Rosa
A perfume celebrating an ancient survivor from California's native woodlands
"A rose does not preach - it simply spreads its fragrance."
~ Ghandi
The fifth perfume in my series celebrating the aromatic landscape of California was released in 2008 and titled Rosa. Inspiration for this fragrance came when my friend Meghan took me over to the Theodore Payne Foundation and introduced the native rose of California. Up until that moment, I had no idea that there existed a native rose. The botanical name for this wild rose is Rosa californica, a five petaled deciduous shrub important to local wildlife.
My great grandmothers name was also Rosa, which adds another nuanced layer to the fragrance, especially since I have all her old postcards which I can use in photos like the one below.
In the book Introduction to California Chaparral the authors write "As a group species of chaparral roses are tough, resilient, woody survivors of an ancient vegetation that covered much of the western United States millions of years ago." (page 81) I have also been told that the upright, straight stems were used by the Native Americans for their arrows.
Chords
Shortly after hosting The Fragrant Alchemist workshop in February 2005 when I was living in Encino, California, I dived into the adventure of creating chords. The term chord comes from music, like so much of our terminology used in perfume. A chord is a group of essential oils, at least three, that are blended together to create a more unique fragrance profile.
The first two chords I formulated were a wood and a rose, the wood chord was utilized in the perfume devoted to the native oak, "Q". When the idea to create Rosa dropped into my consciousness, I knew that I would be starting with the rose chord in the composition. I had received great feedback from friends and clients who admired it and shared that it was like a stand alone perfume.
I’m incredibly discerning and uncompromising about where I source the essential oils and absolutes that go into my perfumes. Every ingredient is carefully considered and then very mindfully combined. I draw upon my background in aromatherapy when selecting and sourcing the highest-quality plant essences, from the cleanest sources. The intention from the start of illuminating perfumes has been to deliver a full sensory experience for your body and spirit—elevating you from the ordinary to the extra-ordinary.
Roses
Truth and Roses have thorns about them."
~ Henry David Thoreau
This rose otto comes from a family owned farm in the agricultural and rose district of Isparta, Turkey. The family has been distilling roses since the early 50’s and is very conscious of caring for their plants to produce the best product available. Harvesting of the delicate blooms begins in May continuing on through mid-June depending on the climate and yield of bloom. The rosa damascena plants can live for up to 40 years, are approximately 3 1/2 feet high and pruned every year. Each charge of their hand built stills are packed with approximately 500 kilos of roses. 1500 kilos of water yields approx 3.3 ounces of rose otto. The rose water byproduct of the distillation is re-distilled (cohobation) and the resulting rose essential oil from that is combined with the rose oil from the initial distillation to create the recognizable rose otto which is sold.
Rose bourbonica from India is an exquisite rare essence extracted from the elusive and rare heirloom rose known as Edward Rose. The aroma is rich with a warm, spicy amber bouquet. The flower flourishes at the base of the Palani Hills in Southern India where the petals are collected by hand and expertly crafted to create an exquisite rose absolute.
"Rosa bourbonica, also known as "Edward rose", is organically cultivated outside the holy city of Pushkar, beneath the mountaintop temple of the goddess Savitri." ~ David Crow
Rosa combines a traditional heart opening, soothing aspects that aromatherapists so often praise in the aroma of rose amplified by the symphony of all the notes and complex chords. The rich, verdant bouquet awaits you with its redolent balance of light and dark. Rosa is an earthy, warm, woodsy rose that develops into a rich floral bouquet over time. It literally blossoms on the skin of the wearer.”
Rosa 2025 Edition
The 2025 edition of Rosa solid has finally been pulled out of the "alchemizing closet", marinating to perfection. It is composed of thirteen individual essences and the two chords mentioned above: "rose" & "leather". The leather contains three chords within its structure, the rose contains the elusive and hard to work with Rosa bourbonica. Of the twelve individual essences one is a limited edition attar from India and a co-distillation of Vetiver with Rose.
Each time I create the synergy and or chords for my fragrances, there may be subtle shifts in the aroma due to the variability of the raw materials. This aspect of handmade, uber niche, botanical perfumery gets even more compounded when multiple chords appear in a fragrance. Sometimes the basic essences in one of my perfumes may stay the same while another essence in one or more chords will shift. These changes are extremely subtle, however, some of you may notice. Keep in mind & heart that the variability is one of the reasons why many perfume companies, both large and small, prefer to use stable and consistent synthetic aroma chemicals in their formulations.
I have noticed particularly with Rosa is that when the synergy is fairly fresh you will notice more dominant top notes with the rosy heart shining through crystal clear. When the formula has aged, more than 6 months to a year, the precious woods will create a more prominent earthy note. This is the alchemy of pure, plant fragrance.
Rose is an elder in the scheme of medicine and history, she appears often and quite vividly. Fragments of her story go back to fossil records from 35 million years ago and Egyptian tombs. Looking back into history we have all parts of the rose (petal, leaf, fruit and root) being utilized for medicine making, food, ritual, literature and scent applications.
Carl Jung wrote “The wholeness which is a combination of ‘I and you’ is part of a transcendent unity whose nature can only be grasped in symbols like the rose or the coniunctio (Conjunction).” In alchemy the red rose is associated with the male while the white rose is associated with the feminine. The five petaled pink rose of the California woodland that this perfume is inspired by is the combination of the red and white and of the ‘I and you’ described by Jung.
Symbolically we see the rose associated with love, beauty, the heart, and joy. The aroma-therapeutics of a pure essential oil of rose contain the same attributes and more, including anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent and cell regenerative. This is where one can see the value of perfumes made with pure essential oils. Keep in mind that the cost per drop of a true Rose essential oil is quite steep.
As I mentioned above this is the fifth scent in the California series of perfumes and Rosa californica has five petals. The fifth element, in the film by the same name, is love often symbolized by the rose.
During the mummification process in ancient Egyptian culture the major organs in the human body were removed. The organ that was valued the most was the heart, for they believed that a humans true compass was in the heart. The brain was the least respected organ and was tossed aside. The heart math community has now proven that indeed there is brain matter in the heart. I encourage you to dive deep into your own heart center for answers to important questions.
Rosa is currently available in the solid format contained in a violet glass round jar and will begin shipping in the next few days. I also have one tiny tin that works in the a locket necklaces, and some compacts with the hand crochet pouches. Please reach out via email if you desire any of the later.
