"Natural" and "organic" beauty products: what are they really?

‘Natural’ and ‘organic’ are words that get thrown around a lot, especially in the beauty industry.

Have you ever looked at your bottles of cleanser, moisturiser and botanical oils and wondered what exactly makes them natural or organic? We certainly did, so we asked Corinne Morley, the in-house beauty expert for New Zealand natural skincare brand Trilogy, to help us understand these products and where they come from.

As an international beauty specialist with a comprehensive industry background in beauty therapy, training, research and product development, Morley helped shed some light on the organic ingredient that skincare experts are loving right now: rosehip oil.

Here’s what we found out about the origins of rosehip oil, how it’s produced and sourced, and exactly why we should be incorporating it into our skincare regime.

What is rosehip and are its benefits?

Rosehip is the fruit of the rose plant that remains after the flower blooms and the petals fall out. Similar to a berry, it is typically red in colour, but some species can vary from orange to dark purple. Rosehips are tangy in flavour, and have been used in a variety of recipes and herbal teas for centuries. However, it’s the oil that is extracted from the rosehip fruit that has piqued the interests of beauty experts.

“Rosehip oil is super-rich in essential fatty acids (omegas 3 and 6) and fatty acids (omega 9), making it intensely nourishing, hydrating and great for helping repair and rejuvenate skin,” explains Morley. “Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil is proven to be highly effective at treating scars, stretch marks, fine lines, wrinkles and dry and dehydrated skin.”

Rosehip is  intensely nourishing, hydrating and great for helping repair and rejuvenate skin. Image via iStock.

“Our Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ offers all these benefits, while also protecting the skin against signs of ageing caused by free radical damage. It brightens and evens skin tone, and helps restore healthy, glowing skin.”

“Superfine oils like rosehip are readily accepted and absorbed by the skin, won’t clog or irritate pores and help to promote normal, healthy skin cell function,” explains Morley.

“With a molecular structure similar in design to our own natural skin oil (which is known as sebum), rosehip can help to regulate the skin's own oil production so – far from causing breakouts – it can actually be beneficial for re-balancing oily skin.”

“Because it’s 100% organic with no added preservative, fragrance or colour, it’s also great for sensitive skin.”

What are some of the proven benefits of using natural and organic ingredients as part of your skincare routine?

“There’s a huge and growing demand for skincare which is non-GMO and free from petrochemicals and silicone oils,” comments Morley. “Many women – and men, for that matter – are becoming concerned at the chemical overload inherent in our modern world and are looking for simpler, more natural alternatives to their favourite products.”

“These days, thanks to constant innovation in natural and organic skincare, you can get the same – or indeed better – results without resorting to synthetics. There are some incredibly effective botanical ingredients, backed up with strong clinical data, which simply weren’t available a few years ago,” explains Morley.

"There are some incredibly effective botanical ingredients, backed up with strong clinical data, which simply weren’t available a few years ago.” Image via iStock.

Where in the world is rosehip sourced from and what is the production process like?

Rosehip flourishes in dry, high-altitude climates, and grows rampant and wild in the mountainous regions of Africa and South America. The rosehip oil used in Trilogy products is sourced from carefully selected suppliers in the mountainous regions of Chile and Lesotho.

The rosehip oil used in Trilogy products is extracted from the seeds of the rosehip fruit, which is undertaken through a cold-pressing method. The husks of the rosehip fruit are removed and used to make tea, and the solids remaining after the seeds have been cold-pressed are often used as animal feed and agricultural mulch, ensuring that every part of the rosehip is used.

“The soils, climate and water quality [of the mountainous regions of Chile and Lesotho] combine to create ideal growing conditions and the rosehips are hand-harvested by small village communities in the surrounding area,” explains Morley. “It’s a very low-impact, sustainable method of production.”

Natural wild roses flourish in dry, high-altitude climates. Image via iStock.

How does the production of rosehip oil impact upon the communities that it is sourced from?

“In Lesotho, Trilogy has partnered with a supplier to invest in a state-of-art oil press which has seen production capacity increase. The flow-on benefits of increased trade channel back to the isolated rural communities who hand-harvest the rosehip fruit,” comments Morley.

The demand for rosehip oil has had a similar effect on Chilean producers, with Trilogy International recently investing into one of their supply partners in Chile: “[This investment] will deliver a future supply certainty of certified organic rosehip oil, while enabling the Chilean family business to expand at a faster rate to meet growing demand,” , which reflects a recent statement made by Angela Buglass, CEO of Trilogy International Ltd.

 Has Rose Hip oil helped your skin?