As natural wellness devotees, our medicine cabinets, make-up bags, shower caddies and kitchen pantries are full of oils and seeds both to put on our skin and to eat.

We love coconut oil, Argan oil, Vitamin E oil, rosehip oil, Jojoba oil, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds— they all nourish our bodies, inside and out. Recently, however, we were turned onto the incredible benefits of raspberry seed oil — combining the power of natural oils and seeds in one deliciously potent package that’s jam packed (get it?) with incredible benefits that support and sustain our health and wellness.

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Raspberry Oil Benefits

One of the reasons we love raspberry seed oil is that it has a specific combination of unusual benefits that really make it indispensable and special. While coconut oil may be the workhorse of natural oils, raspberry seed oil is the unicorn.

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1. Antioxidants

First things first: Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances found in fruit and vegetables that help stop cells from oxidizing in your body. These oxidants, or free radicals, attack healthy cells in your body which causes a chain reaction of unstable, unhealthy cells. Antioxidants help reduce the number of free radicals in your body and have been linked in helping to prevent cancer, diabetes and accelerated aging due to pollution, smoking, radiation and herbicides.

Raspberry seed oil has naturally high concentrations of Vitamin E, Vitamin A and Phytosterols, all of which are powerful antioxidants. They are known to help protect against cancer, encourage new collagen growth for younger looking skin, inhibit UV damage, stimulate cell repair and reduces skin damage.

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2. Sun Protecting Properties

A study published in 2000 showed that raspberry seed oil may provide signficant UV protection.  Raspberry seed oil SPF is shown to be able to block the sun’s harmful rays by both “scattering” the rays and also absorbing the rays as they reach your skin.

There are two types of sun rays: UVB and UVA. UVB rays are the rays that cause the actual sunburn while UVA rays are what causes premature skin aging and skin cancer. Raspberry seed oil may provide decent UVB SPF protection but provides very little UVA protection. So while raspberry seed oil is an amazing additive to your traditional SPF skin care routine, we would not suggest relying solely on it to keep yourself safe.

 

3. Essential Fatty Acids

Our bodies need a certain amount of fatty acids (thus— essential) to maintain proper health. Without the right amount of fatty acids, we can face anything from dry skin to depression, kidney abnormalities to decreased immune function.

On the flip side, if our bodies are nice and stocked up with all the essential fatty acids we need, it can help reduce the incidence of stroke and heart disease as well as relieve menstrual pain, joint pain and ulcerative colitis. Healthy essential fatty acid levels have even been associated with decreased breast cancer risk!

Some fatty acids we produce on our own, but others, like Omega-6 and Omega-3, we need to get from fruits and veggies. Raspberry seed oil contains high amounts of both and can help eczema, acne, and psoriasis when applied topically.

 

4. Anti-inflammatory

Raspberry seed oil contains high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid which is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory acid that helps keep skin hydrated, reduces puffiness and helps regenerate cells— which helps keep your skin looking younger, longer!

 

5. Ellagic Acid

And speaking of anti-aging properties, Ellagic acid helps reduce the destruction of collagen and inflammatory responses of your skin which are two major players in wrinkle development. While it has yet to be proven, Ellagic acid has also been shown in certain instances to help prevent skin cancer.