I’ve tried out the Jelly of Roses Recipe of 1890 (nearly at the bottom of the page). It’s called an ‘elegant preparation for the skin and lips’.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz finest Russian isinglass
• 2 oz glycerine
• 6 oz rosewater
• 10 drops oil of roses

I had no rose oil, so I’ve left that out. I also had no isinglass, but I’ve read that 1 part isinglass can be replaced with 1 part gelatin. There’s also an 1890s recipe for a Gelatine Lotion Bar, which is made with gelatin, glycerin, water and rose oil.

Mix rosewater and glycerin; soak the gelatin sheet. Melt the gelatin in the rosewater-glycerin-solution over medium heat. After some hours the jelly of roses is solid!

And this jelly of roses is terrible as a hand cream: it’s difficult to distribute and sticky! Maybe isinglass can’t be replaced with gelatin in this recipe, or maybe the jelly of roses is meant to be like that! 😉