No other flower is as intimately connected to human culture as rose. It speaks a universal language that both Venus, the goddess of love, and Virgin Mary can understand.

Though there are countless myths about the origin of the rose, in Greek mythology, Chloris, the goddess of flowers, created it by breathing life into a woodland nymph she had found dead. Dionysus gave the flower its beautiful perfume, and Aphrodite named it, in dedication to her son Eros. 

In Christian mythology, Rosa Mistica is one of Mary’s poetic names. Many shrines dedicated to the mother of Christ are adorned with roses, and she has long been associated with the flower by mystics and writers. The theologian John Henry Newman considers Mary “the Queen of spiritual flowers” and believes she is called “the Rose” because “she is the Mystical or Hidden Rose, for mystical means hidden”. 

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Confucius (551-479 BCE) wrote about the importance of roses in the Chinese Empire, noting that the flower was highly esteemed during the Zhou dynasty. Roses were grown in the Imperial Palace gardens and the Royal Library was said to have contained over 600 books on rose and its cultivation.

Most notably, the rose symbolises the soul or the heart across cultures. In Sufi mystical literature, it represents divine love and the pathway to spiritual enlightenment, as well as wholeness. In the Encyclopedia Iranica, we learn that “in mystical poetry, the nightingale’s yearning for the rose served as a metaphor for the soul’s yearning for union with God.”

For Rosicrucians, the rose in the middle of the cross symbolises the unfolding consciousness of the individual as well as, in a different interpretation, the process of reproduction elevated to a spiritual level. 

As multifaceted symbolically as its anatomy, the rose takes on a myriad of meanings: from romance, nobility and the soul to duality, secrecy and the fleeting nature of fame or fortune.

Two main types of roses are used in modern perfumery: Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia. Cultivated in regions like Bulgaria, Turkey, and Iran, the Damask variety has a rich, floral sweetness with honeyed and spicy nuances.

Also known as the Cabbage rose or Rose de Mai, the centifolia variety is grown in Grasse, France, and offers a softer, more powdery profile with waxy and musky undertones. A rose might appear delicate and romantic, but it holds many facets, from its fresh and clean citrus layers to more traditionally masculine undertones. 

Few scents embody duality as beautifully as rose. Its floral sweetness brings to mind memories of summer gardens, rosewater desserts from our childhoods and first loves. We press rose petals and find them years later, falling from one of our favourite books.

We spray rose mist around the house and suddenly, we remember a scene from our past so vividly, it’s like we were there. Whether comforting or intoxicating, rose articulates our emotions in all their complexity. It is seductive, romantic, adventurous and divine all at once. It speaks loudly or it is quiet, mystical. It is a timeless mirror for the soul.

Rose is mainly extracted through steam distillation, solvent extraction, CO2 extraction. Steam distillation produces rose otto, a light oil that is bright and fresh. Solvent extraction, by contrast, yields the more precious rose absolute, a denser material with earthy, honeyed undertones. 

Rose is classified as a heart note because it harmonises top and base notes, giving structure and dimension to a composition. It is one of the most important perfume materials, as it has the power to bring out the best in all other notes in a perfume, and blends well with almost everything.

Natural perfumer Mandy Aftel writes: “It forgives all indiscretions and brings out the best in the other notes with its full-bodied, unthreatening beauty. If you have made a mistake in your blending, sometimes adding a bit more rose will remedy the problem.”

A cornerstone of floral fragrances, rose defines true classics like Jean Patou’s Joy, or modern classics, such as Diptyque’s Eau Rose. Equally important in the amber family, it partners with spices, resins, and woods to evoke depth and warmth, as seen in Amouage’s Lyric Woman.

Within the chypre family, rose plays a pivotal role, contrasting bergamot and oakmoss to create scents such as Guerlain’s Mitsouko. Unsurprisingly, there’s a role for rose in gourmand compositions as well. See the popular Delina by Parfumes de Marly, or Parfait de Rôses by Lancôme.

There is no scent family where the versatile rose is not welcomed in. Florals, ambers and gourmands might seem more obvious, but you will have no trouble finding rose in more atypical compositions such as aquatics (Salt Rose by 4160 Tuesdays), or layered in more conceptual scents like Toskovat’s Born Screaming.

The key aromatic compounds in rose are 2-Phenylethanol, β-ionone, β-damascone, β-damascenone, citronellol, rose oxide, geraniol, and nerol. Citronellol lends a crisp, citrusy brightness, while geraniol brings the characteristic floral sweetness associated with rose.

Phenyl ethyl alcohol, often described as the "soul" of rose, imparts a dewy, honeyed freshness that recalls the scent of petals at dawn. Rose oxide, which was only discovered in 1959, gives the rose its green, slightly metallic starting note. Β-damascone and β-damascenone offer a fruity-floral aroma that brings to mind dried fruits and plum, honey and tobacco.

Though natural rose materials remain coveted in perfumery, synthetic recreations have become indispensable. Harvesting rose oil requires vast quantities of petals - up to 60,000 roses to produce a single ounce - making it one of the most expensive materials in perfumery.

Synthetic molecules are more economical and often more versatile, as they allow perfumers to highlight or manipulate specific aspects of rose's complex profile.

Recreating a rose scent is no easy task, though supply houses offer rose bases such as Firmenich’s iconic Wardia. And while synthetic replacers are now the go-to when it comes to rose recreation, natural materials, even in trace amounts, can enrich a composition dramatically.