Rosewood (Pau Rosa) in Perfumery: Story of an Ethical Renaissance

I had smelled this rosewood essence at the last Raw Materials Exhibition and was surprised to see it reappear because it had been criticized in the past and had also been banned for quite a number of years.

I thank Frédérique for helping me understand why and how this beautiful raw material is available again in the perfumer‘s organ. I think this rosewood essence will once again be mentioned in certain perfume launches.

The History of Rosewood: From Glory to Ban

It is a tree 20 to 40 meters high, pink, reddish in color with yellow flowers, which has the particularity of reproducing with difficulty. In the past, rosewood essence came exclusively from Brazil, from the Amazon rainforest. This tree was discovered by botanists in 1925.

The Robin des Bois association became known for protesting the use of tropical woods and for preserving tropical forests. This association fought from 1995 to make major perfume houses renounce using this precious wood in perfume.

Brazil banned the cutting of rosewood and the distillation of the essence, practically overnight. It was classified on the red list of threatened species, the goal being to limit deforestation.

The largest quantity cut was intended for the export of wood to China, mainly for furniture manufacturing. It was a very prized wood because it was precious. The other part was intended to be distilled for the perfume and cosmetics industry.

Synthetic Alternatives

It was therefore necessary to find other solutions to replace this rosewood. Rosewood was long worked in reconstitution thanks to a natural linalool core, a smell close to that of lavender, or thanks to synthesis which succeeded in synthesizing linalool, combined with other raw materials highly dosed in linalool, but the result was not comparable to the scent of natural rosewood.

The New Rosewood is Born, Beautiful and Ethical

Since about 2016, Frédérique Remy from the company Floral Concept, which has magnificent natural raw materials in its catalog, has worked on the subject of rosewood in the heart of the Amazon, with Peruvian communities that have no other wealth than this wood.

Peru authorizes the export of rosewood essence but with a CITES permit only because it is a protected species.
(CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.)

This means that trees are listed, just like the plots on which they grow, then the woods are numbered and entered in a register. Each tree can only be cut from a certain age, minimum 20 cm in diameter, and for each tree cut, at least two trees must be replanted.

This community therefore organized a nursery and learned to grow shoots in order to replant them. It installed a distillery and produced a very beautiful rosewood essence that Floral Concept sells to fine perfumery players. Perfumers who had known rosewood before are all happy to be able to use it again.

Precision Work

Floral Concept worked for a few months with perfumers to develop the quality that seemed optimal to them, because all parts of the tree are distilled (trunk, roots, branches, twigs) and not all these parts have the same scent. It is therefore a skillful balance to find between the parts of the rosewood tree to obtain the smell sought by perfumers.

Cosmetics and aromatherapy do not necessarily seek the same olfactory qualities as fine perfumery because only the properties of the plant interest them.

Indeed, this rosewood essence has properties that are important for aromatherapy and cosmetics: antiseptic, antiviral, pain-relieving, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-aging, regenerating, firming, anti-stretch marks. Finally, its soft perfume is soothing and helps to calm anxiety.

The Logistical Challenge: Transport to France

The great difficulty in obtaining this rosewood essence is the time necessary to bring the rosewood essence to the Floral Concept factory. The process is very long:

• The producer must request a CITES export certificate for each shipment, which can take 1 to 2 months, as they have to go to the capital, very far from the production site to obtain this authorization.
• A CITES import certificate must be requested.
• The competent authorities in France have 4 weeks to respond and no less.
• Upon obtaining this certificate, Floral Concept sends a copy to Peru.
• The producer can then only ship the rosewood essence.
• This producer must cross the jungle to an airport so that the drum of rosewood essential oil can take the plane.
• This process can last 3 to 4 months before receiving the product.

This makes this product a very rare and very luxurious product. Perfumer clients or creation companies appreciate the fact that this wood benefits from an ethical and sustainable source. Moreover, this rosewood essence supports families in Peru, while preserving biodiversity.

Olfactory Description and Botany

Botanical Family of Peru Rosewood: Aniba rosaeodora var. amazonica

It is an endemic species of the Amazon rainforest. Rosewood belongs to the Lauraceae family and owes its name to the pinkish color of its wood and its smell. Its wood is reduced to chips and steam distilled.

The origin of the product is Peru, in collaboration with a community of local producers, and this rosewood, coming from a sustainable and ethical supply, is protected and listed in Appendix II of CITES.

Olfactory Profile

It is a scent characterized by the presence of linalool which constitutes up to 92% of its essential oil. Rosewood essence is distinguished by a complex olfactory profile of great finesse. It blends lemony citrus evocations, grapefruit, and petitgrain, an essence coming from the leaf of the bitter orange tree.

It is also characterized by rosy, spicy, peppery floral notes and finally by woody facets with cedar wood inflections. It evolves over the hours towards a moist earthy and mineral effect. Its soft and supple note brings naturalness and harmony to floral bouquets.

Perfumes Containing Rosewood

Here finally is the list of perfumes containing rosewood. Difficult to know if these different perfumes contain natural rosewood or if they contain reconstitutions.

• H24 Hermès
• Oud Rosewood Christian Dior
• Jicky Guerlain
• Cristalle Chanel
• Diorissimo Christian Dior
• Le Dix Balenciaga
• Emeraude Coty
• Bois Noir Chanel