Now and Always

As a skincare ingredient, the alluring rose has stood the test of time and bypassed countless trends, writes As a skincare ingredient, the alluring rose has stood the test of time and bypassed countless trends, writes KIRSTIE CLEMENTS

- KIRSTIE CLEMENTS

BEYOND BEING AN eternal symbol of love and romance, roses also happen to be a part of my earliest childhood memories, like my grandmother picking fresh blooms from the garden every morning. A small bunch of petals would always make its way to my mother’s vanity, as crushed powder or rose water.

The exquisite and perfect beauty of a rose has given us pleasure for centuries, from face creams to fragrance, from tinctures to teas—the properties of the rose are both heady and soothing, renowned for uplifting the mood and alleviating depression. It’s surprising how as a skincare ingredient, roses have maintained their superiority over centuries across the world. In ancient times, the Egyptians boiled down roses to use in balms for their skin, while the Greeks and Romans made rose poultices as an anti-wrinkle treatment alongside having mood-lifting rose petals in the bath. During medieval times, rosewater was used as a skin toner and rose oil, as the basis of perfumes. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, roses became popular in prettily scented creams, soaps and toiletries for the hands and body.