A few years ago I acquired a bag of bright pink rosehip botanical extract in my quest for something that would make an awesome lip stain (and I’ve heard from many readers who did the same, for lip stain or other projects). Rosehip powder was a resounding failure in the lip stain department, producing something that stained my lips approximately as well as a cup of herbal tea (so… not at all) before oxidizing to a gnarly brown colour in a matter of days. Ick. I still have that bag of bright pink powder, though, so I thought it was high time to try and put it to use in this blushing rosehip lip balm.

The pink of rosehip powder is so perfect for lips that I knew I needed to give it a go in an infused lip balm. Considering how bright it is you’d think it would quickly transform oils into a bright shade of pink… but it does not. It takes time and encouragement, and even then you’re getting a fairly mild tint. It’s still really pretty, though—a lovely, soft pink in the tube that goes onto the lips sheer.

We’ll start by infusing a couple teaspoons of powdered rosehip botanical extract in a mix of cocoa butter (USA / Canada), coconut oil, and safflower oil. We’ll do this in a warm water bath to keep the oils melted and encourage the colour to infuse; this will take about an hour. Take care not to let your water bath simmer dry; I did this infusion while I was doing other things in my kitchen to ensure I could keep a close eye on it.

Once the infusion is done we’ll melt in some wax, stir everything up, and fill up some lip balm tubes with our new powdery pink lip balm. I opted not to add any essential oils so I could revel in the super awesome cocoa butter (USA / Canada)/coconut oil/beeswax scent trio, but some peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada) certainly wouldn’t be misplaced. Et voila! These pretty pink tubes make lovely gifts, of course, or you can just hoard them all for yourself 😉

Blushing Rosehip Lip Balm

2 tsp powdered rosehip botanical extract

10g | 0.35oz virgin coconut oil
6g | 0.21oz cocoa butter (USA / Canada)
16g | 0.56oz safflower oil (sweet almond, sunflower, and apricot kernel would also be good alternatives)

8g | 0.28oz beeswax (USA / Canada)

Measure the rosehip botanical extract out into an empty disposable paper tea bag or disposable infusion bag. Tie it off and set it aside.

Weigh the coconut oil, cocoa butter (USA / Canada), and safflower oil out into a heat resistant glass measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in a pot of barely simmering water to melt the oils.

Place the bag of rosehip botanical extract in the measuring cup with the oils, ensuring the part with the powder is submerged in the oils. Let it infuse for at least one hour in the hot water bath, taking care to ensure the water bath does not simmer dry.

Once the infusion is done, use a flexible silicone spatula to squish and press the bag of rosehip botanical extract to coax out the colour, squeezing it gently to get as much oil and colour out (though be careful not to break the bag and get oily powder everywhere!). Discard the infusion bag; it makes great compost!

Remove the oil mixture from the heat and add the beeswax. Place the measuring cup back in the water bath and melt everything together, stirring to combine.

Once the wax has melted into the oils, remove from the heat decant into lip balm tubes—this recipe should fill about 7.

Let set up before capping and labelling (I use these labels). Enjoy!

Don’t have the carrier oils called for in the recipe? Read this for a guide on how to choose appropriate alternatives.

Save