Rose Hips Don’t Lie — Your Skin Will Bloom With Kat Burki’s Rose Hip Revitalizing Serum And Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum
Fragrant rose blossoms get all the glory, immortalized as they are in songs like Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose,” Bette Midler’s “The Rose,” Lynn Anderson’s “I Never Promised You A Rise Garden,” and Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” to name but a few, and in such works of literature as William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, Louisa May Alcott’s Rose in Bloom, and William Butler Yeats’ The Secret Rose, but the rose plant offers many treasures beyond those velvety flowers. The Rosa Rugosa, for instance, figures among the rose plant species that grow rose hips, the berry-like fruit that forms after the pollination of flowers. From high levels of vitamin C to beta-carotene and lycopene, these berries are loaded with nutrients that are beneficial to the skin, helping to promote collagen and elastin production so as to keep the complexion lifted and taut, kicking the cellular regeneration process into high gear, diminishing the appearance of dark spots and yielding a more even skin tone. For all these reasons, rose hip is the central ingredient in two standout products within the Kat Burki skincare range: the Kat Burki Rose Hip Revitalizing Serum ($165 at KatBurki.com) and the Kat Burki Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum ($125 at KatBurki.com), both of which contain no parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes and fragrances, petroleum and mineral oils, or gluten.
There are other products that rattle off rose hip seed oil within their list of ingredients, so what makes these ones so special? Well, part of the answer involves the manner in which the rose hip is utilized. Many beauty companies overheat and process natural botanical extracts and, by so doing, eradicate many of the vitamins, nutrients and minerals therein, lessening their efficacy. Thanks to her years of experience as a nutrition, health, and wellness expert, Kat Burki launched her skincare line with the goal of formulating nutrient-rich products using the best possible methodologies so as to ensure they delivered the desired results. To that end, the brand often utilizes cold-pressed ingredients that are cold-poured and cold-processed under temperatures less than 120 degrees. In this case, the ingredient in question is vitamin C-rich, cold-pressed, purified rose hip seed oil.
The other key factor is the way this primary ingredient interacts with the other actives in each formulation — particularly the KB5 Complex, DMAE, and Stay C found in both products. The Stay C or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate represents a stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C that inhibits free radical damage and, like the vitamin C found in rose hip seed oil, battles hyperpigmentation and improves skintone, boosting radiance. Together, then, the Stay C and rose hip seed oil present a united front against dark spots and dullness.
The KB5 Complex, meanwhile, refers to a unique blend of five ingredients: gotu kola, arnica, calendula, lavender and chamomile. Gotu kola, otherwise known as centella asiatica, has long been used in Ayurmedic medicine to treat everything from wounds to eczema. The herb has been found to contain plant chemicals known as triterpenoid saponins, which have anti-bacterial properties and speed up the wound healing properties. Moreover, it contains beta carotene that stimulates the production of new cells and improves skin’s resilience. Arnica extract, meanwhile, is derived from young yellow mountain daisies that grow in Europe and has long been used to treat bruises thanks to its circulation-boosting powers. By boosting micro-circulation, arnica extract can reduce inflammation and puffiness. Another wound-healing herb, calendula, has the added benefit of a rich concentration of carotenoids which, in turn, have vitamin A activity. As a result, calendula extract works to promote collagen production, thereby supporting skin elasticity and minimizing the appearance and depth of fine lines. The final two plant extracts in the KB5 complex, lavender and chamomile extract, are both touted for their soothing properties. Together, the fab five is a potent anti-aging team and yet it’s amazingly gentle and won’t dry out or irritate the skin (as can happen with some retinol-heavy products).
DMAE, the final ingredient found in both products, is a choline compound that reduce build-up of the age pigmentation known as beta-amyloid (or, to use a more colloquial term, age spots). But, most importantly, it contains antioxidants that elevate the skin’s firmness, effectively lifting sagging skin and smoothing out pesky wrinkles.
Meant to be applied in the morning and evening, after cleansing the skin but before moisturizing, the Kat Burki Rose Hip Revitalizing Serum contains the aforementioned ingredients along with MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), an organic sulfur compound that makes skin cells more permeable so that they can better absorb the ingredients in the formula. The serum has a lovely texture — not sticky or viscous, not overly heavy or balmy, and not so aqueous as to slip right in between your fingers. To use, pump out two to three drops onto your hand and then rub your palms together to warm up the substance, proceeding to pat the serum all over your face and neck. I personally like to give myself a facial massage with the serum since I can literally see my skin becoming more supple and rosy as I work it into my complexion. The serum is absorbed rather quickly, leaves behind no residue, and leaves skin looking more luminous and supple. It also has the wondrous ability of optimizing skin’s moisture levels, eradicating tiny blemishes without drying out the complexion, keeping excess oil at bay without sacrificing dewiness and volume, and so forth.
The Kat Burki Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum, meanwhile, restores an alertness and vitality to even the most tired-looking eyes thanks to the aforementioned ingredients and the addition of soothing, antioxidant-rich vitamin E and of Rovisome retinol, a stabilized form of vitamin A that stimulates collagen production, hence reducing wrinkle depth. Though, as with all skincare products, its results are best gauged after several weeks of consistent use, both myself and my husband discerned some changes after just one treatment — especially in regards to puffiness. My hubby, who moans about the “luggage” under his eyes was blown away when I dabbed the product under one of his eyes and showed him the difference between the “treated” eye and the “untreated” one. And then, of course, I hid the eye serum because, well, I’m not good at sharing!
After over 4 weeks of steady use, I’ve noticed that the skin around my eyes does look brighter and smoother and that the tiny lines that were starting to surface along the outer corners of my eyes have been successfully contained. Since it’s a 360 eye serum (meaning you can apply it to the entire eye area, including eye lids), I’ve also been able to witness the improved appearance of my lids, which can often look a bit gray and sallow, as well as the increased tautness of my upper eyelid area (the section of skin under your eyebrows that begins to droop with age).
Maybe we should change the idiom to “coming up rose hips”? Just a thought!
