Cistus Hydrosol / Rock Rose Hydrosol

Cistus Hydrosol is helpful for use in skin care applications. Look to the citations from Suzanne Catty and Len and Shirley Price in the Uses and Applications section below for details.

Cistrus Hydrosol has a warm, herbaceous aroma that I find pleasant. If you personally don't enjoy the aroma, it can be softened by blending it with other hydrosols.

Botanical Name

Cistus ladanifer

Aromatic Strength

Medium

Shelf Life

Up to 2 years if stored properly (refrigeration is recommended).

Reported Properties, Uses and Applications

Suzanne Catty states that Cistus Hydrosol is astringent, cicatrisant, styptic and is useful for wound and scar care as well as in anti-wrinkle prevention and plumping skin cells. For emotional work, Catty states that it's useful at times of distress and shock. [Suzanne Catty, Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 2001), 84-85.]

Len and Shirley Price report that Cistus Hydrosol are antiviral, antiwrinkle, astringent, cicatrizant, immunostimulant and styptic. They also state that the French text L'aromatherapie exactement indicates that Cistus Hydrosol may "have the capacity to bring about certain mental states where the patient is 'disconnected', which can be put to good use with those who have a dependence on certain drugs by helping them to break the habit (Franchomme & Pénoel, 1990, p. 300) [Len Price and Shirley Price, Understanding Hydrolats: The Specific Hydrosols for Aromatherapy: A Guide for Health Professionals (London: Churchill Livingstone, 2004), 104.]

Safety Information

Read AromaWeb's Hydrosol Safety Guidelines.

Helpful Sources of Information About Cistus Hydrosol

Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy
Author: Suzanne Catty

Understanding Hydrolats: The Specific Hydrosols for Aromatherapy
Authors: Len Price and Shirley Price

Essential Waters: Hydrosols, Hydrolats & Aromatic Waters
Author: Marge Clark