Rose Hips for Skincare

Here's an ingredient that has been a staple in my stockroom for years and deserves a bit of a spotlight.

Rich in vitamin C, these brightly-colored fruits are not only super healthy to eat, but have a lot to offer with topical use as well.

Are you familiar with rose hips? Let's take a closer look at what it can do for our skin.

Where They Grow

The plants are native to Europe and parts of Asia. In my small Scandinavian country of Denmark they grow wild along beaches and forests, dotting the landscape with their brightly colored hips in Fall and throughout the winter months. Rose hips are able to withstand the harsh Nordic elements and the red fruits will remain on the branches long after the leaves have fallen.

Species

There are actually 2 species equally popular for their hips - each with numerous synonyms: Rosa Rubiginosa (Sweetbriar, Briar Rose, or Apple Rose) and Rosa Canina (Dog Rose or Dogwood Rose).

Rosehips are very rich in vitamin C which makes the ingredient a favorite for numerous uses.

Powdered Rose Hips

If you're wondering how it is even possible to make a powdered version of this plant while retaining C vitamin content, you are not entirely off track. The process of making the powder destroys a lot of the vitamin. This makes it impossible to label the product accurately for vitamin content.

The packet pictured here comes complete with an explanation of why they are unable to state even an estimated amount of vitamin C and comply with labelling laws at the same time.

Working with the powdered version of rosehips is relatively new to me (I started playing around with it in early 2016), but it has made its way into several products already: cleansing powders, masks, and exfoliating products.

The powdered rose hips I use has a slight graininess to it making it ideal for gentle exfoliation.

The scent of the powder is quite subtle - faintly fruity.

Rose Hips Oil

The deeply golden-orange oil is produced by pressing the seeds of the hips. The oil has been a favorite of mine for years and has found its way into numerous products: from face oil blends to emulsions (added at the cool down phase).

The oil is rich in (about 40-45%) linoleic acid (omega-6) and has a healthy portion (about 10-15%) of oleic acid (omega 3).

It also contains transretinoic acid (also referred to as active vitamin a) and a natural content of vitamin E and squalene.

Rose Hips oil is categorized as dry: it melts into the skin quickly and leaves no greasy feel-
The scent is quite unobtrusive and works well in a blend.

Downside for this oil is a short shelf life. This can be optimized (not extended) if the oil is handled properly (not added to heated phase of emulsions) and stored as it should be: cool and dark.

Do Tell

Do you use rose hips in your skincare? What do you use it with?

More About Rose hips

PubMed: Study Indicating rosehips helps reduce pain
Another PubMed study on rosehips for pain management
About Rosehips as a Supplement: WebMD
Wikipedia on Rose hips
Rosa Canina
Rosa Rubiginosa