Combining vitamin C and sea buckthorn: what you need to know before

Yes, but not for the reason one might imagine. Sea buckthorn is famous for its vitamin C content—and this vitamin is found in the berry, not in the oil that is applied.

The berry / oil confusion

The orange berries of Hippophae rhamnoides are one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C, far surpassing oranges. This is true, documented, and it concerns sea buckthorn juice and the consumed fruit—a food topic.

The oil extracted from these berries, however, is fat-soluble. Since vitamin C is water-soluble, it is practically absent from the oil. What the oil provides is something entirely different: carotenoids, beta-carotene, and especially palmitoleic acid.

What sea buckthorn oil really provides

Pulp oil is one of the rare plant sources of omega-7, a fatty acid present in human sebum whose production decreases with age. It is very rich in carotenoids, which gives it its deep orange color.

Seed oil, extracted from the seeds, has a different profile: rich in essential fatty acids — linoleic and alpha-linolenic — and much less colored. Labels do not always distinguish between the two, and one must look for the mention "pulp" or "seed".

Why the combination still works

A water-soluble antioxidant and an oil rich in fat-soluble compounds do not cover the same compartments. Vitamin C works in aqueous phases, carotenoids in the lipids of the surface film.

It's the same logic as combining vitamin C and vitamin E, with added nourishing benefits. On dry and dull skin, the combination makes sense.

The order, and the question of color

Apply vitamin C serum to clean skin, wait one minute, then one to three drops of sea buckthorn oil diluted in a neutral oil or in a cream. Never apply pure oil to the face: it colors the skin for several hours and permanently stains clothes.

Preferably in the evening, for this reason. In the morning, the tint is noticeable under light makeup, and the oil is too rich under sunscreen.

Precautions

A patch test on the crook of the elbow for two days, as with any unrefined vegetable oil. A dilution of one to five percent on the face. A small bottle: this oil oxidizes in six to twelve months and a large format will expire before being finished.

On blemish-prone skin, its richness makes it delicate. On very dry or mature skin, it is particularly suitable.

What the combination does not do

It does not protect from the sun, despite what is sometimes read about carotenoids. It does not act on established wrinkles. It does not provide vitamin C through the oil, and recalling this avoids buying a product for a reason that does not exist.

Our sea buckthorn ingredient sheet and vitamin C detail the compositions, and the nourishing face oil offers a neutral base for dilution.

Hippophae rhamnoides, in a few words

Sea buckthorn is a thorny shrub found in coastal and mountainous areas of Europe and Asia. Its orange berries are exceptionally rich in nutrients, giving it an ancient reputation in traditional medicine, and widespread use as a food in the form of juice.

This reputation comes from the consumed berry, not the applied oil. The distinction is at the heart of the matter and explains most of the disappointed expectations with this ingredient in cosmetics.

What the oil contains, form by form

Pulp oil is highly concentrated in carotenoids and palmitoleic acid, a rare omega-7 in the plant kingdom. Seed oil provides essential fatty acids in balanced proportions and a higher concentration of tocopherols.

Both keep for six to twelve months after opening, in a cool place away from light. Their richness in unsaturated compounds makes them susceptible to oxidation, which necessitates small formats.

The skin's resistance to aggressions

A well-formed surface film better withstands cold, wind, and temperature fluctuations. Lipid intake contributes directly, antioxidants indirectly by protecting these lipids from oxidation.

This is the area where this combination makes the most sense: dry and exposed skin, in winter, where the two mechanisms combine. On oily skin in summer, the benefit is significantly less.

In practice, often one drop is enough

One drop diluted in a cream, applied in the evening. Two to three times a week initially. This parsimony is not a safety precaution but a question of coloration: beyond that, the complexion takes on a noticeable orange hue.

The sea buckthorn sheet details both oils and their compositions, and the nourishing face oil offers a neutral base for dilution.