December

09

Is Rose Oil Really Good For Skin?

Cynthia’s feeling rosy: I LOOOVE the Beauty Brains! Thanks for everything you all do! Here’s my question: I came across a new skin care company online called Aroma Prescriptions. I am thinking of buying their rose moisturizer but since it’s over $100, I wanted to ask you guys first! The line claims that rose oil has been used as medicine for years and is great for the skin. I wanted to see what you guys thought of rose oil all over the body and if it really is known to be good.

The Left Brain finds some thorns:
Thanks for the kind words Cynthia. It’s always nice to hear from our fans. The Aroma Prescriptions line is interesting. All of their products are formulated by a physician who touts the benefits of rose oil. He says their flagship product, Roses of Sparta Pure Rose Oil Lotion, is America’s only physician-formulated rose oil lotion.

A rose by any other name

You can check out the website for the entire list of claims but basically the good doctor says his special rose oil smells better than regular rose oil used in other products. “With one whiff, rose connoisseurs will understand its significance” and “unlike any synthetic rose fragrance, this REAL rose aroma is deeply entrancing and unrivaled.” Ok, fine. The stuff smells really good. I’ll give him that. He also claims that rose oil has been used to treat chronic skin conditions like rosacea and eczema by multiple medical cultures and that it has natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Let’s see if that’s true.

Does rose oil really work?

It’s true that rose oil contains over 300 different chemical compounds and that several of them do have some functional properties. For example, citronellol, been shown to be an antioxidant while geraniol and eugenol have antibacterial properties. A quick search of Pubmed confirms that that as far as essential oils go, rose oil is a pretty good anti-oxidant. I couldn’t find any specific references to rose oil’s anti-inflammatory or antiseptic properties. In fact, according to at least one source, rose oil can be a skin sensitizer and an irritant.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Antioxidant and antibacterial properties are beneficial in skin care, but there are many ways to formulate these into a product. There just doesn’t seem to be any compelling data to show that this rose oil product is really better. If you’re one of those rose connoisseurs who love the way it smells and you can afford it – then buy it. But if you’re buying it because it’s better for your skin, this Beauty Brain says there’s no proof that this product is worth that much money.

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Filed under Moisturizers, Natural, rosacea.

There has been 5 comments. Leave a comment

5 Responses to “Is Rose Oil Really Good For Skin?”

1. Gloria Says:

   But roses do smell wonderful. My parents has a little rose garden out in the front, and it’s gorgeous and smells heavenly. Once my dad was trimming the rose bushes, and taking care of the old droopy ones, when he decided to put rose petals all over my sister’s then-boyfriend’s car. He pretended like somebody was pulling a prank on him, and he had NO idea what was going on, but then he started giggling. My dad.. and his roses.

   Speaking of roses, my dad actually had roses imported to Taiwan for him and my mom’s wedding 20+ years ago, when roses weren’t that common. He’s a big romantic guy, can you tell?

2. Judy Says:

   Cynthis: It always PAYS to check with the Beauty Brains before you spend even $50 on something.

   I too love lotions and potions that smell good but as I have learned sometime those aromatic ingredients can be irritating to my sensitive skin! Sigh…sad but true.

3. Wendell Says:

   Thanks, Beauty Brains, for geting to the truth of the matter. I rely on your website for objective comments, since I primarily buy “organic,” “natural” cosmetics and and I to know what works vs. hype.

   If you want a rosehip/rose based oilt that works and is not too expensive, try the Evan Healy Rose oils, sold at Whole Foods. There are two versions, one for drier skin and one for more balanced skin. They smell lovely, absorb quickly, and make my skin soft but not greasy.

4. Jen Says:

   Thanks BB for another great, informative post. I am right with Judy as well, just because it smells great doesn’t mean it will benefit your skin. Although, Wendell’s suggestion sounds compelling.

   I might need to take a trip to Whole Foods and try Evan’s out…

5. Cynthia Says:

   Hi! I feel somewhat famous, thanks for answering my question! And thanks for your research!! You rock BB!

   I said I would follow up because I had ordered the sample of the ‘Roses of Sparta’ lotion from Aroma Prescriptions.

   I will just say this . . . A-M-A-Z-I-N-G . . . I can’t really describe the smell, but I can say it doesn’t smell anything like other rose products I have smelled before, but it is definitely rose. I LOVE IT… I have always loved roses so this was of interest for me.

   I did go ahead and ordered the big bottle too (hey it was on sale!!).

   I guess I would just agree with what you all said here… if you want some “skin miracle” I would say find something cheaper, but I would definitely recommend this rose lotion if you REALLY love roses.

   THanks again Breauty Brains.

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