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Sea buckthorn

Orange pulp, pale seeds: one shrub, two distinct oils

Hippophae rhamnoides

Someone in oversized gloves picks bright sea buckthorn berries off thorny branches.
Illustration

The short version

Sea buckthorn gives two oils: a deep orange oil from the fruit pulp and a paler oil from the seeds. People put them on skin for moisture, soothing support, and antioxidants. You’ll also see it in blends for scalp care.

Family
Elaeagnaceae
Part used
Berry and seed (two different oils)
Comes from
Europe and Asia, including the Himalaya and Siberia

Good for?

Common in creams and balms aimed at dry, stressed, or after-sun skin. Lab work shows antioxidant action, and one study suggests fruit extract can boost the SPF of an octocrylene sunscreen in vitro. It pops up in hair and scalp formulas, often alongside other botanicals.

Does it actually work?

In animals.

Tested on animals, not yet on human skin or hair.

Evidence grade 2 out of 5.

“Topically, fruit oil creams and gels sped wound closure in rat models, with acceptable acute dermal safety in those tests.”

What the studies say

Topically, fruit oil creams and gels sped wound closure in rat models, with acceptable acute dermal safety in those tests. A leaf extract improved wound healing in diabetic rats, and a seed fraction supported fibroblast migration and collagen-related markers in lab assays. Fruit extracts show antioxidant activity in vitro, and one formulation study reported in vitro SPF boosting when combined with octocrylene; real-world testing is still needed. An ex vivo study on human hair follicles used a blend containing sea buckthorn fruit oil and saw reduced senescence markers. A systematic review for rosacea highlights mainly preclinical mechanisms; controlled human trials remain scarce.

Read this first

An in vitro safety assessment of an aqueous fruit extract did not find skin or eye irritation or genotoxicity, and estimated conservative safe-use levels for cosmetics. Rat studies of fruit oil creams and gels did not flag acute dermal toxicity. As with any botanical, patch test first if you have sensitive skin or many allergies.

One toxicology paper evaluated sea buckthorn fruit extract for cosmetic use and estimated safe usage levels using established risk assessment approaches. It did not report specific regulatory restrictions.

Reviewed

Sources

  1. Hybrid Herbal-Synthetic Sunscreen Formulations: Boosting SPF With Hippophae Rhamnoides and Sapindus Mukorossi Extracts. — Murugesan P, Thangarathinam K, Balasubramanian N. · Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026
  2. Effect of UV Radiation and Temperature on Radical Scavenging Activity of Hippophaë rhamnoides L. and Vaccinium oxycoccos L. Fruit Extracts. — Michalak M, Pilawa B, Ramos P, Glinka R. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
  3. Wound-healing effect of topical nanoemulsion-loaded cream and gel formulations of Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) fruit oil and their acute dermal toxicity study on female SD rats. — Gore DD, Sharma N, Mishra N, Parmar PK, Ranjana S, Kumar D, Jachak SM, Jena G, Tikoo K, Bansal AK, Singh IP. · Indian journal of pharmacology · 2024
  4. Exploring the potential mechanisms of the ethyl acetate fraction of Hippophae rhamnoides L. seeds as a natural healing agent for wound repair. — Chen A, Gong M, Chi J, Wang Z, Dai L. · Journal of ethnopharmacology · 2024
  5. Hippophae rhamnoides L. leaf extract augments dermal wound healing in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. — Upadhyay NK, Keshri GK, Gupta A. · Journal of wound care · 2025
  6. A Novel Combination of Galega officinalis Extract, Hippophae rhamnoides Fruit Oil and Resveratrol Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Senescence Markers in Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Ex Vivo Hair Follicles. — Lobo Aldezabal A, Cáceres Estévez I, Escobar Gómez Rodulfo M, Fernández-Martos S, Calvo-Sánchez M, Haya Rodríguez L, López Sánchez A, Nieto Botella L, Asín M, Carbajo JM, Espada Regalado J. · Current issues in molecular biology · 2026
  7. Rosacea and Hippophae rhamnoides: A Phytonutrient Approach to Skin Repair (The Systematic Review). — Hincu MA, Nicoara DA, Niculet E, Ambrose L, Tatu AL, Matei MN, Bujoreanu-Bezman L, Nicolescu AC, Negreanu-Pirjol T, Tudorache S. · Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026
  8. The role of sea buckthorn in skin and mucosal health: a review from an anti-inflammatory perspective. — Song X, Sun X, Yuan H, Tang Y, Zheng F. · Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025