What is it?
An essential oil distilled from rose petals, also sold as rose otto or attar of roses. The classic rose oil comes from the damask rose, Rosa damascena, with Turkey and Bulgaria the largest producers, and about 4,000 kilograms of flowers yield 1 kilogram of oil. Its main scent compounds are citronellol, geraniol, nerol and phenethyl alcohol. It is used in small amounts in perfumes, skin care and other scented products.
Key information
- In 2022 the CIR Expert Panel concluded that damask rose oil is safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
- Rose oil contains methyl eugenol, reported by IFRA at about 2 percent in damask rose oil and sometimes above 2.5 percent in oil from fermented flowers.
- Methyl eugenol caused tumors in laboratory animals, and IFRA and EU rules limit it in finished products to parts-per-million levels in most leave-on products.
- Products placed on the EU market after July 31, 2026, must list rose oils as Rose Flower Oil/Extract above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.
More information
Rose oil is distilled from freshly picked flowers, ideally gathered in the early morning or in cool weather. According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), damask rose oil has been measured at 35.1 percent citronellol, 17.9 percent geraniol, 8.4 percent nerol, 2.5 percent phenethyl alcohol and 1 percent linalool, with smaller amounts of eugenol and farnesol. It also contains methyl eugenol, reported by IFRA at about 2 percent; levels can exceed 2.5 percent in oil distilled from flowers that have fermented.
Methyl eugenol is the ingredient’s main safety question. Given by mouth in long-term studies, it caused liver and other tumors in rats and mice, and the U.S. National Toxicology Program lists it as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen; no human studies are available. IFRA therefore limits methyl eugenol in finished products, for example to 0.0015 percent in body lotion, 0.00021 percent in face moisturizer and 0.011 percent in fine fragrance, and EU cosmetics law sets similar caps, including 0.0002 percent in most leave-on products. Those caps also limit how much rose oil a product can contain.
In 2022 the CIR Expert Panel concluded that damask rose oil and nine related ingredients are safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-sensitizing. The highest reported leave-on use of the oil was 0.16 percent. Rose oil can cause allergic reactions: in a Japanese study that patch tested 1,483 patients over eight years, an average of 0.4 percent reacted to it. Under the EU’s expanded allergen rules, products placed on the market after July 31, 2026, must list it as “Rose Flower Oil/Extract” above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.
Rose oil in a perfume blend may appear only as fragrance or parfum; see our Fragrances/Parfum profile.
Sources: CIR: Safety Assessment of Rosa damascena-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics (2022); IFRA: Standard for methyl eugenol (Amendment 51); National Toxicology Program: Report on Carcinogens, Methyleugenol; EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens
