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Raspberry seed oil is the cold-pressed plant oil from the seeds of the raspberry, Rubus idaeus, a shrub of the rose family. On the label of our raspberry seed oil the ingredient reads Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, cold-pressed and made in India, as a cosmetic oil for hair and skin; there is no second ingredient. It is a thin, golden oil with a light fruity smell and a dry, almost matte finish, sold in a 30 ml and a 100 ml bottle with a pipette.
Many people search for 'raspberry seed oil benefits' or search for 'raspberry oil sunscreen'. We make no claim about what this oil does in or under the skin or to the hair: the label says nothing about that, and neither do we. On the sun, one thing is plain and needs saying first: raspberry seed oil is a care oil and not a sunscreen, and it replaces none. What you can check yourself is what the label says, where the oil comes from, how it looks, smells and feels, and how to use it. That is what this guide is about.
Raspberry seed oil at a glance
- Label: Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, the only ingredient; cold-pressed; made in India.
- Plant: the raspberry, Rubus idaeus; the oil comes from the hard little seeds in the fruit, not from the flesh or the leaf.
- Colour and smell: golden to light yellow; a light, slightly fruity smell, nearly gone once absorbed.
- Texture: thin; absorbs fast and leaves a dry, almost matte film.
- Character: a strongly unsaturated seed oil, light on the skin and sooner old than a butter.
- Not: a sunscreen, and not to be swallowed.
- Use: face, hands and cuticles, body, hair ends and home-made blends; external use only.
- Bottle and storage: 30 ml or 100 ml, dark glass with pipette; cool, dark and closed, finish within a year.
Where the oil comes from
A raspberry is a cluster of small drupelets, and each drupelet holds one hard little seed; those seeds, the ones that get stuck between your teeth, are what the oil is pressed from. It takes a great many raspberries to fill one bottle, which is why raspberry seed oil costs more than sunflower or almond oil. The label says cold-pressed and made in India; it does not say refined or unrefined, and we do not add that word. It names one ingredient and gives no shelf life.
Not a sunscreen
Much of what is written about raspberry seed oil online is about the sun. We do not repeat any of it. This oil is a cosmetic care oil for skin and hair, as the label says; it is not a sunscreen, it has not been tested as one, and it replaces none. Anyone who goes into the sun uses a product that is made and tested for that. Raspberry seed oil goes on the skin for how it feels, and for nothing else.
How the oil looks, smells and feels
Golden to light yellow, clear, with a light, slightly fruity smell that you notice when you open the bottle and hardly notice on the skin. The texture is what people buy it for: thin, fast to absorb, and with a dry, almost matte finish. A minute after applying, the skin feels smooth and looks matte rather than oiled, which is why the oil suits the face and goes under a day cream without sliding. It is a strongly unsaturated seed oil, which is what makes it so light and also why it turns old sooner than a butter; keep it cool.
On the face
Two to three drops on lightly damp skin after cleansing, pressed in with the flat of the hand rather than rubbed. It absorbs fast and leaves a dry, matte film, also under a day cream in the morning; at night the same amount on its own. Three drops is about 0.15 ml, so a 30 ml bottle lasts two hundred applications, more than six months. This is where the oil comes into its own; for large areas a cheaper oil is more practical.
On the hands and cuticles
One or two drops after washing the hands, rubbed in down to the cuticles. Because the oil absorbs so fast, you can carry on straight away without greasy fingers. About 0.1 ml a time, so three hundred applications from 30 ml.
On the body
Half a teaspoon per arm or leg after showering, on skin that is still damp. That is about 2.5 ml a limb, so forty limbs from a 100 ml bottle; for the whole body every day, a cheaper oil such as sweet almond oil is more practical, and raspberry seed oil is kept for the face.
On the hair ends and in a blend
One drop rubbed between the palms and smoothed over the ends of dry hair on wash days; that is about 0.05 ml and you hardly notice it on the bottle. In a home-made face oil or balm, one part raspberry seed oil to two or three parts of another oil or melted butter, as the light part that brings the dry finish; a blend on jojoba oil keeps well. Mix in a clean dark glass bottle and finish it within a few months. Other oils to blend with are in the carrier oils collection.
How much you use and which bottle to choose
For the face, the hands and the hair ends, 30 ml lasts for months and is empty before the oil is old; for most people that is the right size. For the body or for blends, 100 ml is cheaper per millilitre; keep it cool and dark and finish it within a year. Both bottles hold the same oil, in dark glass with a pipette. More oil does not give a better result, only a face that shines longer; with this thin oil, less is nearly always enough.
How to store it
Cool, dark and tightly closed, not in the bathroom or on a windowsill, and finish an opened bottle within a year; the label gives no shelf life and we give none either. If the oil smells sharp or rancid instead of lightly fruity, do not use it any more.
What to watch out for
External use only: this is a cosmetic oil, so do not swallow it and do not use it in the kitchen, even though the raspberry itself is a fruit you eat. It is not a sunscreen. Apply one drop to the inside of the wrist first and wait a day. Raspberry is not on the European list of fourteen allergens and the label names no fragrance, but there is no analysis certificate for this batch, so we promise nothing about traces; if you react, stop. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with lukewarm water. Keep out of reach of children. Other single-ingredient oils are in the pure oils collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is raspberry seed oil a sunscreen?
No. It is a care oil, not tested as a sunscreen, and it replaces none.
Does it smell of raspberries?
Lightly and fruitily when you open the bottle; on the skin the smell is nearly gone within minutes.
Is it unrefined?
The label says cold-pressed and names one ingredient; it does not use the word unrefined, and neither do we.
How long does a bottle last?
Three drops a day on the face: more than six months from 30 ml. Use an opened bottle within a year.
