What does rose smell like? The queen of flowers, explained

Rose is the most famous smell in perfume. It has been distilled, bottled, worn and gifted for well over a thousand years. Some people think of it as old-fashioned, the scent of a grandmother's handbag. Then they smell a modern rose perfume and realise how many faces this one flower can have.

What does it smell like?

Rich, sweet and floral, but far more layered than most people expect. A good rose material can smell like a whole garden in one breath:

• Honey and jam: a deep, syrupy sweetness, like rose petal jam or Turkish delight
• Citrus and green: a fresh, lemony brightness and a hint of crushed stems
• Spice: a clove-like warmth, especially in distilled rose oil
• Fruit: touches of lychee, raspberry and red apple
• Wine and tea: a dry, slightly winey or tea-like depth in some roses

Rose also behaves very differently depending on what surrounds it. Next to citrus it feels fresh and young. Next to oud, patchouli or amber it turns dark, velvety and dramatic.

Where it comes from

Two kinds of rose do most of the work in perfume.

Damask rose (Rosa damascena) is the classic perfume rose. It is grown in Bulgaria's Rose Valley near Kazanlak, around Isparta in Turkey, and in Iran, Morocco and other countries with warm days and cool nights. It smells bright, honeyed and slightly spicy.

Cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia), often called rose de mai or May rose, is grown around Grasse in the south of France, and in Morocco and Egypt. It flowers only once a year, for a few weeks in May. It smells rounder, richer and more like candied petals.

Roses are picked by hand in the early morning, when the scent is strongest, and processed the same day before the petals lose their fragrance.

How rose oil is made

There are two main rose materials, and they smell noticeably different.

1. Rose otto (or rose oil). Fresh petals are steam-distilled, usually damask roses. The oil that rises with the steam is collected. It is pale yellow and can even form little crystals when cool. It smells bright, spicy and lemony.
2. Rose absolute. Petals are washed with a solvent to pull out a waxy paste called a "concrete". That paste is then washed with alcohol to give the absolute. It is deep red-brown and smells fuller, sweeter and closer to a fresh rose in your hand.

Both take a huge weight of flowers. By one estimate, around 4,000 to 5,000 kilos of May rose petals go into a single kilo of absolute. That is why real rose is one of the most expensive materials a perfumer can buy.

A quick note on chemistry: rose contains hundreds of aroma molecules. The big ones by volume are citronellol, geraniol and phenylethyl alcohol. But some of the most important are tiny traces, such as damascenone and rose oxide. They make up a very small share of the oil yet carry much of its character.

A short history of rose

• Ancient world: Roses were grown for scent and medicine across Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Petals were scattered at feasts and steeped in oils.
• Persia and rose water: Rose water is believed to have started in Persia, where it is called gulab. The Persian physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina, around 980–1037) is often credited with refining the distillation of rose petals.
• The Islamic world: Rose water spread through the Middle East and beyond, into cooking, medicine and religious ceremonies. It is still used to flavour sweets and drinks today.
• Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria: Rose oil production grew in the Ottoman lands, and the valley around Kazanlak became one of the most famous rose-growing areas in the world.
• France: Grasse became the home of the May rose, which helped make the town the centre of French perfume making.

Rose in modern perfume

Rose sits in the heart of countless classic perfumes. It is a key part of Chanel No. 5 (1921), alongside jasmine. Joy by Jean Patou (1930) was famous for its huge doses of rose and jasmine.

Later, rose became bolder. Paris by Yves Saint Laurent (1983) was a big, sweet rose-and-violet perfume. Portrait of a Lady by Frédéric Malle (2010) paired dark rose with patchouli and incense and became a modern classic. In the Middle East, rose and oud remain one of the best-loved pairings of all.

Real vs synthetic rose

Most rose in everyday perfume is not pure rose oil. It is a blend of natural rose with synthetic rose molecules, or built almost entirely from synthetics.

• Natural rose is rich and complex, but costly. It also contains small amounts of compounds such as methyl eugenol that international safety guidelines (from IFRA, the perfume industry's safety body) limit.
• Synthetic rose uses molecules like phenylethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol and damascones. These can be fresher, cleaner and more consistent, and they make rose affordable.

Neither is "better". Many of the best rose perfumes use both.

What rose pairs well with

• Oud: the classic Middle Eastern combination. Rose softens oud, oud deepens rose.
• Patchouli: gives rose an earthy, dark, slightly gothic edge.
• Citrus and lychee: make rose bright, juicy and modern.
• Violet and iris: create a soft, powdery, lipstick-like effect.
• Vanilla and amber: turn rose warm and sweet.

Perfumes to try

Start fresh, then go deeper:

• Chloé Eau de Parfum by Chloé: a clean, airy, powdery rose. An easy first step.
• Eau Rose by Diptyque: light, fresh and garden-like.
• Rose 31 by Le Labo: rose made spicy and woody, worn by many men.
• Paris by Yves Saint Laurent (1983): a big, romantic, old-school rose.
• Portrait of a Lady by Frédéric Malle (2010): dark rose, patchouli and incense. Rich and long-lasting.

How to wear rose

• Pick your style. Fresh roses suit daytime and warm weather. Dark rose-oud or rose-patchouli blends suit evenings and cooler months.
• Don't write rose off as "old". Modern roses are often sheer, green or spicy.
• Rose works for everyone. Many classic men's scents use rose in the heart.
• Try it on skin. Rose often smells sharper on paper than it does once it warms.

Who will love it

Romantics, lovers of classic perfume, and anyone who enjoys rich floral scents. If you think you dislike rose, try a dark rose-oud or a peppery modern rose first. It may change your mind.