Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
May Rose: fragrant, but that’s not all!
The May rose is a hybrid rose variety resulting from the crossbreeding of four types of rose species: the French rose (Rosa gallica), the musk rose (Rosa moschata), the Damask rose (Rosa damascena), and the dog rose (Rosa canina). Nicknamed the "May rose" because its harvest takes place during the month of May, it is also called the Grasse rose (the historic cradle of the art of perfumery), or by its botanical name, Rosa centifolia.
Initially cultivated for its fragrance, it is increasingly used for its cosmetic properties. Particularly appreciated by sensitive and mature skin, the various rose petal extracts (oily maceration, hydrosol, and essential oil) possess soothing, repairing, and regenerating virtues.
Extracting hydrosol and essential oil requires fairly expensive equipment, but making an oily macerate is within everyone’s reach!
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children? No special precautions needed! May rose macerate can be used on children and babies, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
What is a solar maceration?
Solar maceration is an oily maceration of plant(s) that uses the heat of the sun to extract cosmetic and therapeutic properties and transfer them into a vegetable oil, known as a "carrier." It is a "hot" macerate, but one that operates through the gentle and diffused heat of the sun's rays, rather than the more direct heat of a double boiler. According to some, this method extracts plant properties more effectively.
The preparation is, of course, done in the warm season (let's say that in the middle of a Quebec winter, it's not the ideal time!) and the extraction lasts several weeks.
This technique is suitable for all types of plants, but some appreciate it even more than others, such as St. John's wort. This method is said to allow for the extraction of more hypericin, the active ingredient behind its properties, resulting in a red and concentrated macerate!
If you want to learn more about making oily macerates in general, consult our chronicle Herbalism 101: Making your own oily macerate.
Preparation
We place dried rose petals in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid. If making the macerate with fresh flowers, they must be left to dry for at least one day so they lose some of their moisture. We then pour a vegetable oil over the petals until they are covered by at least 1 cm of oil.
We choose a carrier oil that is fairly resistant to rancidity, such as sunflower, fractionated coconut, or jojoba oil; other more fragile oils would easily go rancid and thus lose their shelf life and properties during the maceration process.
We then close the jar tightly and place it outside in a sunny spot, ideally protected from rain and squirrel attacks!
Should we expose the jar directly to the sun's rays? No! It is important to cover the jar with opaque paper or cloth; we want the sun's heat, but not its direct, overly generous light, which could accelerate the rancidity of the oil.
24 hours later, we open the jar to drain any residual water that might have evaporated from the petals (especially if fresh petals were used). We also check if the oil still covers the rose petals. If the petals have absorbed too much oil and are sticking out of the surface, we add more oil to keep them covered by a good centimeter. We close the jar again, covering it with the opaque paper or cloth once more.
We let it rest and macerate gently for 3 to 6 weeks. Every two days, we shake the jar to move the petals around.
When the maceration period is over, we strain our macerate using cheesecloth, a nut milk bag, or a fine cloth, pressing well to remove as much oil as possible. We pour the oil into an amber bottle with a cap, pump, or pipette.
How to use rose macerate?
Rose macerate is used as a simple skincare oil for the face and body. It also makes an excellent under-eye treatment or after-sun oil! Its firming effect also makes it an ideal oil for chest care.
It can also be incorporated into body butter, cream, or serum recipes, replacing the base vegetable oil in a given recipe. We suggest adding it to our recipes for super-balm to the rescue of (almost!) everything, mango and petitgrain summer face butter, or even in the light moisturizing cream with mango butter and orange blossom.
Differentiating rose products
Plants of the Rosaceae family offer us several by-products that are highly valued in cosmetics, and it can be complicated to navigate them! To succeed in a recipe, you need to know which type of ingredient you are dealing with to use it wisely.
Rose oily macerate
As seen here, this is an oil infused with rose petals with soothing, repairing, regenerating, and firming virtues. You can use it as is, as a cosmetic treatment, or integrate it into recipes!
Rose hydrosol
A hydrosol is an aqueous liquid extracted through steam distillation. Rose hydrosol is mostly extracted from the petals of the Damask rose (Rosa damascena), but sometimes also from the May rose (Rosa centifolia). It is appreciated for its cosmetic properties for mature, dry, or irritated skin. It can be included in recipes (cream, aqueous serum, toner) or sprayed directly on the face.
Caution! We often see the terms "rose floral water" and "rose water." Sometimes these are genuine hydrosols, but they can also be water in which rose essential oil or absolute has been diluted, or sometimes natural or artificial rose fragrance.
Rose essential oil
Like hydrosols, essential oils are extracted via distillation. They represent the volatile aromatic molecules present in a plant, and since they are very light, they float on the surface of the hydrosol after distillation. Most often, the petals of the Damask rose are distilled, and sometimes those of the May rose.
The essential oil is 100% composed of active ingredients. It is therefore highly concentrated, and a tiny amount is needed in a recipe, i.e., a 0.5% concentration for facial care. It is highly regenerating, revitalizing, toning, and healing. It is often the star of luxury cosmetic products!
Since several thousand flowers are needed for the distillation of 1 ml of essential oil, authentic rose essential oil is among the most expensive on the market, but it is possible to find it pre-diluted in a vegetable oil to make its price a bit more digestible!
Rose absolute
Similar to essential oil, absolute is a concentrate of aromatic molecules extracted by solvent. Back in the day (before the 1930s), the absolute was extracted through enfleurage: flowers were infused in animal fat and the fragrance was then extracted with alcohol by decantation. Nowadays, other solvents are used, which makes the process much less laborious.
The absolute has no cosmetic properties. It is used in perfumery or to scent cosmetics.
Rosehip oil
This oil is obtained by pressing the seeds of a variety of musk rose (specifically Rosa rubiginosa, Rosa canina, or Rosa mosqueta). Although these shrubs are part of the same family as roses (Rosaceae), they are more closely related to the dog rose. The pressed oil does not have the scent of a rose because it is extracted from the seeds. It instead has a light hazelnut scent. It is a healing, firming, and repairing oil.
