Simply Beautiful: Pure Rose Hip Seed Oil

By Angela, Cosmetic Chemist

One of the leading brains behind beauty, Angela is an industry-renowned Cosmetic Chemist with over 11 years training and experience in developing cosmetics and toiletries. Having been immersed in the wondrous beauty world from an early age, she was instantly captivated by the rituals, the artistry and the allure. This initial intrigue soon developed into an unequivocal beauty obsession partly fuelled by teenage skin dilemmas but also stemming from a deep seated creativity and desire for self expression. This was quickly followed by a behind the scenes role in new product development where she formulated make up and skin care for an array of global brands.

Still not content with the industry offerings, especially those for women of colour, she still indulges herself with customised formulations to suit her specific beauty needs! Despite her wealth of scientific knowledge Angela takes what she calls a “feelosophical” approach to the industry. So whilst analysing ingredients and technologies, addressing safety fears and generally aiming to reveal the truth she never loses sight of the one essential thing about beauty and that is appreciating how it simply makes you feel! Check out her blog Beauty Feelosophy!

Rose hip by die.tine

Simply Beautiful: Pure Rose Hip Seed Oil

I would not call myself a naturalist, as I know that both natural and synthetic ingredients have their place in cosmetics. However, on occasion, less seems to be more and that is when I go back to basics by using simple ingredients that cut straight to the heart of my skin care needs. Rose Hip Seed Oil or Rosa Mosqueta (Rosa Affinis Rubiginosa) is one such ingredient so full of skin nourishing goodness that it has earned itself a coveted spot in my daily beauty routine! I keep mine in the refrigerator and use the pure oil every night before bed by applying it before my moisturiser for a little extra skin rejuvenating boost.

What is rose hip seed oil?

A beautifying wild rose, with fruit rich in vitamin C, leaves and petals used for refreshing infusions and seeds that produce a uniquely nourishing plant oil – and that’s were this fabulous product I so love comes into play!

So, what’s to love?

I use it for its moisturising and skin smoothing effect but there is a lot of science to also show Rosehip seed oil has many special qualities:

• Moisturizing
• Anti-wrinkle
• Skin smoothing
• Diminishes scars
• Helps fade stretch marks
• Healing
• Treats sun burn and age marks
• Helps regenerate skin cells
• Anti-inflammatory
• Rich in vitamins, Omega 3 & 6

You might be surprised to learn that I love this product despite having oily skin, since conventional wisdom has taught us oily skin types to stick to “oil free” products only. Although this may be true some of the time, it is possible to achieve a balance between effective cleansing, which can undoubtedly strip the skin of some of those essential natural oils and good moisturizer. I wouldn’t recommend it for use in the day time under make up but the oil is quite light in texture, absorbs very easily and has a low spot causing probability so it can be used on acne-prone skin. For acne sufferers, I would recommend treating the problem skin first, and once you reach that point of clearer skin, use this along with a few facials to help deal with any residual scarring.

The Secret in the Science

The secret to how Rosehip seed oil works of course lies in the science! It contains a very high percentage of Linoleic, Linolenic and Oleic acids. These are important fats that ensure the vitality of your natural skin cells, and this gives Rosehip seed oil a regenerating and soothing power. Rose hip seed oil also contains Tretinoin, a very close relative of Vitamin A, which gives the skin a rejuvenating and scar healing benefit. Results are immediate for smoothing and improvements to the general complexion, but for scars, as you would imagine, it is not an instant fix so real results will take some time.

Where to find it?

You can find Rosehip seed oil at local health food stores, such as Aromantic.co.uk, iherb.com, and in some skin care products (like Liz Earl’s Super Skin COncentrate).  Alternatively, if a pure oil is not for you, look out for Rose hip seed Oil, Rosa Canina or Rosa Rubignosa in your product ingredient lists to benefit from this simple yet truly amazing beauty elixir!