What Is Rose Water?
Rose water is often used in skincare products as a soothing ingredient. It is often found either as a facial spray or included with other ingredients in a formulation. Rose water has a long history of use in both skincare and in cooking for its soothing benefits to the skin and digestive system. More recently these claims have been studied with many of the studies suggesting that rose water may actually be quite beneficial to helping to reduce irritation and redness on the skin.
Rose water is made by distilling rose petals with steam, leaving behind fragrant water. The resulting rose water includes a number of compounds such as antioxidants, anthocyanins, polyphenols and flavonoids. Rose water is often used as a less irritating fragrance in products because of this potent and attractive smell. Rose water may be useful in helping support wound healing, act as an antioxidant, may also have antibacterial properties and help to soothe the skin.
Rose Water
the good: Rose water may help support wound healing, act as an antioxidant, may also have antibacterial properties and help to soothe the skin.
the not so good: Research into the benefits of rose water is relatively limited compared to other skincare ingredients.
Who is it for? All skin types except those that have an identified allergy to it.
Synergetic ingredients: Works well with most ingredients.
Keep an eye on: Keep an eye out for further research into the benefits of rose water.
What Are The Benefits of Rose Water?
Soothes
Rose water is thought to have some anti-inflammatory properties. In a recent study published in Food Science & Nutrition, discusses the anti-inflammatory benefits of rose petal water. These potential anti-inflammatory properties may be beneficial for inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea, dermatitis, acne or psoriasis, potentially reducing irritation and redness.
Wound healing
Rose water is naturally antimicrobial which means that it helps to prevent and may support treatment or mild infections. This may be beneficial for helping to support treatments or products for acne as well as maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
Antioxidant
Rose water contains a number of antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the skin from oxidative stress and free radicals which can cause harm to the cells in your body. Oxidative stress is a natural process that occurs in the body in response to UV rays, pollution, diet and smoking. Oxidative stress produces free radicals which are often linked to aging. Antioxidants help to mitigate the effects of free radicals on the body, helping to reduce the visible signs of aging, mitigate against UV exposure and the reduce damage caused by free radicals.
Is Rose Water Vegan?
Rose water is derived from the oil released from the petals of roses. It is produced via steam distilitation or maceration. Given that rose water is produced from plant based materials it is considered to be a vegan product.
If you are looking for a vegan formulation, it is always best to check whether the other ingreidents are also vegan and ensure that the brand is cruelty-free.
Is Rose Water Good For Rosacea?
Rose water may have mild anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin. Given that rosacea is considered to be an inflammatory condition, rose water may help to reduce the symptoms associated with rosacea.
Is Rose Water Safe?
Rose water is generally considered to be safe for use on the skin. However, the complexity of any plant-derived ingredient can make it difficult to identify which components of the ingredient are safe and non-irritating. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, a group that is responsible for evaluating the safety of skincare and cosmetic ingredients, has reviewed the safety of rose-based ingredients. Most rose-based ingredients did not demonstrate any potential for skin/eye irritation or sensitization.
What Are The Other Uses of Rose Water?
Outside of skincare rose water is mainly used in cooking, as a natural fragrance and to soothe sore throats and digestive issues. There was also one study that looked into the antianxiety properties of rosewater, which suggested promising results.
