Rosehip oil is one of my favorite botanical skincare ingredients, known for its nourishing properties and ability to support healthy-looking skin. Rich in essential fatty acids, beta-carotene, and naturally occurring vitamin A compounds, rosehip seed oil can help improve the appearance of scars, discoloration, and visible signs of aging.
But there's one common misconception about rosehip oil: despite what you may have heard, it isn't actually a meaningful source of vitamin C. While fresh rosehips are naturally rich in vitamin C, the oil pressed from their seeds contains very little.
So what makes rosehip oil so beneficial for skin? Let's take a closer look at the science behind this beloved botanical ingredient, its skincare benefits, and the difference between rosehip oil, fresh rosehips, and rosehip powder.
What Are the Benefits of Rosehip Oil for Skin?
Rosehip oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the rose fruits of wild roses and is great for overall anti-aging effects on the skin and fading scars and discoloration. A quick google search will lead you to believe that rosehip oil has all these amazing skin healing abilities because of its vitamin C content. So what's the deal? Is rosehip oil really good for the skin, and if it is, why is that?
Studies show improvement in skin condition using rosehip oil topically. One study listed rosehip oil’s content of trans-retinoic acid (a derivative of Vitamin A ) as being the main source of skin enhancing benefits such as scar reduction and fading of photo-aging marks*. Another study showed that rosehip extract retained antioxidant activity even with the absence of vitamin C**. Yes, you read that right . . . even with the absence of Vitamin C.
Does Rosehip Oil Contain Vitamin C?
So why all the confusion about vitamin C? Well, fresh rosehips are really rich in vitamin C. More specifically, rosehip skins contain tons of vitamin C, while rosehip seeds contain very little but most of the oil. This is important to consider since rosehip oil is usually pressed from the seeds. Considering this and the fact that vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, you can see why rosehip oil doesn't contain much vitamin C at all. Rosehip oil does contain high levels of beta-carotene (an antioxidant), all-trans retinoic acid (a vitamin A acid that retinol converts to and which has similar effect to retinol when applied topically), omega-3 and omega-6 ***. So rosehip oil is a great oil to use in skincare, but it’s not because of its vitamin C content!
My favorite way to use rosehip oil is in a facial oil or balm. I recommend our Rose Nourishing Facial Oil, which is made with cold pressed rosehip oil as well as the potent, collagen boosting coQ10. Looking for something with vitamin C? Try our Vitamin C Regenerative Balm, which contains both rosehip oil and a stable form of vitamin C.
Rosehip Powder vs. Rosehip Oil: What's the Difference?
So what about dried rosehips and rosehip powder? They should contain high levels of vitamin C, right? Well, fresh rosehips are a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants which is why I love making a tincture from wild harvested rosehips in the fall that I add to my diet in the winter for a boost in vitamins and heart healthy components. But do these components survive the drying process?
Unfortunately when the rosehips are dried and powdered, the vitamin C content does not survive and quickly degrades. Why are you so fragile vitamin C? Alas. But the good news is rosehip powder still has some beneficial properties. Taken orally, rosehip has shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. There aren't many studies out there about the topical application of rosehip powder, but I think it is safe to assume that the anti-inflammatory properties demonstrated when used orally most likely translate to topical application. Rosehip powder does make a great mechanical exfoliator, so using it in a scrub or mask is not a bad idea!
How to Get the Vitamin C Benefits of Fresh Rosehips
So how can you take advantage of the high vitamin C content in fresh rosehips? Try making a tincture, tea or jam from the fresh berries. Rosehips can be harvested from most rose species, as long as they are grown in clean soil (I would avoid rose bushes planted in the city since city soil often contains lead). The best time to harvest rosehips in in the fall, right after the first frost since that is when vitamin C content is the highest! It's also worth noting this study that showed taking rosehips orally helped reduce wrinkles. Sounds too good to be true, but hey, worth a try!
How to Use Vitamin C in Your Skincare Routine
Looking for ways to integrate Vitamin C & Rosehips into your skincare ritual? Vitamin C is our Vitamin C Regenerative Balm and Neroli Clarifying Complexion Mist. Also check out our blog post about this amazing skincare ingredient to learn more about it and to find out the best form to use in skincare products.
Rose Nourishing Facial Oil
For those looking to incorporate rosehip oil into their skincare routine, our Rose Nourishing Facial Oil combines cold-pressed rosehip oil with CoQ10 to nourish skin and support a healthy-looking complexion.
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm
Looking for vitamin C in your skincare? Our Vitamin C balm combines rosehip oil with stable forms of vitamin C to help brighten and nourish skin.
Sources
* Cohen, Mark. Rosehip: An evidence based herbal medicine for inflammation and arthritis. Australian Family Physician. Volume 41, No.7, July 2012 Pages 495-498
** Silviya Georgieva, George Angelov, Stanislava Boyadzhieva. Concentration of Vitamin C and antioxidants activity of rosehip extracts. Institute of Chemical Engineering. Bulgarin Academy of Sciences. Journal of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 49, 5, 2014, 451-454
*** L Phetcharat, K Wongsuphasawat, and K Winther. The effectiveness of a standardized rose hip powder, containing seeds and shells of Rosa canina, on cell longevity, skin wrinkles, moisture and elasticity. US Library of Medicine, Dove Press. Clin Interv Aging. 2015; 10: 1849–1856
Jamie
I take a rose hip solid extract and have really noticed the benefits of it.
Michele Milligan
Finally someone speaks, or writes the truth. Dried rose hips are a great source of bioflavonoids and really do a great job with inflammation management in the body, but it is not a source of Vitamin C. People have a hard time understanding that Rose hips are better then just plain Vitamin C because they have been taught if you cannot have a measured amount to know then it is not good. WAKE UP!!!
Love the post BTW.
Kena
Thank you. I, too, had the misconception that Rosehip oil was rich in Vitamin C. Most websites claim that. Now I can say the results achieved are due to Vitamin A and the omegas. Makes a lot of sense since very effective products I heard of are rich in Omegas and people claims after consuming Vitamin A rich foods or products are praising. Thank you for clearing that up. Cheers.