Rosewood Essential Oil, Sustainably Harvested, Peru

Rosewood

(Bois de Rose)

Aniba roseadora

This is a rich new Rosewood that is sustainably grown, harvested and steam distilled in Peru. Only the branches are harvested for distillation. It's Cites certified.

There’s a lot of confusion about Rosewood; everyone seems to think it’s something else. There are different latin names, and different areas it grows it. This is something like Palo Santo and Agarwood. The Aniba is not related to the species used for lumber. Rosewood is a moniker for several different types of lumber woods, only some of which are fragrant.

In traditional perfumery, rosewood oil was mostly used for its linalool……rosewood oil contains usually about 70% of this.

Rosewood trees, and in particular the ones known as “Cayenne” have been overharvested, due to the high demand for linalool, as that is the main reason for its harvest. It’s now listed as Cites appendix II, which is a designation I’m always curious and suspicious of, considering the financial opportunities available when it comes to botany. And I can’t see how it could pay to harvest these trees from the deep jungle just for linalool, which was the original reason for the overharvesting, when you can get linalool from so many easier plants and even just make it in a lab. In any event, this oil is sustainably harvested and it’s Cites certified.

Arctander says

Rosewood oil is a colorless or pale yellow liquid of a refreshing, sweet-woody, somewhat floral-spicy odor. The top-note varies with the origin and quality if the oil but there is usually a camphoraceous-peppery bite, reminiscent of cineole and nutmeg. Rosewood oil can dissolve a certain amount of water and this water can “fall out” of the oil during shipment, especially in the cold, and then will likely not go back into solution.

Battaglia says

Antidepressant

Antiseptic

Bactericide

Cephalic

Deodorant

Insecticide

Stimulant

Skin care

He also recommends not using this oil due to the Cites thing.