Everything You Need to Know About Trendy Skincare Ingredient Rosehip Oil
Everything Duchess Kate Middleton touches turns to gold—or, at least, a best-seller. Such was the case with Trilogy's Rosehip Oil, a reported skincare favorite that the royal started using when she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte. It's become so popular that one bottle is sold every 20 seconds.
What makes rosehip oil such a special ingredient? We turned to three top skincare experts to break down everything you need to know, ahead.
Middleton’s radiant skin is reportedly thanks to rosehip oil. Rosehip oil is a powerful source of antioxidants and keeps skin supple.
"[Rosehip oil] contains a natural source of antioxidants, such as tocopherols and carotenoids, to help protect from daily oxidative stress," Los Angeles-based dermatologist Rachael Cayce, a member of the Physicians Formula Physicians Coalition, says. "It also contains an abundant amount of linoleic acid which may counteract acne."
Renée Rouleau, a celebrity esthetician who has worked with Demi Lovato, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Roberts, adds that the ingredient is full of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which both "promote a youthful, supple appearance." She adds, "It's an ingredient that I use in a lot of my products because it is very agreeable to many skin types."
Another benefit of rosehip oil, according to Epionce founder dermatologist Carl Thornfeldt, is that it stimulates the synthesis of collagen and elastin, which "improves the visible appearance of tightness in the skin."
Rosehip oil helps repair your skin barrier.
Your skin's lipid barrier can get damaged from exfoliating too often, dry climates, and harsh acne products among other irritants, according to Rouleau. "You get tiny, invisible cracks in your skin which cause moisture to evaporate and irritants to enter through these pathways more easily," she elaborates. "Rosehip oil is considered a lipid-rich oil that goes to work quickly to close up the cracks so that the skin can get repaired back to a comfortable-feeling state. It will correct both the lack of oil and lack of hydration deep within your skin."
Skip pure rosehip oil for a product that incorporates it.
"An ingredient without a delivery system will only sit on top of the skin barrier, and won't actually deliver to have long term therapeutic benefits below the barrier," Thornfeldt reasons. He advises against applying just a facial oil on the skin because "the skin barrier is comprised of water and oil in an appropriate balance. Too much oil is not good for the skin and equally too much water is not good for the skin. It is about the correct balance between water and oil that will keep the skin healthy over the long term."
Rouleau agrees that you should try rosehip oil mixed in a product as opposed to pure. "I'm a believer that your skin always benefits from a variety of ingredients, not just one," she explains. "Just like with food, you'll get more benefit from eating a salad that is loaded up with a lot of different items than you will from just eating the lettuce. Rosehip oil works great when combined with other ingredients such as antioxidants."
Think of rosehip oil as a "top coat" for your face.
"The real benefit of a facial oil comes from its ability to act as a sealant or as a top coat, to help all the water-binding products underneath to work most efficiently," Rouleau says. "The best and proper way is to use a skin oil is as the very last step in your routine so the largest molecule is on top. Anything with a smaller molecule will never be able to penetrate through a larger molecule."
She adds that those with dry skin should massage a face oil over moisturizer, while those with normal to combination skin should pat oil onto the skin (not massaged!). The patting motion "allows oil to stay on the very top of the skin so the lighter moisturizer is in contact with the pores," Rouleau says.
Rosehip oil is really multipurpose.
You can use a few drops of it right before a flight to prevent moisture loss from dry airplane air, and you can keep reapplying every couple of hours on longer flights. Rouleau also recommends using rosehip oil products after sun exposure or swimming because heat, chlorine, and salt water can be drying. Lastly, she suggests rosehip oil for women who want to avoid pregnancy stretch marks (and associated itchiness and dryness).
"It can also be mixed with your foundation to give it extra moisturizing properties," Cayce suggests.
