How is rosehip oil obtained?

The benefits of rosehip oil for your skin are many, and it is one of the oldest beauty secrets. You can read more about them in the link. Today we answer some of the most common questions about this key ingredient in our natural cosmetics. What kind of rose is rosehip? Is it the same one used for essential oils, perfumes or hydrosols? Is the oil made from its petals?

The origin of rosehip oil

Rosehip oil is extracted by cold pressing the pyramidal seeds found inside the fruit of the rose, known as rosehips. These rosehips are small round or oval berries, ranging in colour from red to orange depending on the variety.

Rosehips are not exclusive to one type of rose, but can be harvested from three different varieties: Rosa canina, Rosa rubiginosa and Rosa moschata, all with light pink or white flowers, very different from the classic garden rose we all know. These wild rose bushes bloom from May to July, and their fruits can be collected at the end of summer or early autumn.

Therefore, rosehip is not actually a rose, but rather the seed or fruit of several rose species, from which the seeds are extracted. The rosehip oil we use in our cosmetics comes from Rosa moschata, is first cold pressed and certified organic.

Rosa canina or wild rose

In Spain, Rosa canina, also known as wild rose, is very common. It grows naturally in Atlantic and Mediterranean climates, in mountainous or semi-mountainous areas, and even along paths and in forests. Our region, the Matarraña area, offers an abundance of this type of wild rose bush which, as its name suggests, grows freely in our local landscape.

The botanical extracts we use in our cosmetics come from this variety of rose. We macerate its petals in extra virgin olive oil, obtaining what is known as an oleate, a substance that differs from rosehip oil because the properties of the plant are extracted in a different way. This oleate can also be made using the rosehips.

Substances derived from the rose

Like many other plants and flowers, the rose gives rise to several different substances or ingredients commonly used in natural cosmetics. Not all come from the same rose species or are extracted in the same way, as we have seen. In our formulations we use the following varieties:

Rosehip seed oil (Rosa moschata seed oil): the only plant oil extracted from roses. As mentioned, it is obtained by cold pressing the seeds of rosehips.

Botanical extract of Rosa canina (Rosa canina flower extract): an extract obtained by macerating the petals of the rose in olive oil, the process mentioned earlier as oleate.