may is the month of rose, flower symbol of femininity, birth and love. And of timeless beauty. Because of its virtues and its olfactory notes, the flower is a luxury botanical ingredient that has long been used in cosmetics, from skincare to perfumes.
Rose, May flower make-up and perfumes
Its properties in cosmetics have been known since ancient times and go beyond time: rose is still one of the most loved ingredients in beauty. There is rose and rose, they are not all the same and neither are their benefits and uses.
Damascena, mosqueta and centifolia: the differences
There Damask rose, native to the Middle East, is considered the queen of all roses. She is the most precious of all: approximately 3 tons of petals are needed to obtain one kilo of its essence. In the cosmetic field it is used for counteract skin aging, reduce wrinkles and fight inflammation and irritation.
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From the rosehip – typical of Chile – its oil is mainly used: a prodigious beauty ally for revitalize the bioregenerative processes of skin cellswhile the rose Centifolia (of Persian origin) it is used on mature and dry skin to combat eczema, skin dryness and improve the appearance of deep lines.
Rose perfumes, olfactory classics
«The rose is to perfume what love is to songs: a recurring theme on which composers work throughout their lives» writes Jean-Claude Ellena in his book Atlas of perfume botany.
Already in 1984 there were over seventy entries rose perfumes present within Fragrance of Word by Michael Edwards, the largest classification of perfumes ever and constantly updated.
Today, rose fragrances are no longer characterized solely by powdery scents but are discovered to be fresh and modern thanks to some innovative combinations. It is an example of this Petite Cherie Of Goutal, which thanks to the notes of pear, hedione and lilac becomes a sparkling and playful accord.
Red Rose Harvest Of Guerlain preserves all the freshness of the freshly cut rose thanks to the exclusive organic rose water from Grasse obtained from the distillation of the Centifolia rose and used to dilute the perfume concentrate. It gives the fragrance a bold sense of realism and greater soul.
The calming and anti-aging benefits on the skin
Rose petals, extracts and oils, when used on the skin, have calming and anti-inflammatory propertieswhich is why this beauty ingredient is highly appreciated.
L’rosehip oilfor example, is effective in the cosmetic field for its healing and nourishing action. It is therefore used to treat stretch marks, scars and acne marks, as well as to delay skin aging.
The same thing goes for its extract which is used in case of dry and sensitive skin as a moisturizer and calming.
It is certainly more famous rose water, which can be used to prepare purifying masks and natural peelings. Or, sprayed on the face as face mist to counteract the excessive production of sebum, improve the appearance of dark circles and slow down the formation of the first wrinkles.
Rose oil, miraculous for hair
Finally, the less known are the benefits of flower on hairbut the use of its water is a real beauty elixir which improves the hair in various ways.
When mixed in equal parts with sugar and honey, rose water can be used as a pre-shampoo scrub to detoxify the scalp: a natural and delicate way to effectively remove sebum, smog and styling product residues.
Applied instead with a cotton pad on the skin, purifies and soothes the discomfort caused by seborrheic dermatitis. Finally, if sprayed on damp hair after the conditioner or used as a last rinse, it leaves the hair soft, shiny and perfumed. The reason? Its pH is similar to that of the hair, therefore particularly delicate for carrying out this last step without damaging the hair fiber.
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