In order to explore the optimal extraction process of the Rosa rugosa 'Hetian' essential oil and its antioxidant and whitening activities,this experiment used rose essential oil as raw material,which was extracted by salt-soaking assisted steam distillation.On the basis of single factor experiment,the effects of salt-soaking time,NaCl mass concentration,and solid-liquid ratio on essential oil extraction were studied,and Box-Behnken response surface method was used to optimize the extraction process parameters.Then, in vitro and cellular level experiments were conducted to verify the antioxidant and whitening activities of rose essential oil obtained from the optimal extraction conditions.The results showed that the extraction amount of essential oil was the highest,which could reach 23.35 mg/g (dried flowers) under the conditions of salt soaking time of 2.5 h,NaCl concentration of 5.4% and material-liquid ratio of 1∶7.3 (g/mL).Under these conditions,the IC₅₀ value of scavenging DPPH radical of rose essential oil was 7.14 mg/mL.The results of cell experiments showed that the R. rugosa 'Hetian' essential oil could reduce the melanin content and inhibit the tyrosinase activity in the α-MSH induced B16F10 cells.To sum up,this study provides an efficient method to extract the R. rugosa 'Hetian' essential oil,which proves that rose essential oil has certain antioxidant and whitening activities,further provides a scientific basis for the deep processing,antioxidant and whitening application of the R. rugosa 'Hetian' essential oil.