The Real Benefits Of Rosehip Oil Explained

A good skincare routine can make all the difference. There's nothing more refreshing than cool water on your face followed by a fresh moisturizer that makes your skin feel soft to the touch. There are plenty of skin care products on the market, which makes choosing potions and lotions difficult. Taking a look at what's trending in the world of skin care, though, can sometimes make your decision easier.

You may have noticed rosehip oil's sudden popularity. Yes, seemingly overnight it has become the talk of the town. Showing up on social media and hyped by influencers, people are sharing their own stories about how amazing their skin looks after using this oil. As anecdotal stories build up, more people are looking to try rosehip oil for themselves. However, there's one hiccup facing the rosehip oil bandwagon: Little concrete evidence supports the oil having visible impacts on skin health.

Healthline revealed that rosehips do contain a variety of acids – linoleic acid, gamma linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid — that are generally known to be helpful to the skin. That said, the site explained that no studies exist on the specific amounts of these compounds or on the way rosehips affect the skin. Nevertheless, rosehip oil may be useful for other parts of the body.

Rosehip oil may or may not be beneficial to the skin, but that doesn't mean it can help other areas of the body. In 2008, researchers published a meta-analysis focused on rosehip powder in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (ScienceDirect). This analysis found that it was more effective than placebos in treating pain caused by osteoarthritis. Their results were based on the review of three separate studies. Ultimately, the review concluded, "It seemed twice as likely that a patient allocated to rosehip powder would respond to therapy, compared to placebo." The researchers acknowledged that there wasn't a ton of data to work with, but they explained that "the results of the present meta-analysis indicate that rosehip powder does reduce pain."

Of course, more studies are needed to determine just how useful rosehip is for joint pain and, of course, skin care. Healthline cautioned that although rosehip oil is generally regarded as safe for short-term use, you should consult your doctor before making it a part of your routine. Additionally, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children, should avoid using the oil.