Rosehip Oil: 7 Amazing Benefits for Your Skin
Rosehip oil has been used on skin for centuries, and it’s having a well-deserved moment again – loved the world over for the way it brightens, smooths and softens, and for how gentle it is even on reactive skin. Here’s why this vitamin-rich oil, one of the key botanicals in Indagare’s Signature Night Recovery Oil, has stood the test of time – and seven reasons your skin will love it.
Related Article: 12 of the Best Natural Oils for Anti-Ageing
First, a quick clarification: rosehip oil isn’t the same as rose oil. It’s pressed from the fruit of the rose plant – the hip, beneath the petals – and it has its own distinct set of benefits.
1. Extraordinarily rich in skin-loving nutrients
Rosehip oil is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that do wonderful things for how skin looks. It’s exceptionally high in vitamin C, which helps skin look brighter and more even. It also contains vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene – a gentle, naturally-occurring form that’s easy for skin to tolerate.
And there’s lycopene, the antioxidant you’ll know from tomatoes, which helps defend against the everyday environmental stress that shows up on skin over time. Together they make rosehip a genuine all-rounder in a natural anti-ageing routine.
2. Deep, non-greasy moisture from essential fatty acids
Rosehip oil is high in the essential fatty acids omega-3 (linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) – “essential” because your body can’t make them itself.
In a well-made face oil like Indagare’s award-winning Signature Night Recovery Oil, they help skin hold onto the moisture it’s missing, so skin feels replenished and comfortable rather than tight. And rosehip absorbs cleanly – no greasy residue.
3. A gentle, natural source of vitamin A
That vitamin A is worth dwelling on. It’s the nutrient behind rosehip’s reputation for smoother-looking skin – helping soften the look of fine lines and even out tone.
Because rosehip’s vitamin A comes in the gentle beta-carotene form, most skin tolerates it well, including sensitive skin that finds stronger actives irritating. A lovely option if your skin doesn’t get along with harsher alternatives.
4. Antioxidant defence against free radicals
Oxidative stress is all around us, and it’s one of the things that ages the look of skin. Rosehip oil brings a hit of antioxidants that help neutralise free radicals – so skin looks fresher, and better protected against the visible signs of environmental stress.
5. Soothes the look of irritation
Rosehip also contains vitamin E, an antioxidant prized for calming the look of redness and irritation. Worked into your routine, it helps skin look calmer and gives it a healthy, refreshed glow.
6. Helps clearer-looking, more balanced skin
Here’s one that surprises people: many women find blemishes return as they get older. It often happens when skin, feeling dried out, overproduces oil that gets trapped in pores – a common frustration for maturing skin. A well-formulated face oil can help skin feel balanced rather than stripped, and rosehip’s soothing quality helps the skin around a blemish look calmer and less red.
7. Supports firmer, more elastic-looking skin
Firmness and elasticity are what give young skin its bounce, and they naturally soften with each passing year.
Rosehip’s high levels of vitamins A and C make it a favourite for helping skin look firmer, plumper and more elastic over time. It’s never too early to give your skin that kind of daily support.
How to get the most from rosehip oil
Rosehip oil is best applied at night, when skin is doing its natural renewal work and can make the most of a nourishing oil. Press a few drops into clean, slightly damp skin before bed.
Rosehip shines brightest in good company. Paired with other botanical oils, it covers far more of what mature skin needs than it can alone – but blending your own takes time, skill and confidence you’re using good-quality oils.
The simpler route is Indagare’s Signature Night Recovery Oil: rosehip alongside the rare prickly pear seed oil, fresh Moroccan argan oil, and 18 botanicals in total, gentle enough for all skin types.
Four to five drops on damp skin before bed, and you wake to softer, brighter-looking skin. (Very sensitive skin can add a few drops to a favourite night cream.)
It’s a favourite for women over 40, but anyone wanting plumper, calmer, more refreshed-looking skin will love it.
Rosehip oil benefits: your questions answered
Is rosehip oil good for mature skin?
Yes – it’s one of the most popular natural oils for mature skin. Its vitamins A and C help skin look brighter, smoother and more even, while its essential fatty acids help it feel hydrated and comfortable. It’s also gentle, which suits skin that has become more reactive with age.
What’s the difference between rosehip oil and rose oil?
They’re different oils from the same plant. Rose oil is distilled from the petals and is prized mainly for its scent; rosehip oil is pressed from the fruit (the hip) and is the one rich in the vitamins and fatty acids that benefit skin.
Is rosehip oil a natural alternative to retinol?
Rosehip oil is naturally rich in vitamin A, in the gentle beta-carotene form, which is why it’s often chosen by people who find stronger vitamin-A products irritating. It’s a gentler, plant-based way to bring vitamin A into a routine – lovely for sensitive skin.
When should I apply rosehip oil?
At night is ideal, on clean, slightly damp skin, so it can work while your skin does its natural overnight renewal. A few drops is plenty.
Will rosehip oil clog pores or feel greasy?
Rosehip is a light, fast-absorbing oil that leaves no greasy residue, and it’s generally well tolerated. As with any new oil, patch-test on the inside of your wrist first if your skin is prone to reactions.