The Centifolia rose, with its
many layers of silken petals, sensual colors, euphoric scent and deeply
romantic history, lifts the heart, inspires the mind and restores the spirit.
The rose grows in many varieties, proving it to be a nomad and a veritable champion
of flowers. Able to tolerate polar cold and tropical heat, it has adapted to
widely varying climates and terroir. The place where the rose is said to grow
best, Bulgaria's famed Valley of the Roses, is where we harvest and distill our
prized organic Rosa
damascena Essential Oil [Prima Fleur No. 282]. We are
poised to bring our customers the results of this year's distillation of the
pink Damask rose. Below, the 2013 harvest in pictures.
Hand-harvested in the early
morning, the roses are distilled in copper stills by a water-steam process. The
methods used today are not entirely different than those employed many
centuries ago ~ although, with the price of a kilo of oil in the thousands of
dollars, one can be certain the science has advanced. Approximately 1,200
liters of water cover 150 to 300 kilos of roses, which float freely. Direct
steam injected into the water keeps them from forming a compact mass. The water
is slowly brought to a boil and allowed to simmer for about 1½ hours. First,
the "direct oil," or Surovo
Maslo in Bulgarian, is drawn off. Then the "first waters"
of this and subsequent distillations are bunched and redistilled. This
cohobation, as it is called, takes about 2 hours. The top of the water is
distilled off. It is a condensate called the "second water" and
contains what is called the "water oil." This oil is drawn off and
the two oils, direct and water, are combined. The ratio, on average, is 25% direct
oil to 75% water oil. It takes an average of 4,000 kilos of flowers to make 1
kilo of oil.
For information on our
Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom
development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw
materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com
~ or call (415) 455-0957.
Our extensive trove of naturally derived ingredients for
soothing sensitive skin and reducing erythema and inflammation grows each year,
as we discover how to harness the inherent capabilities of certain plants for
preventing irritation and protecting the skin's natural moisture barrier. The
demand for these ingredients rises with the increased awareness of allergies
and skin sensitivities. Oats are a known skin soother, but newer, more
target-specific options include beta glucan, oat
kernel oil and oat avenanthramides, which are uniquely
found in oat grains. Each of these ingredients is antioxidant rich and
powerfully anti-irritant. Clinical studies on oats show healing effects for dry
and itchy skin.
Magnolia grandiflora bark extract, used
in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda for its calming and soothing
properties, is designed to reduce redness and inflammation in sensitive skins.
Skin treated with this extract at 3% before experiencing irritation, suffered
only slight pricking and tingling as opposed to untreated skin, which went
through burning, stinging, and itching.
Prima Fleur creates and manufactures exclusive
products for some of the world's most prestigious personal care brands. For
more information on custom formulation and manufacture with any of these
ingredients or other exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw
materials, please visit our website or email
our Sales team.
