If there is one signifying element of beauty—a thing that epitomizes the scent, color, and feel of elegance—it is the rose. An ancient flowering perennial distinct for its curved, spiraled leaves, richly pigmented color, and heady, sweet scent, roses are abundant in type (there are more than 300 hundred species) and age-old narratives. Where there is love, there are roses. Where there is opulence and desire, there are roses. Where there is a celebration of beauty, there are roses.
And where there is health and glowing skin—luminous, bright, youthful skin—there are roses. That is because roses deliver incredible therapeutic and wellness benefits via their oil. For centuries, people have been using rose oil—carefully pressed and extracted from the rose petals—for its believed healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective properties. Ayurvedic practitioners have long used rose oil as a natural tension reliever and mood booster. Its gorgeously sweet sent has been known to stimulate a sense of positivity. It is rich in healthy compounds including essential fatty acids, minerals, and antioxidants (particularly flavonoids and anthocyanins), which makes rose oil an absolute goldmine of an ingredient for the skin. Remarkably moisturizing, its incredible emollient properties provides the dermis with deep hydration, helping to transform a dry, lackluster complexion into one that is supple and glowing. Rose oil’s natural astringent and anti-inflammatory properties reduce redness, helping skin appear brighter and even toned.
The fact that rose oil is no easy feat to cultivate adds to its romantic allure. The blossoms naturally have a low content of oil. Picture a 5 milliliter bottle: a very small glass vessel about the size of the palm of your hand. It takes about 12,000 rose petals to produce enough oil to fit in that one small bottle. (On average, it takes about 10,000 pounds of rose petals to yield about one pound of rose oil.) The harvesting is done completely by hand during peak rose blossom season in the early summer. On the UMA farm in central India you find harvesters gently plucking the roses—all grown sustainably and organically—by hand in the very morning, their baskets full of tender petals that look like vibrant fuchsia jewels. Later that same day the oil is extracted from the petals through a steam distillation process. (The process is meticulous and controlled in order to preserve the scent and integrity of the oil.)
It is in knowing this complexity and bounty of the rose that you might find yourself gazing at the flower with a sense of reverence. This twirled, twisted, complicated botanical beauty has shed so much positivity in the world. And no matter what type of skin you have, a few drops of its oil in your regimen can make the most incredible, noticeable, decadent difference in how you look—and feel.
Here are several UMA products supercharged with the brilliance of rose oil:
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Rose Rapture Body Oil
The precious rose offers legendary anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, and healing benefits. Its aroma fills the air with romance. Geranium clarifies and brightens the complexion, clearing inflammation and impurities. Fragrant bergamot cleanses the skin and promotes deep sleep, calmness, and mental focus.
