Grasse Rose is Rosa × centifolia grown around Grasse in Provence, the historic capital of French perfumery. A floral note with a soft, honeyed, luminous rose scent, it is produced in very small quantities, mostly as an absolute, and is associated with some of the most famous perfumes ever made.

What does Grasse Rose smell like?

Grasse rose absolute is sweet, round and honeyed, with a clear, fresh petal quality and a light green, slightly peppery sparkle. It is less spicy and less metallic than damask rose oils, and it tends to feel gentle and radiant rather than heavy. Perfumers often say the Grasse material has a particular transparency and freshness compared with centifolia from warmer, lower-lying regions, which they attribute to the local climate and soil.

Where Grasse Rose comes from

Centifolia roses are grown on a handful of farms in the Pays de Grasse, notably around Pégomas, and picked by hand in the mornings through May and early June. Around 400 flowers make up a kilogram. Because centifolia petals are poor in essential oil, they are almost always processed by solvent extraction into a concrete and then an absolute; distillation mainly yields rose water.

• Also known as: Rose de Grasse, Provence rose, centifolia rose
• Fragrance family: Floral
• Type: Natural
• Main origins: Pays de Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France
• How it's obtained: Solvent extraction (concrete and absolute)
• Key aroma molecules: Phenylethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, nerol, damascenones

Grasse Rose in perfume history

Grasse turned from leather tanning to perfume in the 17th and 18th centuries, and its rose and jasmine fields supplied the great French houses through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chanel has long highlighted Grasse rose and jasmine as part of Chanel No. 5 (1921), and since 1987 the house has worked under contract with the Mul family farm in Pégomas. From the 1980s, cheaper flowers from Morocco, Egypt and elsewhere led many Grasse growers to abandon their fields.

Grasse Rose in modern perfumery

The tide has turned somewhat. In 2018 UNESCO recognised the perfume-related skills of the Pays de Grasse, covering flower growing, raw material know-how and composition, and luxury houses have invested in local farms to secure supply. Output is tiny and prices are among the highest of any natural material, so Grasse rose appears mainly in prestige and exclusive lines, where its origin is part of the story.

How Grasse Rose wears and what it pairs with

Grasse rose is a heart note that gives a composition warmth, polish and natural radiance. It is traditionally paired with Grasse jasmine, and also works with aldehydes, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, musks and bergamot, as well as with tuberose and orange blossom in lavish white floral bouquets.

Fragrances featuring Grasse Rose

• Chanel No. 5 (1921)

Safety and regulation

Grasse rose absolute contains EU-declarable allergens such as citronellol and geraniol, and trace methyl eugenol, which IFRA restricts.