Is there a Difference between Rose Oil and Rosehip Oil?

Is there a difference between rose oil and rosehip oil? Let’s find out!

What is Rose Oil?

Other names: rose essential oil, rose otto oil
Scientific name: Rosa damascena

Rose oil is an essential oil extracted by steam distillation from fresh rose petals. It is obtained from the roses we all know.

There are several types of roses that rose oil can be extracted from but the commonest is Rose Otto Oil. There are other types such as Bulgarian Rose Essential Oil, Persian Rose Essential Oil and Turkish Rose Essential Oil, among others.

Rose essential oil is highly concentrated so it must be diluted before it is applied on the skin. You can dilute it in a carrier oil, which is a plant/animal oil like coconut oil or emu oil. It ‘carries’ the essential oil onto the skin for safe application.

Since a lot of roses are needed to extract rose essential oil, it is very expensive! Get this – it takes 10,000 roses to fill a single 5ml bottle of rose oil!

That’s why most essential oil companies sell Rose Absolute Oil which is a little rose oil mixed in a carrier oil like jojoba oil. The price of this is cheaper and more affordable.

Rose oil is a multipurpose oil that can be even compared to lavender oil! It promotes beautiful skin, calms sensitive irritated skin, acts as a lovely perfume, helps heal female problems, supports the digestive & circulatory system plus also fights depression, aggression, grief, fear and other emotions!

What is Rosehip Oil?

Other names: rosehip seed oil
Scientific name: Rosa canina, Rosa moschata or Rosa rubiginosa

Rosehip oil is not got from the rose plant we all know. Rather, it is obtained from the seeds of a specific and wild variety of rose: Rosa rubiginosa, also called Rosa moschata, predominantly found in Chile or the Southern Adean Mountains. Today, it is also being extracted from Rosa canina, grown in many parts of the world including Europe and South America.

Rosehip oil is extracted through a cold-press method that squeezes out the oil from the rosehips and seeds.

This luxurious oil is very popular in the skin care world for anti-aging, fading scars and reducing hyperpigmentation.

So Is there a Difference between Rose Oil and Rosehip Oil?

Yes there is! As you can see from the above explanations! To make it into list form, here are the differences between rose oil and rosehip oil:

Rose oil is obtained from the beautiful roses we all know (scientific name: Rosa damascena) while rosehip oil is obtained from a completely different plant: the wild rose (scientific name: Rosa canina, Rosa moschata or Rosa rubiginosa). This is the major difference – they’re got from different plants!
Rose oil is an essential oil while rosehip oil is a carrier oil. Essential oils are very potent and must be diluted in a carrier oil before application. Carrier oils are plant/animal oils that ‘carry’ essential oils onto the skin for safe application
Rose oil is extracted from rose petals while rosehip oil is extracted from the fruits of the rosehip plant, also called rosehips.
Rose oil is extracted through an essential oil extraction process known as steam distillation. The fresh rose petals are steam distilled to get rose oil. Rosehip oil is extracted through a cold press method of squeezing out oil from rosehips and its seeds.
Rose oil has a clear to a pale yellow or greenish tint while rosehip oil is light amber in color with an orange hue.
Rose oil has a gorgeous scent of fresh cut roses while rosehip oil has a heavy characteristic smell that is warm, earthy and herbaceous.
Rose oil has a longer shelf life of 6-8 years plus compared to rosehip oil which lasts for 6 months. Keep rosehip oil refrigerated to make it last longer.
Rose oil, being an essential oil, contains many chemical constituents including -citronellol, phenyl ethanol, acetates, oxides and more while rosehip oil contains essential fatty acids such as omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Essential oils do not contain fatty acids in them.
Rose oil is known for soothing skin, balancing hormones, calming emotions, supporting female problems and of course it’s lovely perfume. Rosehip oil is known for its anti-aging benefits and scar-reducing properties. Both are extremely good for the skin and impart powerful anti-aging benefits!