Articles & Blog

From Rosa damascena to the Future: Akita’s 2025–2026 Journey and Our Vision for 2027 From Non-De-Oiled Rose Water to scientific research, education and Akita Skin Care World: a new chapter in Akita’s journey Some years represent more than growth for a company. They become periods of reflection—moments when a company looks beyond what it produces and asks deeper questions about what makes it different, what it has learned, and where it wants to go next. For Akita, 2025 and 2026 have been such years. Our journey began in 1993 and has been shaped by more than three decades of experience with natural products, botanical ingredients and skin care. At the heart of that journey has remained one remarkable flower: Rosa damascena. Over the years, our relationship with this flower has evolved from production into a much broader pursuit of knowledge. We have explored how it is cultivated and harvested, how distillation influences the resulting botanical distillate, how its composition can be studied, and how this knowledge can contribute to the development of natural skin care. During 2025 and 2026, another dimension was added to this journey: researching, measuring, documenting, educ...

  Alzheimer’s disease is usually associated with memory loss, but the scientific picture is much broader. Attention, language, mood, behaviour, orientation, decision-making and the ability to manage everyday activities can also be affected as cognitive decline progresses. This is why researchers studying plants such as Rosa damascena are interested in more than a single question about memory. Damask rose has now been investigated from several scientific directions. A small controlled human study examined Rosa damascena extract in people with dementia. Experimental Alzheimer-related studies have investigated learning and long-term memory. More recent research has examined Rosa damascena essential oil in relation to the cholinergic system and BDNF—two areas of considerable interest in neuroscience. Taken together, these studies raise an intriguing question: Why does Rosa damascena continue to appear in research on cognitive decline, and what have scientists actually found? This article looks specifically at Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and cognitive research. For the broader science of rose scent, memory, gray matter and olfactory research,...

The value of a rose cannot be explained by its beauty or fragrance alone. Every year, when the rose harvest begins in Isparta, Türkiye, work in the fields starts before the sun has fully risen. Pink blossoms are picked by hand and transported for processing as soon as possible. The scientific name of this flower is Rosa damascena. What makes this rose important is not simply its distinctive fragrance. Its growing environment, harvest timing, aromatic composition, suitability for distillation and long history of use in perfumery, cosmetics and traditional practices have made Rosa damascena one of the world's most important aromatic roses. But what exactly is Rosa damascena? Is it the same as the Isparta rose? How is it different from other roses? Why are the flowers traditionally harvested early in the morning? And why is this particular rose so highly valued for rose oil and rose water production? To understand the answers, we need to follow the Isparta rose from the field to the distillation process. What Is Rosa damascena? Rosa damascena is an aromatic rose belonging to the genus Rosa in the Rosaceae family. In English, it is commonly known as the Damask rose. While man...

A rose does not attract scientific attention simply because it smells beautiful. When researchers study a plant, they ask very different questions: What compounds does it contain? Can those compounds be identified and measured? What happens when they interact with cells or microorganisms? Are similar effects observed in humans? Does the production method change the final product and its properties? Rosa damascena—the Damask rose, particularly associated with Isparta, Türkiye—is an intriguing plant because it raises many of these questions at the same time. Scientific research is not limited to rose essential oil. Rose water, hydrosols, flower extracts, and preparations obtained from different parts of the plant have also been investigated. 🌹 IN SHORT Rosa damascena is scientifically interesting because of its long history of use, complex chemical composition, the variety of products that can be obtained from it, and the measurable biological activities reported for some of these preparations. However, the fact that something has been studied does not mean that every claimed benefit has been conclusively proven in humans. 1. It All Begins with the Chemistry of...

Search online for Rosa damascena essential oil, and it will not take long before you encounter statements such as: “Rose oil has the highest frequency of any essential oil.” “Rose oil vibrates at 320 MHz.” “It is one of the highest-vibrational natural substances.” 320 MHz. It sounds remarkably precise. But from a scientific perspective, that precision raises an important question: How exactly is the frequency of a bottle of rose oil measured? With what instrument? What physical signal is being measured? Under what conditions? And why should the result be exactly 320 MHz? Once we begin asking these questions, the story of rose oil becomes much more interesting. Because we do not need an unverified number to explain why Rosa damascena is extraordinary. First, What Does “Frequency” Actually Mean? In physics, frequency describes how often a repeating event occurs within a given period of time. It is expressed in Hertz (Hz). Sound waves have frequencies. Electromagnetic signals have frequencies. Radio transmissions have frequencies. Light has electromagnetic frequencies. But there is an important distinction: Whenever scientists measure frequency, the...

Have you ever wondered, “What is the frequency of rose water?” If you search online for rose oil and frequency, you will often come across the number 320 MHz. There is, however, an important distinction: this widely circulated claim has been associated with Rosa damascena flower oil, not rose water. That raised another question for us. What happens when the naturally carried oil fraction is not separated from the rose distillate? Does Akita Non-De-Oiled Rose Water show one particular frequency when measured? We decided to investigate. The result was more interesting than a single number: We did not find one frequency. We found a reproducible frequency fingerprint. In Akita's study, Non-De-Oiled Rosa damascena Flower Distillate was examined across 50–900 MHz. The study did not find one isolated characteristic peak at 320 MHz. Instead, discriminative information appeared across multiple frequency regions, producing a reproducible multi-band measurement profile that separated from the other liquids tested in the dataset. First, an Important Difference: Rose Oil and Rose Water Are Not the Same When rose flowers are distilled, volatile compounds are carried with the stea...

How Long Does De-Oiled Rose Water Last? Does rose water really stay fresh for years? Prof. Dr. Hasan Baydar’s work on traditional rose water and Akita’s laboratory stability testing show why the answer begins with a more important question: What kind of rose water are we talking about? You pick up a bottle of rose water. The label says “100% natural,” “pure rose water,” or “Rosa damascena rose water.” But how long will it actually last? Six months? One year? Two years? And if it contains no preservative, how can it remain stable for an extended period of time? There is no single answer, because not every product sold as “rose water” is made in the same way. To understand shelf life, we first need to understand how the rose water was produced—and whether the rose oil was removed during production. First, How Is Traditional Rose Water Produced? Traditional rose water is closely connected to rose oil production. In his work Oil-Bearing Rose Cultivation and Industry, Prof. Dr. Hasan Baydar of Süleyman Demirel University describes the industrial distillation of Rosa damascena in detail. Fresh rose flowers are distilled with water. During di...

  How to Use Pure Rose Oil: A Practical Guide to Skincare, Aromatherapy, Meditation & Proper Dilution How many drops are in 1 mL of pure rose oil? How much should you add to 30 mL of carrier oil? Should you use the same dilution for your face, aromatherapy, meditation and massage? And what does science actually say about scent, memory and cognitive health? Pure rose oil is one of those products that can be easily misunderstood. You see a tiny 1 mL bottle and naturally wonder: “How much can I really do with this?” The better question is: “How many properly diluted blends can I create from 1 mL of highly concentrated rose oil?” Akita 1 mL Pure Rose Oil contains approximately 20 drops. Produced from Rosa Damascena through a long and carefully controlled distillation process, it is a highly concentrated aromatic oil intended to be used thoughtfully, drop by drop. Combined with Akita Rose Enhancer Blend, those approximately 20 drops can become part of several different routines—from everyday facial care to massage, personal aroma, meditation and mindfulness. The key is not using more rose oil. It is using the right amount for the right purpose....

Why Does Your Skin’s pH Matter? Is 5.5 Really the Magic Number? Your skin naturally has a slightly acidic surface. But what does that mean for your skin barrier, microbiome, and the products you use every day? Science shows that skin pH is much more interesting than a single number. You may have seen the words “pH-balanced” on a facial cleanser, toner, or moisturizer. You may also have heard that the ideal pH for skin is 5.5. But why 5.5? And is everyone’s skin really pH 5.5 all the time? The answer is more interesting than you might expect. Your skin has a naturally slightly acidic environment at its surface. Scientists have studied this environment for decades because skin pH is closely connected with the skin barrier, the microorganisms that live on our skin, and some of the biological processes that help the skin function normally. First, What Is pH? pH is a way of describing how acidic or alkaline something is. The scale generally runs from 0 to 14: 7 is neutral Below 7 is acidic Above 7 is alkaline Pure water is close to neutral. Healthy skin, however, is generally not neutral. Its surface is naturally slightly acidic. And that is where things become...

A clinical study compared a hydroquinone-free formula containing tranexamic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C and arbutin with 4% hydroquinone. What did the researchers discover? Sun spots, acne marks and melasma can appear easily, but improving their appearance often takes time. This is because a dark spot is not simply a mark sitting on the surface of the skin. It develops when the skin produces more pigment in one area than it normally would. Hydroquinone is one of the best-known ingredients used to treat hyperpigmentation. Although it can be effective, it may also cause redness, dryness, burning or irritation in some people. Could a formula without hydroquinone provide similar results with less irritation? A small clinical study published in 2020 compared 4% hydroquinone with a hydroquinone-free formula containing tranexamic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, arbutin, epidermal growth factor and other ingredients. The results were encouraging. After one month, the hydroquinone-free formula was rated more favourably for the overall appearance of hyperpigmentation and was better tolerated by the participants. However, this does not mean hydroquinone is no longer useful or that every...