Rose Absolute Damascena

#### Rose Absolute, Damascena. The alcohol soluble extract of the concrète from Bulgarian rose flowers has only recently been produced on a commercial scale in Bulgaria. Previously, the Bulgarian producers had insisted upon making only the essential oil (see **Rose "Otto"**) and the concrète (see **Rose Concrète,**** ****Damascena**). A few French and overseas houses, however, have agreements with the Bulgarian producers who will process certain amounts of the Bulgarian concrète to an absolute according to specifications from these customers. Other large perfume houses who use considerable amounts of rose absolute will often buy rose concrète directly from the producer and make their own absolute extract. The yield of alcohol soluble absolute from a petroleum ether concrète extract of Bulgarian rose flowers is slightly better than 50%. The absolute is also produced in France by the suppliers of perfume raw materials, experienced in the production of flower absolutes. Unknown but smaller quantities of rose absolute are produced in the U.S.S.R. and Turkey from **Rosa**** ****Damascena**** ****Concrète**. In China, production is still on an experimental scale. Rose absolute is an orange-yellow, orange- reddish or slightly olive-yellowish colored, viscous liquid of extremely rich, warm, spicy-floral and very deep rose odor with a more or less pronounced honeylike undertone. Its diffusive power is only realized when the absolute is diluted or used at the concentration of a few percent or even less in a perfume base. Bulgarian **Rose**** ****Absolute**** **is used so extensively in high-class perfumes that it is hardly possible to define its field of application. Apart from strictly rosy florals, it forms important parts of the conventional rose-jasmin complex which is found in countless fashion perfumes today. It is used in cassie modifications, carnation bases, chypres, Oriental bases, modern fantasy bouquets, etc. Its unusual radiation compensates for its high cost to a certain degree, so that it can be used in medium priced perfumes as well. The "spent" waxes from the extraction of absolute from concrète usually have a faint odor of rose flowers. These waxes are commercially available and find some application in soap perfumery, but they also present a certain threat to the buyers of rose concrète. Spent waxes are not infrequently added to rose concrète, and it will be necessary to run a test on the yield of absolute from a sample of rose concrète in order to safeguard oneself against this risk. In flavors, this exquisite material offers interesting effects and bouquet in trace amounts, e. g. in apricot, strawberry, raspberry, bitter almond, apple, etc. Its flavor is somewhat sharp at high concentration, but becomes soft and warm, sweet balsamic and slightly spicy upon extreme dilution. The suggested use level is just above the **Minimum Perceptible **which is 0.04 to 0.10 mg%. Due to the high content of phenylethyl alcohol (water soluble) the rose absolute is not a very powerful flavor material. Bulgarian **Rose**** ****Absolute**** **is not infrequently adulterated with the absolute from rosa centifolia (see previous monograph), known as "rose de mai absolute". Diluents such as phenylethyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, rhodinol from geranium oil, diethyl phthalate, etc. are not uncommon in this very expensive perfume material. The major part of the Bulgarian concrète is processed into rose absolute, and the annual production of Bulgarian rose absolute can be estimated at more than 300 kilos. The production is steadily increasing. See also monograph on **Rose**** ****Absolute,**** ****Centifolia**.