Rosehip oil has a rare double life. Skincare people know it as a classic facial oil; cooks in parts of Europe know it as a tangy, fruity finishing oil. Both are right — and both depend on the same thing: a fresh, properly cold pressed bottle. This guide covers what rosehip oil actually is, what's behind its reputation for skin, how to use it (on your face and on your plate), and how to tell a good bottle from a tired one.

What is rosehip oil?

Rosehip oil is pressed from the bright red-orange fruit of the wild rose — usually Rosa canina, the dog rose that grows in hedgerows across Europe. After the petals fall, the plant forms hips: small, vitamin-rich fruits that have been foraged for centuries for syrups, teas and oil.

Cold pressing keeps the character of the fruit intact. A good rosehip oil is golden to amber-orange with an earthy, slightly fruity scent — nothing like the perfume of rose petals, which catches many people out. If you were expecting a floral smell, don't worry: earthy is correct.

What's in it?

• Linoleic and linolenic acids — rosehip oil is unusually rich in these polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is a large part of why it feels light and absorbs quickly rather than sitting greasy on the skin.
• Carotenoids — including pro-vitamin A compounds that give the oil its warm colour.
• Naturally occurring trans-retinoic acid — present in tiny amounts, and often credited for the oil's popularity in skincare circles.

Rosehip oil and skin: what's behind the reputation?

Few plant oils are as embedded in skincare routines as rosehip. Researchers have explored it in small studies — mostly around skin feel, moisturisation, and the appearance of scars and sun-exposed skin — and its fatty acid profile is well suited to supporting the skin's own barrier. That said, the honest summary is the same as for most botanical oils: the studies are small, the evidence is early, and rosehip oil is a cosmetic ingredient, not a treatment. What it reliably does is moisturise lightly, absorb fast and suit skin that finds heavier oils too much.

How to use rosehip oil on your face

• Patch test first. A drop on the inner forearm, wait 24 hours.
• Evenings suit it best. Press 2–3 drops onto clean, slightly damp skin as the last step of your routine, or mix into your usual moisturiser.
• Start slow. A few evenings a week is plenty at first.
• Keep your SPF. A facial oil is not sun protection — carry on with sunscreen in the morning.

For hair, a drop or two smoothed through dry ends works as a light finishing touch — rosehip is far less heavy than coconut or castor oil.

Yes, you can eat it (if it's food grade)

Here's the part most skincare articles miss: a genuinely food-grade, cold pressed rosehip oil belongs in the kitchen too. The flavour is gently tangy and fruity — lovely drizzled over porridge with honey, stirred into a berry smoothie, or whisked into a fruity vinaigrette for grain salads. Heat is not its friend; use it cold, as a finishing oil.

One important caveat: this only applies to oils sold as edible and food grade, like our Rosehip Oil (250ml). Cosmetic-only rosehip oils may be blended or treated for topical use — check the label before anything goes near a spoon.

Rosehip oil vs rosehip seed oil

You'll see both names, and they're not quite the same thing. Rosehip oil is typically pressed from the whole hip — fruit and seeds — giving a deeper colour and a rounder, fruitier character. Rosehip seed oil is pressed from the seeds alone: lighter in colour and feel, which some people prefer on the face. In practice the two are close cousins; if you're choosing for skin, the seed oil feels lighter, and if you want the fuller fruity note for the kitchen, the whole-hip oil has more personality.

How to choose a good bottle

• Cold pressed and unrefined — refining strips the carotenoids and delicate compounds that make rosehip worth having.
• One ingredient — 100% rosehip, nothing blended in.
• Dark glass — this oil is light-sensitive.
• Freshness above all. Rosehip oil has a shorter life than most — roughly a year from pressing — so a clear, recent best-before date matters more here than with almost any other oil.

How to store it

Keep it in the fridge once opened — rosehip's delicate fatty acids reward the cold — and use it within a few months. If it ever smells sharp, waxy or like old paint, it has oxidised and should be retired.

Frequently asked questions

What does rosehip oil smell like?
Earthy and faintly fruity — not like roses. A floral scent in a "rosehip" product usually means added fragrance.

Will it clog pores?
Rosehip is rich in linoleic acid and is generally considered a lighter, low-comedogenic oil — though every skin is different, hence the patch test.

Can I use rosehip oil every day?
Many people do, in the evening. Start with a few nights a week and see how your skin responds.

Can I cook with rosehip oil?
Use it cold — drizzles, smoothies, dressings. Heat flattens its flavour and undoes the point of cold pressing.

The short version

Rosehip oil is a light, fast-absorbing oil with a long skincare pedigree and — when it's food grade — a genuinely interesting place in the kitchen. Buy it cold pressed, in dark glass, as fresh as you can find it, and keep it in the fridge. You'll find ours, along with the rest of our skin-friendly oils, in the beauty & wellness collection.

This article is for general information only and is not medical or dermatological advice. Patch test any new oil, and speak to a GP or pharmacist about any skin condition.