What Is Rosehip Oil? Where It Comes From + What's In It

The first thing most people notice about my Pure Tallow Balm is the color, a soft golden shade that looks almost like honey in the jar, and it comes from one ingredient I get asked about more than any other: rosehip seed oil.

I've been meaning to write this one for a while, because rosehip oil gets talked about like it's magic, and I'd rather just tell you what it actually is, what's in it, and why I like having it in what I make.

What rosehip oil is

When a wild rose finishes blooming, the petals drop and a small round fruit is left behind, called a rose hip. Rosehip oil is pressed from the seeds inside that fruit, and the one I use comes from Rosa canina, the wild dog rose.

What's in it

The biggest fat in rosehip seed oil is linoleic acid, somewhere between about 36 and 55 percent depending on the batch, followed by alpha-linolenic acid at roughly 17 to 27 percent and oleic acid at around 15 to 22 percent. Linoleic acid is one of the fats your skin uses to hold onto moisture, which is a big part of why an oil that's high in it tends to feel so comfortable on dry skin.

It also contains tocopherols, which are part of the vitamin E family, and carotenoids, which I'll get to in a second.

What it does for your skin

Rosehip is the oil I reach for because it's so nourishing, and in a balm it leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized without feeling heavy on top of it. I also chose it for all the lovely benefits it has for your skin, one of those being the ability to calm angry skin. It is rich in vitamins A, C, E, and fatty acids, which are good for angry, inflamed skin and promoting healthy skin production. (Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/rosehip-oil-benefits-for-skin-and-hair)

About that golden color

The color comes from carotenoids, the same pigment family that makes carrots orange, and it's one of my favorite things about the oil because you can see it right there in the jar. I can tell you they're in there and that they're why it looks the way it does, but a result in a lab on the oil isn't the same as a result from my balm, so I'll stick to what I can actually show you. ]

What about the vitamin C?

You'll see rosehips called a vitamin C powerhouse, and the fruit really does earn that, with one research review reporting around 1,250 mg per 100 g of fresh Rosa canina fruit, though the number swings a lot with the species, how ripe the fruit is, and how it's measured. That figure comes from the fruit, so I wouldn't count on the oil for vitamin C, and I love it for the fats and the feel instead.

Where you'll find it in what I make

• Pure Tallow Balm: grass-fed beef tallow, rosehip seed oil, beeswax, and vitamin E. Four ingredients, and the golden color is the rosehip. 🧡
• Lavender Tallow Balm: grass-fed beef tallow, rosehip seed oil, beeswax, vitamin E, vanilla botanical extract, and lavender oil 💜
• Replenish Face Serum: jojoba oil, squalane, broccoli seed oil, marula oil, rosehip seed oil, tamanu seed oil, sea buckthorn seed oil, bakuchiol, astaxanthin, vitamin E, and an essential oil blend of: copaiba, Roman chamomile, frankincense c., lemon, neroli, & helichrysum ❤️

How to spot it on a label

Look for rosehip seed oil in the ingredient list and check where it sits, since ingredients are listed from most to least, so one near the top means there's more of it than one tucked at the end. If you want a refresher on reading the whole list, my post on how to read a skincare ingredient list walks through it.

If you've been wondering whether rosehip is worth looking for, or which of these is the right fit for your skin, comment on this post or shoot me an email and tell me what you're working with, and I'll help you pick.