Rose Petals, Dried Red Flowers, 50 g

Rose petals are dried flowers of the cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia) that are added to cosmetics whole: they decorate the surface of soaps, complement bath salts and bath bombs, and serve as a base for your own macerated oil or aqueous extract. They come from European cultivation, are processed only by drying, and are food and cosmetic grade.

What they are suitable for

• Decorating cosmetics – sprinkled on top of soap, salt or a bath bomb, where the petals remain visible and complete the look of the product.
• Macerated oil – the petals are left to infuse in vegetable oil, and the resulting oil is used in balms, body oils or creams.
• Aqueous extract – a base for homemade facial toners and compresses, where a freshly prepared extract is used.
• Bath blends – loose salts, herbal baths and bath sachets, in which the petals float in the water and release their fragrance and colour.

Rose petals are traditionally credited with an antioxidant, soothing, toning and astringent effect. Astringent means mildly tightening. The petals are suitable for all skin types, including sensitive, dry and mature skin. The result always depends on the method of preparation, the amount of petals and the ingredients you combine them with.

Use in a formulation

Dried petals are insoluble in water, oil and alcohol. They therefore enter a formulation as solid particles, or an extract or macerated oil is prepared from them and then filtered. They are added only to the finished base, that is, as a later addition, not to the heated phase.

The recommended processing temperature is up to 40 °C. For macerated oil this means cold infusion at room temperature or only gentle warming of the oil. After maceration, strain the petals through a fine sieve or gauze so that no small fragments remain in the oil.

In soap, petals are most often used on the surface, sprinkled on after the mixture is poured into the mould. If you mix them directly into the soap, test on a small sample how the colour and shape of the petals behave in an alkaline environment.

In bath salts and bath bombs, the petals are mixed with the salt or pressed into the mixture. In water they then float on the surface, so expect them to remain in the bath and in the drain after bathing.

Good to know

The petals are a mix of pink, purple and brown shades. When decorating soaps or bath salts, the colour can be adjusted by hand-picking the petals.

An aqueous extract of the petals is an unpreserved plant material and does not have the shelf life of a finished cosmetic product. Prepare it in a small amount and use it as soon as possible. If the extract is added to a leave-on product containing water, preservation of the whole product is essential and we recommend verifying its efficacy.

The petals have no compatibility restrictions with common cosmetic ingredients. For small particles in scrubs or soaps, consider their size: whole petals can be crushed in a blender or mortar into a coarser powder, which mixes in more easily.

Frequently asked questions