A Rose Is A Rose—Except When It’s An Eco-Beauty Powerhouse
May 16 2010
Go ahead and breathe deep—smell that? That’s the scent of spring roses. From now through early autumn in most parts of the country, everyone’s favorite flower is gonna be gettin’ its bloom on. But you, lucky ecoista, can enjoy its botanical beauty benefits all year long with these rose-based, eco-beauty essentials, which are free of parabens, petrochems, synthetic perfumes and animal testing—pretty much any baddie on our Big List.
Why roses? Serious results, in the form of cell regeneration and uber-hydration, from rosehip oil (rosehip is the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant—otherwise known as that bulb-y thing on your rosebush that looks like a weird tomato), which contains linoleic and linolenic essential fatty acids, as well as high concentrations of vitamin A, to treat eczema, acne scars, sun-damaged or mature skin.
Along with the astringent, bactericidal and—dare we say—aphrodisiac properties of rose petals distilled to create rose water and rose essential oil, these pretty flowers go so much further than scent. (But that’s nice, too.)
PETALS FOR ALL AGES
On our daily-moisture must-have list (Rachel featured it in the “Is Beauty Skin Deep?” video), Celadon Road’s Moisturizing Facial Cream blends certified organic aloe vera gel, wild crafted seaweed, certified organic lavender, and antioxidant-rich rosehips. We can feel the free radicals running for cover!
Ever since we popped a bar of Wembé White Rose Cleansing Blend into the shower, we lather up with a sense of connection to the natural world. Which is exactly what Wembé intends when it creates fair-trade, natural body products from Amazonian botanical elements. Speckled with rose petals and beautiful colored using organic vegetable dyes, this Paraguayan-made, vegan cleansing bar is luxurious and effective enough to use for daily bathing, and pretty enough that you’ll think twice about using it as, well, soap.
For affordability, availability and heavenly aroma, we love Weleda’s Wild Rose line, made with organic wild rosehip seed oil and rose leaf extracts. The Wild Rose deodorant is the answer to our prayers: A natural, non-toxic pit purifier that really works, plus smells so pretty we almost want to use it as perfume. (Note, we said “almost.) Most of all, we love that we can buy Weleda at Target and Whole Foods, or on Weleda’s own well-organized, shopper-friendly site.
EAU DE ROSE
Need a cooling spritz? With rose oil and rose water, Organic Apoteke Droseros Hydrating Mist hydrates and refreshes your skin—and your mood! We keep a bottle on the desk for a skin-soothing energy boost and stress-fighter. Who knew roses could make you feel good, too? P.S. Buy $50 or more of Organic Apoteke products at Spirit Beauty Lounge with “ecostiletto” at check out, and get a free, travel-size Droseros Hydrating Mist. Bonus!
Dream Organics’ Organic Rose Water delivers the scent of fresh roses for pennies a spritz. At $12 a bottle, this 100% pure steam-distilled organic Bulgarian rose water fits right into our budget and leaves us feeling freshened, feminine and fabulous. Perfect for tossing in a bag for instant fragrance on the go.
Yes, we love to spritz. But there is something to be said for serious perfume. Composed of ridiculously high-quality, certified organic, wild-crafted, biodynamic and hydro-distilled essences, in complex arrangements orchestrated by master perfumer Alexandra Balahoutis, Strange Invisible Perfumes never disappoint. Their Aquarian Roses perfume smells like roses, certainly, but it’s richer and deeper than that. This multilayered scent lasts throughout the day, leaving you with little whiffs of deliciously beautiful fragrance that evolves as it warms and softens. Captivating.
CELEBRITY FAVE
Do you want what she’s having? Celebs love CARE by Stella McCartney 5 Benefits Moisturizing Fluid—for good reason: It’s light, lovely to smell and packs a moisturizing and nourishing punch with grape seed oil, white mallow extract, green tea extract and rose oil. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it was created by the green queen herself.
ANTI-AGING BLOOMS
Forget the fountain of youth and try an anti-aging bouquet of yummy rose products from La Isha, a woman-owned, socially responsible company; we love their creamy, not sudsy, Gentle Aromatherapy Face Wash, which cleans and softens, thanks to an infusion of rosehip oil paired with aloe, olive oil, papaya extract and vitamin C.
For grownup skin, Living Nature’s Radiance Night Oil delivers targeted results with organic rosehip fruit oil, organic jojoba oil and highly prized Damascus rose flower oil. Before crawling under the covers, dab this beautifully scented oil on trouble spots—under eyes, around the mouth, on the neck. While you’re getting your zzz’s, Radiance is hard at work hydrating and repairing cells for a firmer, dewier look when you wake. Talk about beauty sleep!
And since we’re on the subject of eternal youth, let’s focus on eyes for moment. Our peepers are perking up for Marine Anti-Aging Eye Cream from eco-cert, USDA organic Gabriel Organics. Part of a new line that uses rosehip seed oil in combination with sea fennel, sea cucumber and blue-green algae to trigger collagen development and hydrate tired skin, this concentrated formula is fragrance-free, synthetic-preservative-free and vegan.
ORGANIC BEAUTY NOW, WITH ROSES
Over at OrganicBeautyNow.com, all skin types—and ages—can benefit from a plethora of rose-based beauty products. This new online eco-beauty emporium has a strict list of standards: All products are certified organic and/or all-natural and free of anything on our Big List—including animal testing. We like:
Karen’s Botanicals’ Calendula Rose Facial Cream, a great light-yet-luscious moisturizer that’s infused with rosebud, rosehip seed oil and calendula, which absorbs in an instant.
Badger’s Antique Rose Body Butter smells and feels rich, with its intense formulation of rosehip extract, rose otto essential oil, organic virgin coconut oil, wild African shea butter, organic cocoa butter and organic jojoba, but at ten bucks a tube, it’s an indulgence even a budget ecoista can enjoy.
Duchess Marden Damascena Crème Cleanser, which combines rose with honeysuckle to hydrate parched skin and fortify collagen rebuilding. Plus, this cleanser smells so intoxicating, you’ll look forward to washing your face!
