Homemade rose face cream

This Rose Dream Face Cream is a beautiful, soft, rose-filled cream! Using rosewater, rosehip seed oil from wild roses and with the beautiful rosey smell of geranium it will last longer than a bunch of flowers from your loved one!

This gorgeous homemade face cream is packed full of skin regenerating and rejuvenating ingredients so it’s wonderful for dry, normal or mature skin. Macadamia  is emollient, soothing, protective (especially against weather and outside conditions), and easily absorbed. Avocado is rich in vitamin E, healing and nourishing, encourages skin cell regeneration and has a wonderful soft, silky feel on the skin. Rosehip oil is regenerating, rejuvenating, healing and the only vegetable oil to contain tretinoin (a form of vitamin A) which helps to repair damaged skin, acne, and reduce wrinkles and scars. Rose water is cooling, soothing, astringent and anti-inflammatory. Rose geranium or geranium essential oil adds a rosey aroma and is great at balancing sebum (the skin’s natural oil). Bergamot FCF adds an uplifting touch.

Rose Dream Face Cream recipe

Oil phase

6g emulsifier  eg Olivem 1000 (INCI: Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate)
5g avocado oil
9g macadamia oil
5g rosehip oil
1g cetyl alcohol

Water phase

70.1g rosewater (rose hydrolate or hydrosol)
2.5g glycerin
0.2g xanthan gum

Cooling phase

0.1g vitamin E
0.5g (approx 15 drops) rose geranium essential oil
0.5g (approx 15 drops) bergamot FCF essential oil
1g preservative* (or as manufacturers instructions)

*As this product contains water a broad-spectrum preservative is necessary (vitamin E, rosemary extract and grapefruit seed extract are NOT preservatives). Use your preservative according to the manufacturer’s instructions and adjust the recipe accordingly. We like using Preservative Eco (INCI Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerine, Sorbic Acid) from Aromantic (UK) as it is an Ecocert certified preservative. This is also sold as Geogard™ ECT available from Voyageur Soap and Candle Company (USA) and Plantaserv M available from New Directions (Australia).

If you’d like to learn more about natural emulsifiers and preservatives then our FREE Guide to natural emulsifiers and preservatives will be useful. Download it below.

How to make the cream

Use only clean equipment and tools, and always follow good manufacturing practices (GMP) when making any skincare products.  You can follow the instructions below or use the “heat and hold method”. Read more about the heat and hold method here: Using the heat and hold method for making creams and lotions: pros and cons.

1. Place the oil phase ingredients in a bain-marie or water bath and allow ingredients to melt. Bring the temperature up to 70-75℃.

2. Mix xanthan gum and glycerin into a slurry. Add it to the rosewater while stirring.

3. Place the water phase ingredients (rosewater and glycerine) into a second bain-marie or water bath and bring the temperature to 70-75℃.

4. Check that both oil phase and water phase are the same temperature. They won’t emulsify properly if they are different temperatures.

5. Add the water phase to the oil phase and whisk/blend to emulsify the cream.

6. Allow it to cool, mixing periodically. As it cools it will start to thicken. Add the preservative and other cooling phase ingredients once the cream is below 40℃ and mix well.

7. Transfer into your packaging of choice. This should keep for 6-9 months.