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This article first appeared in our Health Revolution issue of My Green Pod Magazine, distributed with The Guardian on 24 July 2020. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
Budgets are tighter and most of us don’t have time for complicated skincare rituals, so it’s more important than ever to opt for multi-tasking beauty products that are both affordable and effective.
Enter rose water, the miracle product that relieves pain and skin irritations while bringing so may benefits to the hair, skin and mind that it was the beauty product of choice for Cleopatra, Michelangelo and countless others over its long history of use.
Fossil evidence suggests the rose is at least 30 million years old, and that it has had a role in human history for over 5,000 years. The Ancient Greeks understood the power of the rose, and considered large public rose gardens as important as wheat fields and fruit orchards.
Modern research continues to unravel the mysteries of this incredible flower, and explain with science what humans previously seemed to understand through intuition.
Roses contain an abundance of phenolic compounds, which contain free-radical scavengers and antioxidants. They have been found to contain anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and antidepressant qualities.
Rosa damascena – also known as the Bulgarian rose and the ‘queen of roses’ – is the most prized flower of the rose family; in addition to the qualities common to all roses, studies reveal this remarkable flower brings extensive benefits to the central nervous system and can aid sleep and relieve pain.
A rose water made from its petals can be used to treat everything from burns, cuts, scars and skin irritations to sore throats, coughs and migraines – but it shouldn’t be restricted to a first aid kit.
When it comes to beauty, rose water also improves complexion and promotes the holy grail of skincare: that ‘glow’.
Suitable for all skin types, it has a toning effect on the skin’s surface capillaries and helps to maintain the skin’s proper pH balance. Essential micronutrients soften, tone and hydrate while calming the skin and helping to relieve redness.
The benefits to hair are equally impressive: a top-quality rose water will provide the essential nutrients required for hair and scalp health, and improve shine and lustre. It will promote hair growth by stimulating blood circulation and deeply moisturise to restore and define hair.
The aromatherapy benefits, from uplifting the spirit to harmonising the mind, are more than just a bonus – they’re intrinsic to Rosa damascena’s natural bounty.
If you want to get the maximum wellbeing, pharmacological and beauty benefits, it’s crucial to select a rose water that’s both pure and potent.
Rosa damascena thrives in the specific microclimate of Bulgaria’s Valley of Roses; sheltered by two mountain ranges, the area’s soil conditions produce an abundance of extremely potent roses.
Alteya Organics is the most recent evolution of a family business that has farmed roses here for over a century. It blends 400-year-old traditions and ancient recipes with research that sits at the cutting-edge of scientific discovery.
Unlike many products with similar listed benefits, Alteya’s rose water is made from just one ingredient: 100% pure steam-distilled, certified organic Rosa damascena distillate from fresh rose blossoms, with no synthetic preservatives, petrochemicals, parabens or phthalates.
It is not a chemical perfume or a composition of essences, and it is not enhanced with additives or fragranced in any way.
Crafted in Alteya’s own distillery, from its own organic rose gardens and source of underground spring water, this rose water – the top-selling rose water in the USA – boasts the most full and complete traceability in the world. It’s bottled in a special grade of Swiss-made violet glass that preserves the flower’s energetic complexity.
Alteya’s proprietary distillation process has been shown to obtain rose water that captures the most complete range of the aromatic plant’s benefits – with a rich composition of essential oil microelements and a full concentration of hydrophilic components.
If you only buy one product for the skincare and wellbeing needs of your family, this should be it.
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