Material guide · 41
Material guide: rose absolute — the rose line's finale, the flower itself arrives last
· 18 min read
This series covered the rose trio of geraniol, citronellol and phenethyl alcohol, then the finishing touches of beta-damascenone and rose oxide; the flower itself closes the line. CAS 8007-01-0, the absolute of the damask rose: floral, waxy, spicy, green — with metallic showing up again in the DB odor terms. 47 suppliers, 168 hours of longevity. Two processes (distilled otto versus solvent absolute), two species (damascena and centifolia) and three origins written into product names, the same catalog lesson as the jasmine guide. A 2025 review supplies the composition numbers: citronellol 30–40%, geraniol 20–30%.
The rose is the flower this series has written about most: geraniol, citronellol and phenethyl alcohol form the trio, with beta-damascenone and rose oxide as the finishing touches. All five molecules are in place; the flower itself arrives last. Like the jasmine guide, its catalog carries a built-in lesson: two processes, two species, three origins, all written into the product names.
What matters
- Rose absolute is the natural core of the floral base: floral, rose, waxy, spicy, green, with metallic appearing once more in the DB odor terms. 47 suppliers (Turkish damask absolute), 168 hours of longevity (measured neat).
- Distilled rose oil (otto) and solvent-extracted absolute are two different products; lore puts one key difference on phenethyl alcohol, which dissolves in water and is largely lost in distillation while the absolute keeps it. For the field edition of the phenethyl alcohol guide, smell these two side by side.
- A 2025 review supplies the composition numbers: citronellol 30–40% and geraniol 20–30% — the trio's first two members, their proportions written right into the natural material.
The basics (damask absolute, Turkey)
| CAS | 8007-01-0 |
| Source | Absolute of Rosa damascena flowers, natural |
| Odor | floral, rose, waxy, spicy, green, oily, geranium, metallic |
| Odor type | floral |
| Strength | medium |
| Longevity | 168 hours (measured neat at 100%, on a blotter) |
| Appearance | pale reddish-brown viscous liquid |
| Flash point | 87.22 °C |
| Shelf life | 24 months or longer (cool, dark, sealed) |
| Listings | GRAS, JECFA, FEMA GRAS, IFRA |
168 hours is a genuine reading rather than the conventional 400 (the vanillin guide covered this); the naturals in this family read 168 almost across the board, while the synthetic rose absolute pentanol carries 400. The "metallic" odor term, as in the myrrh guide, is no typo: to our noses, rose absolute at high concentration really does have a cool metallic edge that only yields to the florals on dilution.
The composition, in numbers
Khezerlou and colleagues' 2025 review states the composition plainly:
Rosa damascena is a rich source of bioactive ingredients including flavonoids, anthocyanins, and terpenoids — like citronellol (30–40%) and geraniol (20–30%).
Citronellol plus geraniol — the rose trio's first two members — together claim half the territory. This is the series' recurring lesson run in reverse: earlier we worked from the molecules toward "this is a main component of rose"; this time we look back from the flower, and the proportions are right there. The review's later food and healthcare material is outside this guide's scope and deliberately not quoted.
Color and scent, one switch
In 2024, Kiani and colleagues did the gene-expression homework in Scientific Reports:
Rosa damascena Mill., commonly known as the King Flower, is a fragrant and important species of the Rosaceae family. It is widely used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. ⋯ MYB1 is one of the important transcription factors in the production of fragrance and color ⋯ GC/MS analysis identified 26 compounds in four samples. The highest amount of geraniol, one of the main components of damask rose, was found in the Hot pink flower, 23.54%, under the influence of the MeJA hormone.
One transcription factor sits on both the scent line and the color line. Our reading: when breeders select for flower color, the scent may get pulled along — that sentence is an inference, and what the paper measured was gene expression. One handy coincidence: the methyl jasmonate (MeJA) used to stimulate expression is a chemical relative of hedione (methyl dihydrojasmonate) in the jasmonate family — basic-chemistry-level fact. Plants use it as a signal; perfumers use its cousin in perfume.
The family on the catalog
| Entry | What it is |
|---|---|
| rose absolute damascena turkey (47 suppliers) | The material itself: Turkish damask absolute |
| rosa damascena flower oil (46 suppliers) | Distilled rose oil (the otto direction); the database recommends 10% or less |
| rose oil bulgaria (44 suppliers) | Bulgarian distilled oil, same 10%-or-less advice |
| rose absolute centifolia morocco (34 suppliers) | May rose absolute: the other species Rosa centifolia, another CAS 84604-12-6 |
| rose absolute pentanol (30 suppliers) | One of the synthetic rose-direction single molecules, 400 hours |
| rose absolute bulgaria (24 suppliers) | Bulgarian damask absolute |
| rose concrete (14 suppliers) | The concrete: one stop before the absolute |
The same three-layer structure as the jasmine guide: process (distilled oil versus solvent absolute), species (damascena versus centifolia), origin (turkey, bulgaria, morocco). The otto-versus-absolute choice, in lore, often comes down to phenethyl alcohol's fate and the overall profile: otto brighter and spicier, the absolute thicker and closer to the fresh flower — that last clause is how it smells to our noses.
When you smell it
- To our noses, the diluted absolute is a thick, fresh-flower rose with honey and wax underneath and spice and green at the edges; the otto is far brighter, its geranium side more forward. Smell the two side by side and the process difference comes through at once.
- The advanced exercise: lay out the absolute, geraniol, citronellol and phenethyl alcohol on four strips and try to find the three molecules inside the flower. This is the rose line's graduation exam.
- Evaluate at 10% or less (the database's note on the oil entries; we apply it to the absolute too). Dark materials tint — small-batch pale formulas first.
Regulatory
Listed in GRAS, JECFA, FEMA GRAS, and IFRA. These listings do not provide use limits. Rose absolute is a complex natural mixture containing label-listed fragrance allergens such as citronellol and geraniol: check current IFRA Standards and the supplier's specification for skin-bound formulas, and ask for allergen data (the rules the single-molecule guides covered; linked here, not repeated).
Buying notes
- Pick the process first: the absolute for fresh-flower thickness, the otto (distilled oil) for bright spice. If the budget allows, buy the smallest bottle of each and compare.
- Read origin and species in the product name: turkey and bulgaria are the damask tradition's two great regions, and centifolia is a different flower — not a batch variation of the same material.
- The rose line's budget path still stands: the trio of molecules plus trace finishing touches builds a "synthetic rose," with the flower itself bought in the smallest size as the reference.
→ Rose absolute in the database: full physical data, supplier list, suggested pairings. → Rose oil (otto direction) | Geraniol | Search by scent: try "rose floral waxy" to find its neighbors.
References
A. Khezerlou, K. Mohammadi, A. Abedini, M. A. Sani, M. A. Sani & D. J. McClements, Phytochemicals and bioactive functional ingredients from Rosa damascena: from extraction to application in the food and healthcare sectors, Food Chemistry: X, 31, 103202 (2025). PMID 41245111
H. S. Kiani, M. S. Noudehi, M. Shokrpour, M. Zargar & M. R. Naghavi, Investigation of genes involved in scent and color production in Rosa damascena Mill., Scientific Reports, 14(1), 20576 (2024). PMID 39242697