chemicals, along with waxes and colors.
The solvent is then removed, leaving behind a waxy substance called a concrete. This concrete is then mixed with alcohol. The alcohol dissolves the good-smelling parts, leaving the wax behind. Finally, the alcohol is evaporated, leaving the finished absolute.
Rose absolute is a deep reddish-brown color and doesn't form crystals. Since this process uses lower temperatures, the absolute often smells more like a fresh rose than the otto does.
Carbon Dioxide Extraction
This method uses supercritical carbon dioxide to extract the oil. When carbon dioxide is put under very high pressure and a certain temperature, it becomes a special fluid. This fluid can act like a gas and a liquid at the same time. It's great at pulling out the scents from the rose petals.
Like solvent extraction, this method uses low temperatures. This helps keep the rose's natural scents unchanged by heat. Also, carbon dioxide turns back into a gas at normal air pressure, so it leaves no trace in the final oil. The machines for this method are expensive, which makes the oil more costly.
Is Rose Oil Always Pure?
It takes a huge amount of rose petals to make just a small amount of rose oil. For example, you might need 3,000 parts of petals to get 1 part of oil! Because it's so expensive to make, some people might try to dilute rose oil. This means they mix it with cheaper oils, like geranium or palmarosa oil. These oils have similar smells to rose oil.
Some "rose oils" might be 90% geranium or palmarosa and only 10% real rose oil. This is called "extending" the rose fragrance.
It's important to know that pure rose oil should not be put directly on your skin. It can cause allergic reactions like red skin or spots.
Bulgarian Rose Oil
Bulgarian rose oil is known for its special qualities:
- It has a unique mix of ingredients. Scientists have found about 283 different parts in Bulgarian rose oil. These parts include liquids that carry the smell and solid parts that help the smell last longer.
- It has a light yellow color with a hint of green.
- It feels a bit like almond oil.
- It has a very strong smell and a sharp, sweet taste.
- It has a great balance of liquid and solid parts, which helps its scent.
See also
In Spanish: Aceite de rosas para niños
Images for kids
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A rose oil factory in Bulgaria.
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People picking roses in the Rose Valley in Bulgaria, back in the 1870s.
