From breakouts to anti-ageing: 6 surprising benefits of rosehip oil.

If you're a dame who likes to dabble in the skincare world, chances are you've heard of rosehip oil. Yes? We know – it's been around for yonks. But while trends come and go, rosehip oil is one of those cult ingredients that has stuck around in our beauty cabinets – and for good reason. 

While we all know that no one skincare ingredient can do absolutely *everything* (surprise!), our friend rosehip oil comes pretty darn close to it, and we're forever harping on about its marvellous attributes. 

It's extracted from the fallen fruit of the Rosa canina plant, and extraordinarily it takes roughly 210,000 rosehip seeds to produce just one 30ml bottle. It’s also a multitasking powerhouse: rosehip oil is packed with essential fatty acids (our bodies can’t produce this themselves), antioxidants and vitamins and it can do everything from hydrate your skin to minimise scarring and irritation. 

It just makes skin... better.

However! Before you go and bag yourself any ol' jar of rosehip oil (look at you go!), it's worth knowing that all rosehip oil isn't made the same. Not even close, friends.

You need to be picky when it comes to selecting a quality rosehip oil so you can get the best benefits for your skin.

If you're looking for where to start, we recommend reaching for essano. In case you haven't heard of it (where have you been?!), it's a brand that is known for its sustainable sourcing of rosehip oil (important) and is proudly natural and eco-certified. 

essano is New Zealand owned and operated, and uses hand-picked and processed rosehips from smallholder farmers and their families in Patagonia Austral – a pure, untouched region in the extreme south of Chile, renowned for the quality of its rosehip crop.

essano is also proudly 100 per cent cruelty-free, and none of the products or ingredients are tested on any furry friends (just some lucky humans!). 

How good's that? (VERY).

Not only this, but essano actually has a whole range of rosehip products, which makes incorporating the ingredient into your skincare routine a real cinch. Each product is formulated with a bunch of nourishing added oils (such as jojoba oil and shea butter) for an extra boost of skin-loving benefits.

essano has what's called the Hydrating Rosehip skincare range, and it's made up of 18 scientifically formulated skincare products that are designed to be used with each other, like the Hydrating Rosehip Gel Foaming Cleanser, Hydrating Rosehip Hyaluronic Moisture Serum and Hydrating Rosehip Certified Organic Rosehip Oil.

Some of these babies. Image: Supplied

Okay! Now you know what kind of rosehip products to opt for, let's take a peak at some of the incredible benefits of rosehip oil, shall we? 

1. It moisturises your skin.

Let's start with the most obvious benefit: MOISTURE! 

Rosehip oil is scientifically proven to help moisturise the absolute *toots* out of your skin. That's because it's packed with a whole bunch of fatty acids (these help keep our skin barrier strong), making it deeply nourishing and hydrating.

As someone with thirsty, dry skin, I've noticed the benefits of switching to the essano Rosehip range in the lead up to winter. After incorporating it into my daily routine, I've found that my skin looks and feels smoother, healthier and glowing. I've also noticed my makeup sits nicer on my skin, without clinging to pesky dry patches.

2. It has anti-ageing benefits.

Fun fact: Rosehip is rich in a natural form of vitamin A and vitamin C; gold-standard anti-ageing ingredients that help reduce the signs of ageing. 

While vitamin A works to smooth and minimise the appearance of fine lines and ageing, the vitamin C gets to work on repairing the signs of pigmentation. 

My skin tends to look quite dull and tired, but since trialling the essano Rosehip range, I've seen a noticeable difference in my skin tone and texture, as well as the appearance of fine lines around my eyes.

3. It helps fight breakouts.

Oil might sound like the last thing you want to slap on your skin if you're struggling with breakouts, but hear me out here.

The anti-inflammatory properties of rosehip oil mean that it's actually great for calming the redness and irritation associated with breakouts. Really!

Being that it's high in a natural form vitamin A, it's a key acne-fighting ingredient that helps accelerate skin cell turnover. The best part? Unlike other acne-fighting ingredients on the market, it won't leave you with red irritated skin.

4. It soothes redness and irritation.

As we just mentioned (I hope you're not skimming here), rosehip oil has some amazing anti-inflammatory properties (such as linoleic acid, alpha-linoleic acid, and oleic acid), making it the perfect ingredient for those with sensitive skin (*chef's kiss*).

As someone who has been blessed with sensitive skin, I'm seriously impressed with how the products from essano Hydrating Rosehip range manage to heal and calm my often irritated or upset skin (my job requires me to test A LOT of products, which isn't always ideal for my skin type). 

Image: Supplied

It helps reduce any signs of redness and irritation in one swift kick, which is especially exceptional for those with common skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.

5. It minimises scarring and promotes wound healing.

If you're one of the poor little lasses struggling with pesky acne scars, essano Rosehip skincare range is your guy. Why? Because rosehip oil is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which play an important role in the regeneration of cells and tissues. 

It's scientifically proven to re-build and heal the skin, meaning it's the perfect ingredient for tackling acne scars, pesky hyperpigmentation and uneven skin texture. So basically: get amongst it!

6. It brightens the skin.

Did you know rosehip oil also delivers the goods on the glow front? We know, we know - she's a total show-off.

As we mentioned earlier on, rosehip oil contains vitamin C - an effective, hardworking ingredient that has been shown to brighten the skin and even the complexion. 

As someone who has been blessed with dull skin, that's a big fat tick of approval from me. Cause who doesn't want glowy skin?! 

Have you tried rosehip oil before? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied.