Business is not a bed of roses for Bulgaria's rose oil makers these days. Made from Damask roses grown in the aptly named Rose Valley, the oil is a vital ingredient in the perfumes made by the world's top luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Estee Lauder and Chanel. But a heatwave has slashed this year's harvest of rose petals, labour is hard to find and the global surge in energy prices has increased costs for a product so precious that it is dubbed "liquid gold". This year's oil will be "considerably more expensive," says Plamen Stankovski, a partner at rose oil producer and exporter Bulattars in his distillery near Pavel Banya, in Bulgaria's famed Rose Valley. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES