Making life a little rosier with Rose hip oil

Published: 8-Aug-2014

Like all the best kept beauty secrets, the use of rose hip seed oil is deeply rooted in history and culture.

Like all the best kept beauty secrets, the use of rose hip seed oil is deeply rooted in history and culture. For centuries, the natives of the South American Andes prized wild rose hip oil for its cosmetic ability, in particular to repair damaged skin. Here, Earthoil explains how the oil of this beautiful flower has become a much sought after component of natural perfumes, cosmetics and personal care products throughout the world.

Ruba rubiginosa

Ruba rubiginosa, commonly known as rose hip, grows wild in the mountains of Chile, Argentina and Southern Africa. The plant is also particularly prolific in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho – a tiny country made up of highlands and entirely landlocked by South Africa. Here, rose hip flourishes along river banks, enjoying high rainfall, pure air and a cool climate at 3,300 metres altitude.

The hip of the rose is the fruit which remains once the flower has bloomed and its petals fallen. Similar to a berry in appearance, rose hip ranges from red-orange to dark purple/black in colour in some species. Rose hips begin to form in spring, and ripen in late summer through autumn. It is the seed of the fruit that is subsequently mechanically cold pressed to produce the highly prized rose hip oil.

Rosy complexions

Rose hips have a number of uses within a culinary, medicinal and cosmetic sphere. Their tangy flavour makes them popular in sweet and savoury dishes, in fresh or dried form. Rose hip tea is a widely consumed herbal tea made with crushed rose hips. Herbal medicine preparations from rose hip are claimed to ease joint stiffness and pain, thanks to the plant’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Rose hip oil has also been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of South America to nurture the skin. It displays a number of important antioxidant properties, making it a much sought-after ingredient in products targeting skin ageing, pigmentation, scarring and sun damage. Thanks to a naturally high content of essential fatty acids and vitamin A, it quenches dry, damaged skin, while the other key ingredients of rose hip oil, such as lycopene, help protect skin from premature ageing. The oil itself is dry and extremely light, making it non-greasy and easily absorbed into the skin.

Community involvement

Much of the world’s rose hip supply originates from commercial farms in South America, which, it could be argued, produce a lower quality product for a lower price. In contrast, 100 per cent organic, Lesotho rose hip grows wild, without interference from pesticides and other artificial contaminants and is ethically sourced by Earthoil directly from the Lesotho local communities.

Lesotho is a poor country where resources are scarce. Earthoil has worked closely with the Lesotho authorities to develop a rose hip collection programme, which affords local villagers a much needed source of income from the rose hip harvest. Much of the fruit collection is carried out by women, while the men tend to the cattle.

A number of collection points throughout Lesotho have been established. Local vehicle owners are employed by the project to drive to the various pick ups, when the collectors’ rose hip harvests will be measured in volume to ensure consistently fair payment – mass can change when rosehips are dried. Currently, around 300 harvesters partake in the project, benefiting economically from their natural surroundings in a sustainable and responsible manner.

Conclusion

Rose hip oil represents a unique ingredient for skin and personal care product formulations, with active antioxidant properties that can specifically respond to consumers’ current preoccupation with skin and anti-ageing. Supplied through Earthoil’s rose hip community project in Lesotho, Earthoil’s pure rose hip oil offers manufacturers the added benefit of a 100 per cent organic ingredient of the highest quality from fair and sustainable sourcing.

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