Nature never ceases to amaze us. For centuries it has blessed us with its most exceptional ingredients for our body and soul, and today, at The Amazing Blog, we’re diving deep into the beauty of the rose. And what better country to talk about this majestic rose than Morocco, where they’ve been cultivating this queen of flowers for centuries. This highly-scented rose is from the Damask Rose variety and was originally grown in the Dadès Valley for dried flowers and rosewater. In the 1940s the French built distilleries in the area to produce rose oil which has been widely used in perfumery and skincare ever since. Each year during April and mid-May, the M'Goun Valley, also known as the Vallée des Roses produces between 3-4k tonnes of wild roses. This precious Moroccan rose has intoxicating rosy notes accented by spicy facets. Today, we want to introduce you to another of our #amazingfinds with the award-winning pure organic rose skincare range from the newly launched brand Azzedine.
The festival of roses is an annual three-day celebration in Morocco derived from the Berber traditions. Every year, thousands of people gather with garlands of fragrant roses, and a queen rose is elected to reign over the valleys for the year. The brand Azzedine, is a family run business and a recent start-up that brings the essence of Morocco rose right to your doorstep. When you close your eyes, and spritz their Raw Moroccan Rose Water, you can almost imagine yourself immersed in a sea of rose petals, smelling every fragrant note that it has to offer. Sourcing the roses directly from Vallée des Roses at the base of the Atlas Mountains, you can feel the love, passion and absolute devotion that has gone into their products. Where local Berber women harvest the fresh petals, which are then immediately steam distilled. During this process, purified distilled water passes through fresh rose petals, and extracts all of the soluble elements. The water then condenses and drips into a collecting vessel which is then called rose water. Azzedine recently won Editor’s choice in the prestigious 2020 Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby Awards and we couldn’t be more delighted to share with you their two products: Raw Rose Water and True Rose Serum. They are an organic, authentic, ethical and luxurious skincare brand beautifully packaged in 100% recyclable bottles and boxes.
It’s no secret that we have a weakness for all things rose….so let’s start with Azzedine‘s Raw Moroccan Rose Water. Rose water has been used throughout the ages not only topically but also to ingest. In fact, this majestic rose has been used for a multitude of purposes. Drinking rose water (NB this Raw Rose Water is not for consumption) is said to relieve depression, bloating and constipation. It is also a remedy for colds, flu, and sore throats and thought to help respiratory illnesses too. However, we’re concentrating on topical application. We used this 100% pure organic Raw Rose Water as a refreshing spritz spray during the hot weather, as well as a toner after cleansing. It is also good for maintaining pH levels and controlling any excess sebum production. However, it’s the antioxidant properties that we like the best, where it protects against harmful free radicals and environmental aggressors. It is also a skin calmer, soothing eczema, dermatitis and acne inflammations. We found that with just a quick spray, it invigorated the skin and aura throughout the day, keeping us looking and feeling fresh. It is ideal for travelling, as a chemical-free perfume, on your hair, or tension-relief for tired eyes and is also gentle enough even for those with a sensitive skin. The aroma of roses is said to be a powerful mood enhancer and helps in the fight against ageing skin, keeping fine lines and wrinkles at bay.
The next product from this Azzedine duo is their True Moroccan Rose Serum. Made primarily with raw organic Moroccan rose essential oil, all sourced from distilled pure rose petals, it smells unbelievably good and is super-soft on the skin. It’s mixed with natural texture enhancers and emollients such as cyclopentasiloxane, dimethiconea, isopropyl myristate and finally, coco caprylate - all of which are considered true vegetable alternative for light petrochemical-based emollients. The Serum is a great multitasker they recommend it as a mattifying primer before make-up or to applied to hair keeping it shiny and frizz-free, or even beards to keep them conditioned and smelling more fragrant! We used it as a serum during the day under our SPF and then alone at night. We loved both the scent and texture – it left our complexions feeling like velvet. This together with a regular spritz of their Raw Rose Water made the perfect combination to keep our skin cool and hydrated during the heat of the summer months. We’re sure you’ll be just as charmed by these as we are. You can purchase this duo as a set here for £50.00