Pure Rosa Damascena from Kazanlak, the Rose Valley in Bulgaria.
Rose water production in the Valley of Roses in Bulgaria is deeply rooted in the countries rich history and cultural heritage. The roses are handpicked in the early morning hours. This traditional method allows for the selection of only the most pristine and fragrant flowers, ensuring the highest quality end product. Bulgaria boasts the ideal climate and fertile soil conditions necessary for cultivating the exquisite Rosa Damascena, the fragrant rose variety used in the production of our Rose Water.
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Rose Water as a final product embodies the captivating aroma of Bulgarian Rosa Damascena and serves as a testament to the countries commitment to preserving its cultural heritage and producing rose water of unparalleled quality.
Interview - We caught up with Silvia, founder of Rose Overdose, to learn more about the story behind her beautiful rose hydrosol, the only ingredient in our Rose Water.
"It all began with a scent, the scent of a rose", Silvia tells us."I was born in the Bulgarian Rose Valley in a family of rose growers. At home, almost everything we did was somehow related to roses or infused with roses. Besides rose oil production, we prepared various foods and drinks with rose water, including rose and raspberry jam, rose lemonade, rose ice cream and baklava. We often made home cosmetics with rose oil, we rinsed our hair with rose water, my mother and my aunt even sprayed it on clothes before ironing. At some point, I truly had a rose overdose, and I felt the need to get far away from it all. I moved to Tokyo and lived in Japan for a few years.
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Ironically, it was there, almost 10,000 kilometres from home, that I saw just how deeply admired the Bulgarian Rose was. What felt ordinary to me—something that bloomed quietly in my backyard—was treasured and revered in Japan. That experience made me realise that roses weren’t just part of my past—they were part of my story.
When I returned to Bulgaria, I came back with a new perspective and a story to tell. That’s how Rose Overdose was born. Yes, I overdosed on roses, went to rehab, and came back for more.
How did Rose Overdose come to life? What was the moment you knew you wanted to work with roses in this way?
One day, I found myself reflecting on the rose and asking: Where does this flower express its soul most fully? For me, the answer was clear—it's in the rose field, and in a perfume bottle. That realisation led me to begin exploring the world of fragrance more deeply. I started attending perfume-making courses and programs around the world, learning about raw ingredients, blending techniques, and the language of scent.
The name of my brand - ROSEOVERDOSE - is deeply personal. I had lived through an overdose of rose growing up. Later, while on my scented journey, I discovered that this language exists in perfumery too. You often hear phrases like ‘vanilla overdose’ or ‘patchouli overdose’ used to describe bold, unapologetic compositions built around a single, dominant note. That language resonated with my own experience growing up surrounded by roses.
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Can you share a bit about your personal connection to roses? What do they mean to you?
I have a complex relationship with Roses - they are both my home and my destination. I feel them, I pursue them, I sometimes abandon them, but I always come back to them. It’s like a true love affair. Roses have always been as full of mystique and meaning as they are of thorns. Over time, I developed a deep respect for these oil-giving flowers. They hold my family’s story, our memories, and traditions—but they also transcend that. They’ve become an endless source of inspiration. To me, roses are the ultimate flowers with powers.
When is the ideal period to harvest the roses, and how do you recognize that the time is right?
My grandfather always said that roses begin to bloom once we’ve had three or four consecutive nights with temperatures above 13 to 14 degrees Celsius. That’s our sign that the harvest is near. It usually starts gradually, and within a week, depending on the weather, the full bloom unfolds. The ideal harvesting window typically begins in the second half of May and lasts around three to four weeks. Timing is everything, and being in tune with nature is key.
Could you describe the process of harvesting your roses? Is it something you do alone, or with a team?
It's tempting to imagine that picking roses is a romantic experience - the colours, the scents, the sunrise! Except that, picking the blossoms one by one, soon wears you down, as does the heavy sack holding the flowers. It is a very hands-on process that requires a lot of manual labour. We work in teams and begin early in the morning, around 5 a.m., when the essential oil content in the flowers is at its peak. As the sun rises and temperatures increase, the volatile components of the oil begin to evaporate, which reduces the yield. That’s why timing is so important. On cooler days, we can continue picking until around 11 a.m., but if it’s particularly hot, we start and finish even earlier to preserve the quality of the harvest. Once picked, the blossoms go through steam distillation yielding Rose Essential Oil and Rose Water. On the left, you can see Georgi Peev, one of our valued team members, carefully harvesting the roses in the early morning."
How do you work alongside nature within your business? Are there certain principles or practices you follow to stay in tune with the natural environment?
You can’t force nature, so instead, we learn to adapt to its rhythms, its unpredictability, and constant change. It’s almost like a dance or a game, and I genuinely love that part of the work. Every season brings its own surprises, unique experiences, and unexpected challenges. Staying in tune with nature means being observant, flexible, and respectful of the land, it teaches us something new every year.
Are there any special or surprising facts about roses, or your rose garden, that people might not know?
Absolutely! Roses belong to the large Rosaceae botanical family, which also includes many familiar fruits, like apples, cherries, and raspberries. That’s why oil-bearing rose plants don’t resemble the perfectly shaped roses you see in flower shops. Instead, they look much more like raspberry bushes.
Another curious fact is that a single drop of rose oil may contain over 300 individual components, including citronellol, geraniol, and damascenone—each playing a role in its complex, layered scent.
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Working with roses has taught me that nature is the best perfumer. This reminds me to listen, adapt, and create fragrances that are authentic, balanced, and alive.
Rose Water Ritual
Spray a small amount of rose water into your palm or a fine mist directly onto your face.
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Close your eyes, take a deep breath and lightly pat the Rose Water into your skin with your fingertips onto your cheeks, forehead and chin.
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Feel the coolness soothe and hydrate your skin. Let the subtle scent transport you to a place of calm within a field of roses.
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Inhale deeply, savoring the subtle floral aroma. Embrace the enchanting essence of rosewater, connecting with nature's beauty.​
"How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its
Beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its Being.
Otherwise,
We all remain
Too
Frightened”
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- The Rose from The Gift, Poems by Hafiz