Rosewood oil, also known as "Bois de Rose," is steam distilled from the chipped wood of Aniba Rosaeodora a tropical, medium-sized, wild growing evergreen from the Amazon basin.As well as producing the essential oil, rosewood is also used for building, carving and French cabinet-making. Nowadays, most rosewood goes to Japan for the production of chopsticks. Perfumers use this oil as a middle note with a warm, caring temperament. It has a sweet, spicy, floral, and lightly woody scent, and a pale yellow to brownish color. Rosewood blends well with most other essentail oils, especially citruses, woods, and florals.

Let's take a look at the various factors having led to the decline in usage of rosewood oil. The first being the introduction of synthetic linalool to replace rosewood in the cheap fragrance sector in the early 1960's. Steffen Arctander in his important tome (or as one man used to call it- "The Essential oils Bible")- "Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin," saw the writing on the wall in 1960 stating that: "Bois de Rose today is fighting for survival in strong competition with other essential oils and particularly with synthetic linalool." For over 30 years, this essential oil has continually declined in usage from a high of approximately 500 tons being exported from several South American producing countries in the 1960's to an estimated 100 tons total production (65 mts total exported) from the last sole producing and exporting country, Brazil.

Currently, rosewood oil has a place in the high end ingredient roster for top-of-the-line perfumes such as Jicky, Le Dix, and Vol de Nuit. However, as we have seen in the past and will in the future, it is profit margins and ease of procurement that influence purchasing and ingredient choices for future creations.