The Rose Water Innovation That Began in Isparta, and Earned Recognition in Canada

From Isparta to Canada: The Rose Water Innovation Earning International Recognition

By pioneering Non-Deoiled Rose Water, a 100% natural Rosa damascena distillate produced without separating its naturally occurring rose oil, Akita is helping redefine the value, performance, and potential of rose water in modern skincare.

A company’s awards are more than decorative symbols. Each distinction highlights a different dimension of achievement: consumer trust, product performance, clean formulation, specialized expertise, business leadership, or innovation.

Born from the celebrated Rosa damascena roses of Isparta and strengthened through years of research and product development, Akita has brought traditional rose knowledge together with modern skincare, advanced production methods, and Canadian entrepreneurship.

At the heart of this award-winning journey is one defining innovation: Akita Non-Deoiled Rose Water.

A Pioneering Approach to Rose Water

Traditional rose water is often associated with the production of rose essential oil. During conventional processing, the valuable rose oil is typically separated as the primary product, while the remaining aromatic water is collected as rose water.

Akita approached this established practice from a different perspective:

What if rose water were designed as the primary product, and the naturally occurring rose oil were not separated from the distillate?

This question led Akita to develop Non-Deoiled Rose Water, an innovative Rosa damascena distillate produced without intentionally separating its naturally occurring rose oil.

Through this pioneering product and production approach, Akita has helped establish a new benchmark for how authentic rose water can be understood and valued.

Rather than treating rose water merely as a secondary output of essential-oil production, Akita positioned the distillate as a valuable botanical skincare ingredient in its own right.

Making the Value of the Rose More Accessible

Pure rose essential oil is one of the world’s most precious botanical oils. However, it is highly concentrated and generally requires appropriate dilution before topical use.

Non-Deoiled Rose Water offers a more practical format for everyday skincare. It allows consumers to experience the natural aromatic character of Rosa damascena in a refreshing water-based product that can be incorporated easily into a daily routine.

Akita’s approach has helped:

• Elevate the perceived value of authentic rose water
• Introduce a new category of premium rose distillate
• Expand the role of rose water in modern skincare
• Make Rosa damascena more practical for everyday use
• Encourage greater interest in the global rose water market
• Connect traditional botanical knowledge with contemporary beauty routines

For Akita, developing a product that is 100% natural, practical to use, supportive of daily skincare, and capable of maintaining a long shelf life when produced, packaged, and stored under appropriate conditions has been a source of immense pride.

Akita has not simply created a different rose water. It has developed a pioneering approach that helps redefine rose water’s value, function, and place in the cosmetics industry.

Recognition Built on Trust, Quality and Innovation

Akita’s awards do not all recognize the same achievement. Together, they reflect the company’s strength across several areas:

• Consumer trust
• Natural skincare
• Product innovation
• Clean formulation
• Rose water expertise
• Business development
• Entrepreneurship
• Process innovation
• International brand recognition

Each award contributes a different chapter to Akita’s story.

Chosen by Canadian Consumers and Communities

Canadian Choice Award Winner — 2024 and 2025

Akita Rose Water Inc. achieved an important milestone by receiving the Canadian Choice Award in both 2024 and 2025. Akita’s 2025 recognition identifies the company as a winner in the Natural Skincare category.

The Canadian Choice Award process considers more than the characteristics of a single product. Its selection journey begins with support from consumers and communities and proceeds through nominee, finalist, and winner stages.

According to the award organization, businesses are evaluated using factors that include:

• Community support
• Business reputation
• Excellence within the category
• Credibility
• Customer and supporter feedback
• Meaningful community impact

One winner is ultimately selected within each category and city. Learn about the Canadian Choice Award selection process

What helped Akita stand out?

Akita’s recognition can be connected to several distinctive qualities:

• A specialized portfolio of natural skincare products
• The company’s Non-Deoiled Rose Water innovation
• Consistency in product quality
• Strong customer relationships
• Growing recognition within Canada
• A commitment to natural and transparent skincare
• Support from customers and the wider community

Winning in consecutive years suggests that Canadian recognition of Akita is not based on a single moment. It reflects a relationship of trust that has continued to grow.

Transforming Traditional Rose Water into an Award-Winning Face Mist

2024 Beauty Innovation Awards — Face Mist Product of the Year

One of Akita’s most significant international achievements is being named Face Mist Product of the Year in the 2024 Beauty Innovation Awards.

It is important to present this distinction accurately. “Beauty Innovation Award” and “Face Mist Product of the Year” are not separate awards. The complete title is:

2024 Beauty Innovation Awards — Face Mist Product of the Year

The Beauty Innovation Awards evaluate entries according to five principal criteria:

• Innovation
• Performance
• Functionality
• Aesthetics
• Impact on beauty routines, outcomes, or accessibility

Entries are independently reviewed by a panel that includes beauty professionals, editors, influencers, and brand strategists. Review the Beauty Innovation Awards judging criteria

Why is Akita’s face mist different?

Akita Non-Deoiled Rose Water brings a traditional botanical ingredient into a practical contemporary format.

Its distinguishing qualities include:

• Production from Isparta-grown Rosa damascena roses
• A process in which the naturally occurring rose oil is not intentionally separated
• A convenient format for everyday skincare
• Versatile use as a face mist and botanical toner
• A 100% natural composition
• A combination of traditional rose knowledge and modern cosmetic functionality
• A product concept that gives rose distillate a distinct premium identity

This award recognizes more than a pleasant facial mist. It highlights Akita’s ability to transform an established botanical tradition into a modern skincare product distinguished by innovation, functionality, and user experience.

Early Recognition in the Clean Beauty Movement

2018 CertClean Clean Beauty Awards

Akita’s recognition through the 2018 CertClean Clean Beauty Awards represents another important stage in the company’s development.

The Clean Beauty Awards focus on products consciously formulated without ingredients restricted by the program, while also considering product performance.

The program’s eligibility standards exclude or restrict several ingredient groups, including:

• Parabens
• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum
• Synthetic fragrance
• Certain sulphates
• Particular formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Plastic microbeads

Explore the Clean Beauty Awards eligibility standards

Akita’s approach to clean beauty

Akita’s recognition in this field reflects its longstanding commitment to:

• Botanical and naturally derived ingredients
• Rosa damascena-centred formulations
• Avoiding unnecessary synthetic components
• Greater ingredient transparency
• Combining natural formulation with product performance
• Responsible agricultural and production practices

This achievement is especially meaningful because it shows that Akita embraced the principles of clean beauty well before the concept became one of the industry’s most prominent global movements.

International Recognition for Rose Water Expertise

LUXlife Global Excellence Award 2020

Akita received one of its most meaningful specialist distinctions through the LUXlife 2020 Global Excellence Awards:

Best Specialist Rose Water Skincare Company 2020

This title recognizes Akita not merely as a general natural beauty company, but as a brand with specialized knowledge and experience in rose water and rose-based skincare.

What makes Akita a rose water specialist?

• A brand identity built around authentic rose water
• Years of experience working with Rosa damascena
• A diverse portfolio of rose water and rose-based skincare products
• The integration of Isparta’s rose heritage with modern cosmetic development
• Specialized products designed for different skincare needs
• A commitment to understanding rose distillate as a valuable cosmetic ingredient rather than simply a fragrant water
• The development of Non-Deoiled Rose Water as a distinct product category

This award reflects Akita’s international positioning as a company dedicated to advancing the potential of rose water in skincare.

Canadian Prestige and Independent Business Excellence

Corporate LiveWire Canada Prestige Award 2020–2021

Akita was also recognized through the Corporate LiveWire Canada Prestige Awards 2020–2021.

The Canada Prestige Awards celebrate small and independent businesses that distinguish themselves through qualities such as:

• Product or service excellence
• Customer experience
• Industry expertise
• Innovation
• Brand reputation
• Contributions to their markets and communities

Akita’s distinguishing business qualities

Akita has built its Canadian presence by:

• Introducing Isparta rose products to the Canadian market
• Developing a specialized position in natural rose-based skincare
• Offering a broad product portfolio
• Maintaining a customer-focused business model
• Building international visibility as an independent company
• Combining botanical heritage with product innovation
• Creating a meaningful connection between Türkiye and Canada

This recognition highlights Akita’s success in bringing a distinctive botanical tradition into the Canadian beauty and wellness landscape.

Two Dimensions of Innovation

Siemens Innovation Award — Second Place

One of the strongest acknowledgements of Akita’s innovation is its second-place achievement in the Siemens Innovation Award presented through the Oakville Chamber of Commerce.

Akita’s innovation cannot be explained solely as the launch of a different rose water. Its work encompasses two interconnected dimensions:

1. Product innovation
2. Process innovation

This distinction is essential to understanding what Akita has accomplished.

Product Innovation: Non-Deoiled Rose Water

Akita’s product innovation is the creation of a Rosa damascena distillate in which the naturally occurring rose oil is not intentionally separated as a distinct final product.

Instead of positioning rose water as a secondary output of essential-oil production, Akita developed it as the principal product.

Key aspects of the product innovation

• A Rosa damascena distillate produced without separating the naturally occurring rose oil
• A more holistic approach to preserving the rose’s aromatic character
• A product concept distinct from conventional rose water
• The development of the term Non-Deoiled Rose Water
• Recognition within cosmetic terminology as Rosa Damascena Flower Distillate
• Versatility for direct cosmetic use and skincare formulations
• The creation of greater added value from rose distillation
• A new way of positioning rose water in the beauty industry

This is not simply a packaging or marketing difference. It represents a reconsideration of what rose water can be, how it can be produced, and how it can function as a modern cosmetic ingredient.

Process Innovation: A Specialized Production Method

The second dimension of Akita’s work is the production technology that makes Non-Deoiled Rose Water possible.

Akita’s process brings several production variables together within one controlled system, including:

• The quantity of roses used
• The ratio of roses to water
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Distillation time
• The sequence and control of production stages

The objective is not to isolate rose essential oil as a separate product. Instead, the process is designed to retain more of the rose’s naturally occurring aromatic character within the distillate.

Key aspects of the process innovation

• Reconsideration of conventional rose distillation
• A production approach that does not prioritize separating the rose oil
• Greater control over interconnected processing variables
• A focus on preserving volatile and water-compatible aromatic components
• More comprehensive use of the botanical material
• Process management designed to support consistency
• Creation of greater added value from the same natural resource
• Integration of traditional rose knowledge with an engineering perspective

The distinction can therefore be summarized clearly:

Akita’s product innovation is Non-Deoiled Rose Water. Its process innovation is the specialized production method that makes this product possible.

Akita did not simply develop a different rose water. It also reimagined the way that rose water could be produced.

Small Business of the Year Finalist

Akita’s recognition as a Small Business of the Year finalist reflects the performance of the company as a whole rather than the success of one product.

Such recognition typically highlights qualities including:

• Sustainable business growth
• Product and service quality
• Customer relationships
• Innovation
• Community involvement
• Brand development
• Entrepreneurial resilience

Akita’s strengths as a growing business

• Growth from a family enterprise into an internationally recognized brand
• Development of an extensive and specialized product range
• Increasing visibility across Canada
• Participation in local events and community initiatives
• Direct, trust-based customer relationships
• Continued investment in natural product development
• A business model connecting Canadian entrepreneurship with Isparta’s botanical heritage

The finalist recognition demonstrates that Akita is not only a product innovator, but also a growing business contributing value to its customers, community, and industry.

KPMG Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

Akita’s finalist recognition in the KPMG Entrepreneur of the Year category draws attention to the entrepreneurial vision behind the company.

Akita’s story began with the courage to view Isparta’s traditional rose heritage from a new perspective and transform it into an international brand opportunity.

What distinguishes Akita’s entrepreneurial journey?

• Creating international value from a regional botanical resource
• Developing both a new product and a specialized production process
• Building a commercial and cultural bridge between Türkiye and Canada
• Establishing a company focused on rose-based skincare expertise
• Combining natural product development with modern technology
• Continuing to invest in the brand through challenges and changing markets
• Growing a family business through the shared vision of co-founders Ayşe and Burhan Kılıç

This recognition demonstrates that Akita’s success is not based solely on one cosmetic product. It is built on research, leadership, resilience, calculated risk, and a long-term commitment to creating an international brand.

What Do These Awards Say About Akita?

Each award or finalist distinction highlights a different part of the company’s identity:

Together, these achievements communicate one central idea:

Akita does not merely repeat what nature already provides. It applies knowledge, innovation, technology, and specialized production expertise to preserve and elevate nature’s value.

From Isparta’s Rose Heritage to Canadian Entrepreneurship

Akita’s story demonstrates that the Isparta rose is more than a traditional agricultural product. With the right combination of knowledge, research, production expertise, and entrepreneurship, this exceptional botanical resource can inspire internationally recognized skincare innovations.

For Akita, awards are not the conclusion of the journey. They are acknowledgements of work that continues to evolve.

Today, the brand brings together:

• Rosa damascena expertise
• Non-Deoiled Rose Water innovation
• Specialized production technology
• Natural and clean formulation principles
• Customer trust
• Canadian entrepreneurial experience
• A deep connection to Isparta’s rose heritage

What began among the rose fields of Isparta has become an internationally recognized story of natural skincare, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Canada.

Final Perspective

Akita’s achievements should not be measured only by the number of awards it has received.

The company’s most meaningful accomplishment is its ability to see new potential in a familiar botanical product, to question the limitations of conventional production and develop a process designed to preserve more of the rose’s natural value.

That philosophy can be expressed in one sentence:

Inspired by nature, developed through knowledge, and carried into the future through innovation.