Twelve years later, it is still the ritual we return to.
Before elaborate skincare routines, before ten-step regimens, before every new active had its moment on the shelf...there was oil.
It was one of the first things we made at Wild Roses, and twelve years later, our facial oils are still our bestselling products.
There is something beautifully simple about them: plants infused slowly into oils, botanical extracts chosen with intention, and a formula concentrated enough that only a few drops are needed.
No complicated ritual required.
And perhaps that's why, after all these years, we still believe a really beautiful facial oil is one of the most versatile things you can keep on your vanity.
One bottle. More than one ritual.
We tend to think of facial oil as the final step in a skincare routine, and it can absolutely be that.
Pressed into slightly damp skin, facial oil helps soften the skin, replenish lipids and seal in moisture, especially when layered over a hydrating tonique or serum.
But that's only one way to use it.
Use it to remove makeup.
Oil is remarkably good at dissolving makeup, sunscreen and the oils that accumulate on the skin throughout the day. Massage a generous amount over dry skin, including around the eyes, then remove slowly with a warm, damp cloth.
Use it to cleanse.
Oil cleansing works on the beautifully simple principle that oil dissolves oil. Massaging facial oil into the skin helps lift away excess sebum, makeup and daily buildup without leaving the face with that tight, squeaky-clean feeling we've been taught to associate with cleanliness.
Or use it to deeply nourish.
Warm a few drops between your palms and press them into damp skin. Take your time. Massage along the jaw, cheeks and forehead. Let the ritual be as much about the few minutes of touch as it is about the formula itself.
One bottle can move between all three rituals depending on what your skin needs.
What exactly is a facial oil?
A traditional face cream is usually an emulsion: water and oil held together with emulsifying ingredients and protected with a preservation system.
The oil phase is where many of the ingredients responsible for a cream's richness, slip and emollience live, botanical oils, butters and other oil-soluble ingredients that soften and condition the skin.
A facial oil gives you that lipid-rich part of the ritual without the water phase. Because there is no added water, an anhydrous facial oil also doesn't require the same type of broad-spectrum preservation system that a water-based cream does. The result is wonderfully concentrated.
Every drop can be composed of oils, botanical infusions and oil-soluble ingredients chosen specifically for the skin.That doesn't make facial oil inherently better than a beautifully formulated cream- water-based products can deliver hydration and water-soluble ingredients that oils cannot.
We simply think the two serve different purposes. Water gives the skin hydration. Oil helps soften, nourish and support the skin's lipid barrier while helping slow the loss of that precious water. Together, they're magic.
Three oils. Three different kinds of skin.
We don't believe everyone needs the same facial oil.
Skin changes with age, climate, hormones, stress and season. So rather than creating one universal formula, our collection includes three.
RADIANT
For skin craving glow, nourishment and luminosity.
Radiant is our ode to glowing skin. This is the facial oil for skin that feels dull, depleted or simply in need of a little more richness. Think supple, luminous, well-nourished skin — the kind of glow that doesn't come from shimmer, but from skin that has been cared for exceptionally well.
If your skincare philosophy is feed the skin and let it glow, start here.
RESTORE
For dry, mature or deeply depleted skin.
Restore is for the seasons when skin needs more. When it feels dry. Less supple. More delicate. Or when the changing needs of mature skin call for a richer ritual.
This is the oil we reach for when the goal is replenishment — supporting softness, comfort and the skin barrier with a deeply nourishing botanical oil blend.
If your skin seems to drink up everything you put on it, Restore is likely your match.
REFINE
For combination, oily or congestion-prone skin.
Putting oil on oily skin can feel counterintuitive.
But oily skin still needs lipids — and stripping it repeatedly in an attempt to eliminate every trace of oil can leave the skin feeling irritated and unbalanced. Refine was created for skin that wants nourishment without heaviness.
It is our choice for combination, oily and blemish-prone complexions, or anyone looking for a lighter facial oil ritual while still receiving the conditioning benefits of botanical oils.
Proof that facial oil isn't reserved for dry skin.
The beauty is in the simplicity.
Twelve years of making skincare has taught us something:
A good ritual doesn't need twelve steps, it needs a few exceptionally good ones.
- A gentle cleanse.
- Something water-based to replenish hydration.
- A few drops of beautiful facial oil pressed into damp skin.
- SPF in the morning.
That's enough.
Perhaps that's part of the reason our facial oils have remained our bestselling products since the earliest days of Wild Roses.
Trends have changed, our packaging has changed, our formulas have evolved.
We have evolved - but the ritual itself has endured.
A bottle of botanical oil. A few drops warmed between your palms. And a moment, morning or night, to come back to yourself.
Twelve years later, we still haven't found anything quite like it.