A product round-up of rose infused beauty products…
From Kim’s KKW makeup’s signature floral ceilings and walls and the announcement of former NFL player and virgin Colton Underwood as the next Bachelor to Whole Foods’ claim for 2018’s number one flower flavour—everything’s coming up roses, even in the beauty aisles.
Not new news of course considering roses are rumoured to have been used in hair care, skin care, perfumery and bathtubs since Cleopatra’s time. We get that. And while we could delve all the way back to the Egyptians circa 69 BC to understand their cult status we’ll settle for 1921, instead, when Parisian nose Ernest Beaux and the legendary Coco Chanel created Chanel No°5, one of the world’s most iconic rose scents. Naturally all of the perfume industry heavy weights followed suit, including Guerlain’s Shalimar in 1925, Lanvin’s Arpège in 1927 and Nina Ricci’s L’Air du Temps in 1948.
Then, sometime over the last century, rose fragrance started to take a backseat to, well, other more popular scents. But where perfumers dropped this particular mic, the skin and hair-care companies swooped in and picked it up.
Originally, skincare scientists mix-mastered rose extract and rose-hip oils into their lotions, creams and waters for their scent. They were after all, following in the perfumers’ footsteps. This attitude was short lived, though. When the rose quickly gained a reputation for being an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial ingredient, which could soothe and tone the skin, it caught consumers’ attention and held it.
Then, in the early 2000s with the beauty industry’s rise in its usage of botanical oils and serums, the rose started growing in popularity. Along with fighting redness and eliminating acne, it became renowned for its excellent anti-oxidant, healing and hydrating properties. Overflowing with Vitamins C and E, it’s also favoured for its ability to help stimulate collagen and lock moisture into the skin with creating a greasy effect or cause unwanted acne.
Now, rose-infused skincare is such a hot commodity it’s practically blooming everywhere, including in fragrance bottles where the cult-trend started. Here are six of our favourite skincare products.
Dior, Crème de Rose Smoothing, Plumping Lip Balm, plumps and hydrates your lips, $35, available the Hudson’s Bay stores.
Rodial, Rose Gold Deep Line Filler, blurs the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, $85, available at Murale stores.
Pretty Cosmetics, Rose & Geranium Radiance Facial Serum, infuses skin with a healthy glow, $50, available online at prettycosmetics.ca.
Sukin, Rose Hip Hydrating Face Cream, soothes, moisturizes and protects your skin, $18, available online at well.ca.
Fresh, Rose Face Mask, purifies and hydrates your face, $62, available at Sephora stores and online at fresh.com.
The Innate Life, Rose Hair Elixir, nourishes frizzy hair and dry hair and scalp, $19, available online at theinnatelife.co.
