How to Use Organic Face Oils in Your Skincare Routine

The fear of putting oil on your face is understandable. Decades of oil-free marketing convinced an entire generation that facial oils cause breakouts. The reality is more specific: it depends entirely on the oil.

Comedogenicity — the tendency of an ingredient to block pores — varies significantly between botanical oils. Cold-pressed rosehip seed oil has a comedogenic rating of 1 (on a scale of 0–5), making it one of the least pore-blocking oils available. Castor oil sits at 1 as well. Jojoba, used in Alteya's Rose Otto Face Serum alongside sea buckthorn, has a rating of 2 and is structurally similar to the skin's own sebum, which means it is recognised by the skin rather than treated as a foreign substance.

Oils that do block pores — coconut oil (4), wheat germ oil (5) — are not in Alteya's face oil range for exactly this reason. Certified organic face oils chosen for their low comedogenic profile work with the skin's natural lipid system, not against it.

Which Organic Face Oil Is Right for Your Skin? A Quick Reference

Face Oil vs Moisturiser: Do You Need Both?

A face oil and a moisturiser do different things, and that is why they work better together than as substitutes for each other.

A moisturiser — particularly a water-based cream or lotion — delivers humectants: ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin that draw water into the skin and hold it there. What most moisturisers lack is an effective occlusive barrier to prevent that water from evaporating. This is where a face oil steps in.

Botanical oils are lipophilic — they are drawn to the skin's lipid layer and form a permeable barrier that slows water loss without fully blocking oxygen exchange. Applied over a moisturiser (or a damp face after a flower water toner), a face oil locks in the hydration delivered by the layers beneath it. The result is better moisture retention over several hours compared to using either product alone.

The exception is very dry or mature skin during winter months, where a richer facial oil like Rosehip Seed Oil or the Rose Otto Serum can sometimes replace the moisturiser entirely in an evening routine — acting as both treatment and barrier in one step.

Warming the oil between your palms for 5–8 seconds before application makes a noticeable difference to absorption. Cold oil applied directly to the face tends to sit on the surface; warmed oil presses into the skin more evenly and absorbs within 60–90 seconds rather than leaving a greasy residue for several minutes.

Rosehip Seed Oil: The Organic Choice for Uneven Tone and Texture

Cold-pressed rosehip seed oil — extracted from Rosa canina hips — is one of the most widely used carrier oils in natural skincare. It is naturally rich in linoleic acid (omega-6), a fatty acid naturally found in the skin's own surface lipids. It also contains a meaningful concentration of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which helps skin look smoother and more even-toned over time.

Alteya's Rosehip Seed Oil is sourced from a specialist Turkish producer — Turkey is one of the recognised quality-producing countries for rosehip seed oil — and bottled at Alteya's Bulgarian base in amber glass with a pipette for precise application. Amber glass protects the oil's linoleic acid content from UV degradation, which matters because rosehip oil oxidises faster than more saturated oils.

Store it in a cool, dark place or in the fridge. If the oil develops a noticeably sharp or rancid smell, it has oxidised and should be replaced. Fresh rosehip oil has a mild, slightly earthy scent — pleasant but distinct.