Beauty

Rosehip Oil, After Six Years of Saying No

A meadow with pink wisteria.

I avoided rosehip oil for the better part of a decade because the first bottle I ever tried smelled, somehow, of clove and metal — a combination that put me right back in the dentist’s chair. This was, of course, a problem with that bottle, not with rosehip.

Six years later: I am a convert.

What it actually does

Two drops, pressed into damp skin at night. After three weeks I noticed the small marks I’d been ignoring near my jaw were quieter. After six weeks they were nearly gone. I have nothing more dramatic to report, which I think is the highest compliment I can give a skincare product.

What I’d buy again

  • A cold-pressed, unrefined bottle (it should look amber-orange, not pale)
  • Dark glass, no pump (pumps oxidise it faster)
  • Stored in the fridge, used within four months

I am not a dermatologist. I am a person with a face and many regrets about previous skincare purchases.