Conditioning oilLinoleic-rich seed oilIn two skin-type blends

Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Oil

Rosa canina · INCI Rosa Canina Seed Oil

Rose hip seed oil is pressed from the seed inside the hip, the fruit of the wild rose, Rosa canina. It is one of the lighter conditioning oils in the Balanced and Oily blends, and one whose reputation runs some way ahead of what the evidence firmly supports.

A light, antioxidant-rich oil high in the fatty acids the barrier is built from, and not the natural retinol it is often sold as.

Rose hip seed oil, cold-pressed from the seed of the wild rose, Rosa canina.
Rose hip seed oil, cold-pressed from the seed of the wild rose, Rosa canina.

What it is

Rose hip seed oil is a light, cold-pressed oil, unusual among plant oils for how much polyunsaturated fatty acid it carries. It is especially high in linoleic acid, the omega-6 the skin uses to build the lipids of its barrier, with alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3, alongside. That profile is the sound, unglamorous reason it belongs in a moisturiser. It supplies the fatty acids the barrier lipids are built from. Its colour comes from carotenoids, and it carries tocopherols and other antioxidants too.

This is the seed oil, not a fruit oil, and it is Rosa canina, the wild dog rose. Both matter, because the two are sometimes muddled on labels, and the seed oil is the fatty, conditioning one.

What it does in our formulas

Rose hip seed oil supports the barrier with its fatty acids and carries antioxidants of its own.

01

It supports the barrier

Rose hip seed oil is especially high in linoleic acid, the essential omega-6 the skin uses to build its barrier lipids, with alpha-linolenic acid alongside. That makes it a barrier-supporting conditioner, well suited to skin that needs help holding moisture.

Well characterised
02

It carries antioxidants

Its carotenoids, which give it its colour, along with tocopherols and polyphenols, give the oil a real antioxidant character. Its reputation for skin tone rests on limited evidence, covered below.

Emerging evidence

What the research does not show

Rose hip is one of the most enthusiastically marketed oils there is, so a little untangling helps.

Marketed as A natural retinol
Rose hip oil is often sold this way, but retinoic acid has not been detected in Rosa canina seed oil. The one measurement of it in a rose hip oil, in a single 2006 study, was in a different species, Rosa affinis rubiginosa. Rose hip seed oil behaves like the fatty-acid oil it is, and it is not a natural retinol.
Marketed as Clinically proven to erase scars and wrinkles
Some small studies suggest rose hip may help the look of scars and tone, and the linoleic acid rationale is sound, but the clinical evidence is limited, and some of the best-known skin-ageing results come from taking rose hip powder by mouth, not from the oil on the skin.

On the label and in the range

Rose hip appears in the Balanced and Oily blends, high on the ingredient list since it is one of the main oils. On the label it reads as its INCI name, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Oil, shown with its common name and marked as cold-pressed and organic. The exact percentage is published on each product page.

Is it suitable for me?

Rose hip seed oil is well tolerated, suits a vegan routine, and sits comfortably on sensitive skin, with no restrictions under UK or EU cosmetic law. Being rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, it oxidises more readily than a stable oil like jojoba, which is one reason the blends also carry tocopherol to help keep everything fresh.

Vegan-friendlySensitive-skin suitableWell tolerated

As with anything new, if your skin reacts easily it is worth patch testing first.

Naturally derived
Naturally derived
Made to be gentle on skin
Made to be gentle on skin
Every formulation published
Every formulation published

The research behind this page

We review the published literature. We do not conduct the studies below.

  1. Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Int J Mol Sci 2018;19(1):70. →
  2. Valerón-Almazán P, Gómez-Duaso AJ, Santana-Molina N, García-Bello MA, Carretero G. Evolution of Post-Surgical Scars Treated with Pure Rosehip Seed Oil. J Cosmet Dermatol Sci Appl 2015;5(2):161-167. (background; not evidence for this product) →
  3. Nurzyńska-Wierdak R, et al. Unveiling the mechanisms for the development of rosehip-based dermatological products: an updated review. Front Pharmacol 2024;15. →
  4. Concha J, Soto C, Chamy R, et al. Effect of rosehip extraction process on oil and defatted meal physicochemical properties. J Am Oil Chem Soc 2006;83(9):771-775. (Measured in Rosa affinis rubiginosa, a different species.) →
Found in the Balanced and Oily blends Shop the range