Rose De Mai Olfactory Description

Rosa Centifolia, also called Rose de Mai grows mainly in Grasse and flowers during the month of May - hence its name. To preserve the sweet fragrance of the May Rose, the flowers are gathered at dawn, just as they bloom, and are then processed whilst fresh. The pickers seize the flowers in their fingers with a twisting motion to detach the bloom. It takes approximately 307,000 roses to produce 1kg of oil; or to put it totally into context, it would take one of the best pickers a total of 24 hours to pick enough roses to produce 30ml of essential oil. The entire year's production is less than one day's production of Bulgarian Rose. Like Jasmine, the flower brought the city of Grasse world renown. Along with the Damask Rose, it is one of only two main species of rose grown for their fragrant oils.