Coming into Rebecca’s Apothecary, you may find yourself at our Essential Oils shelf, perusing the many amber vials of essential oil samples, and with each one being instantly transported to another place in the world; Lavender brings us to France, Bergamot brings us to Italy, and then there is Rose, who brings us to the valleys of Bulgaria. Pick up a tiny ⅝ dram of our Rose Otto Essential Oil tester, a bottle that is holding maybe just three drops of essential oil, and can you imagine that you are holding the equivalent of almost 200 roses?! (1)
This is Rose Otto — one of the most precious essential oils in the world.
Rose Otto is the pure, steam-distilled essential oil from the fragrant pink petals of Rosa damascena, otherwise known as “Damask Rose” or “Bulgarian Rose” (4). The word “Otto” is used to indicate that this is a steam distilled essential oil, coming from what used to be more commonly called “Rose Attar” as early as the 17th century (2).
Origins of Rose Otto
In her book, “A Modern Herbal,” originally published in 1931, Maude Grieves writes,
“It was between 1582 and 1612 that the oil or Otto of Roses was discovered, as recorded in two separate histories of the Grand Moguls. At the wedding feast of the princess Nour-djihan with the emperor Djihanguyr, son of Akbar, a canal circling the whole gardens was dug and filled with Rose water. The heat of the sun separating the water from the essential oil of the Rose, was observed by the bridal pair when rowing on the fragrant water. It was skimmed off and found to be an exquisite perfume. The discovery was immediately turned to account and the manufacture of Otto of Roses commenced in Persia about 162, and long before the end of the 17th century, the distilleries of Shiraz were working on a large scale” (2).
There are said to be over 300 species of Rose, and over 30,000 varieties of Rose that have been cultivated over thousands of years (3). Out of all of these, Rosa x damascena (The “x” denotes a hybridized cultivar, rather than a completely separate species) is where we get our beloved Rose Otto, and the world’s supply is “mainly drawn from Bulgaria… confined to one special mountain district, having for its center the town of Kazanlik” (5, 2). With its perfect mixture of climate, elevation, and soil composition, Bulgarian Rose thrives here, where its annual yield of Essential oil is highly dependent on the very specific climate conditions, both when the roses are budding and again when they are picked (2). Each rose is hand-picked, distilled, and again re-distilled to create the floral, sweet, rosy, and slightly spicy aroma that we know and dearly love (4)..
“It can take up to sixty roses to create 1 drop of this precious oil” (1). When we take it all into account- the specific climate conditions needed for these roses to grow, the small amount in production, the amount of time it takes to tend to these plants and hand pick the flowers, as well as the sheer volume of roses that it takes to even produce a small amount of Rose Otto (60,000 roses roughly to make 1 fluid oz of Rose Otto), what we get here is something extremely precious- and extremely expensive- and so we use it sparingly and with great care.
Benefits of Rose Otto
As the “Queen” of Essential Oils, Rose Otto is multifaceted in its benefits. Topically, it is known for its ability to soothe and repair skin damage (think sunburn, rashes, etc.) and also has antiseptic action, protecting skin from bacterial and viral infection (1). Its astringent properties make it very helpful, “for most blood vessel problems, including varicose veins and couperose skin” (think broken capillaries, hemorrhoids, and rosacea) (1).
Working on our emotional and energetic body, rose helps to not only open our heart, but also to nurture and soothe it at the same time. Just think of walking up to a blooming rose and taking a deep inhale of its aroma. It’s an instant bodily response- our shoulders relax and there is often a sigh of relief, like an exhale coming from our heart softening within us. In this way, Rose Otto Essential Oil is revered for its aromatherapeutic benefits, calming the nervous system and helping to “open the heart and ease grief, heartache, loss, and sadness… It is comforting, supportive through crisis, helps alleviate depression, anxiety, fear, insomnia, and lack of confidence.” (1). Not to mention its aphrodisiac quality! (Rose is, after all, the flower most symbolic for love in many cultures all around the world) (2).
Formulating with Rose Otto
In topical formulation, Rose Otto Essential oil is used in very small amounts, diluted into carrier oils, hydrosols, salts, lotions, etc. It can be mixed with other essential oils that are nourishing and healing to the skin, and used in products of all kinds- face serums, body oils, healing salves, body scrubs, etc.
A famous ingredient in perfumery, Rose Otto Essential Oil can also be used to formulate in natural aromatherapy products, such as a spritzer to make a beautiful aromatic spray for the face, pillow, or any space that needs the relaxing and heart-centered energy of rose to be brought in.
Rose Otto is featured in many of our beloved Rebecca’s products in the shop, such as our Total Nourishment Body Butter, Decadent Rose Face Butter, Meadowsweet Face Serum, and many of our Aromatic Spritzers.
By Stephanie Selz, Clinical Herbalist
Stephanie is a Clinical Herbalist at Rebecca’s Apothecary. Born by the oceanside and shaped by the mountains, Stephanie has been a Boulder resident for 11 years, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU Boulder. She received her Clinical Herbalism certification from the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism in 2023 after completing their 2.5 year program, and has been at Rebecca’s Apothecary for five years.
Resources
(1) Keville, K., & Green, M. (2008). Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.
(2) Grieve, M. (1931, p 684). A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with all their Modern Scientific Uses. London: J. Cape.
(3) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2024). Roses – Plant Profile (Rosa). Retrieved October 24, 2025, from https://www.kew.org/plants/roses.
(4) Mountain Rose Herbs. (n.d.). “Bulgarian Rose Oil”. Retrieved November 3, 2025, from https://mountainroseherbs.com/bulgarian-rose-oil?sku=12-00091-51&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_ver=3&hsa_acc=5389326775&hsa_mt=&hsa_src=x&hsa_cam=18463803547&hsa_grp=&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_ad=&hsa_net=adwords&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18466368710&gbraid=0AAAAADlApcaJHtWj4Tg-wBHdTHQaq8eZX&gclid=CjwKCAjw6vHHBhBwEiwAq4zvA52f_7bO43uMhZ98-0t3xdodkKKQN2RT4Cw5wJp9e8Idi8VgdbGVfBoChlUQAvD_BwE
(5) Mykhailenko, O. (2024). Rose (Rosa × damascena) essential oil – Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin. Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program / American Botanical Council. Retrieved from https://umb.herbalgram.org/media/swpjd2yl/bapp-babs-roseoil-062024-final.pdf