Rosehip seed oil appears in five of our face products: on its own in Rosehip Face Oil, in Rose Face Wash Cream, among the thirteen oils of The Midnight Youth Potion, and in both Ultra Peptide formulas. We use it because it is light and dry for an oil, rich in essential fatty acids, and quick to sink in, so it helps skin hold moisture and feel soft without leaving a film. Each formula uses it for a slightly different reason, and this is where it goes and why.
What rosehip brings to a formula
Rosehip seed oil is cold-pressed from the seeds inside the rose hip, the fruit a wild rose leaves once the bloom has dropped. It is not pressed from petals, so it carries no floral scent of its own.
Its value is in its fatty acids. Linoleic acid, an omega-6 that skin cannot make on its own, is the largest share, often around half of the oil. Alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3, comes next, with a smaller amount of oleic acid. It also carries natural tocopherols and plant sterols. Very little of it is the heavy, waxy kind of fat that sits on the surface, which is why it feels so light.
For a formulator, that means three useful things. It adds softness and moisture without weight. It spreads easily and carries other ingredients well. And it suits a wide range of skin types, including skin that does not usually like oil.
On its own: Rosehip Face Oil
The plainest way to meet the ingredient. Rosehip Face Oil is 100% pure rosehip seed oil, with no added fragrance and nothing else in the bottle. Two to four drops, pressed into clean skin as the last step, leave it soft, silky and comfortable. With regular use, skin looks fresher, smoother and more even. Start here if you have never used rosehip and want to know what it does on your own face.
In a cleanser: Rose Face Wash Cream
Rosehip in the step most people think of as disposable. Rose Face Wash Cream starts from our own soapmaking, softened with glycerin and sorbitol. Rosehip seed oil and shea butter give it a velvety cushion, finely milled oat and calendula keep the feel gentle, and Kalahari melon seed oil, our hero ingredient, helps skin look smoother. The rosehip is there so the wash leaves skin feeling like itself afterward, without the tight, squeaky feel of an ordinary face soap. The light note of rose on top comes from rose absolute, a petal extract; the rosehip itself has no floral scent.
As a base: the Ultra Peptide formulas
Our two most intensive formulas use rosehip differently again. In the Wrinkle Reducing Ultra Peptide Intensive Face Serum, three peptides, Argireline, Matrixyl 3000 and SNAP-8, travel in a rosehip seed oil base, chosen because it is light and fast-absorbing. In the Wrinkle Reducing Ultra Peptide Intensive Night Cream, rosehip seed oil, sorbitol and sodium hyaluronate give lasting moisture around the same peptides. These two are the exceptions to how we work: a specialist cosmetic lab makes them for us, while everything else on this list is made by hand in our Williamsburg workshop.
Why rosehip, and not another oil
Plenty of plant oils add softness. We keep coming back to rosehip for its balance: it is light enough for a morning routine and for oilier skin, yet it leaves skin feeling comfortable for hours. It works as well in a rinse-off wash as it does in a leave-on serum, and it pairs easily with richer oils when a formula needs more cushion.
Its one demand is freshness. An oil this rich in polyunsaturated fats is delicate, which is one more reason our small batches of 50 to 100 suit it. Whichever rosehip product you use, keep it cool and capped.
Using more than one rosehip product
The formulas are designed to work together. The simplest pairing is the Rose Ritual Bundle: Rose Face Wash Cream in the morning and Rosehip Face Oil in the evening. At night you can press in the Ultra Peptide serum first and finish with the rosehip oil, or follow the serum with the Ultra Peptide Night Cream as your last step. Choose one final layer for the night, either the oil or the cream, rather than stacking both.
Questions about rosehip in our formulas
Which Marianella products contain rosehip oil?
Five: Rosehip Face Oil, Rose Face Wash Cream, The Midnight Youth Potion, the Wrinkle Reducing Ultra Peptide Intensive Face Serum and the Ultra Peptide Night Cream. In the Potion it is one of thirteen botanical oils.
Does the rose scent in Rose Face Wash Cream come from rosehip oil?
No. Rosehip seed oil has no floral scent of its own. The light rose note in the wash comes from rose absolute, an extract of rose petals.
Are all of these made by hand?
The oil and the wash are made by hand in our Williamsburg workshop. The two Ultra Peptide formulas are made for us by a specialist cosmetic lab.
Can I use the Ultra Peptide serum and Rosehip Face Oil together?
Yes. Press in two to four drops of the serum in the evening, let them absorb, then press the rosehip oil over it as the last step.
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