You are standing in the bathroom at the end of a long day with two little green bottles in front of you, and you cannot remember which one you are meant to use. One is rosehip. One is argan. Both say "facial oil", and both cost money you would rather not waste.
It is one of the most common questions in natural skincare, and the honest answer beats the marketing on either bottle. Rosehip oil vs argan oil for face is not a contest between a good oil and a bad one. They are two textures doing two different jobs, and the right one depends on whether your skin is thirsty, shiny, dull, or all three in different places.
The quick answer: argan is the richer of the two, naturally high in vitamin E and fatty acids, so it suits dry, tight or wind-stung skin and works beautifully as a final step that seals everything in. Rosehip is lighter and faster-sinking, naturally rich in vitamins A and C, so it suits skin that looks dull, uneven or tired and prefers something that disappears rather than sits. If your skin is dry in winter and shinier in summer — which describes most of Australia — you will get more out of having both than out of picking a side.
Rosehip oil vs argan oil for face: what is actually different
Argan oil is pressed from the kernels of the argan tree and is naturally rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids. On the skin it reads as cushioning rather than greasy — it sinks in fast and leaves a soft, slightly dewy finish. It is the one that makes dry skin stop feeling tight within a minute, and the better "last step" oil: a couple of drops pressed over your moisturiser hold your hydration in overnight.
Rosehip oil is pressed from the seeds of the rose bush and is naturally rich in vitamins A and C. It is lighter and sinks in faster, and its reputation is built around tone — dullness, uneven patches, the flat grey look skin gets after a rough week. If you have ever put on a face oil and thought "that is too much", rosehip is the one to try next.
A simple way to hold it in your head: argan is for comfort, rosehip is for radiance. Most people want both, which is why so many Australian face oil sets include the pair.
Which one suits your skin type
Face oil for dry skin
Go argan first. Dry skin is short on oil as well as water, and argan's fatty acids give it something to hold onto. Apply it to slightly damp skin as the final step at night and you will wake up soft instead of papery. In a Sydney winter, or anywhere the heating runs all evening, this is the one that makes the difference.
Oily or congested-feeling skin
Counter-intuitive but true: oily skin is often fine with a light oil, because stripping it with harsh cleansers leaves it shinier by mid-afternoon. Rosehip is the lighter choice — one or two drops at night only. If your skin is also congested-feeling, a weekly clay session does more than switching oils ever will, and our Outback Pink Clay Mask is the one for a Sunday night.
Dull or tired-looking skin
This is rosehip's home ground. The vitamins A and C it naturally contains are why it is associated with brighter, more even-looking skin, and it is light enough to use under a moisturiser. Give it a few weeks; oils are undramatic in week one and far more convincing in week six.
Sensitive or easily-reddened skin
Both are single-ingredient oils with nothing else in them — fewer ingredients, fewer things to react to. Patch test either on your jaw for a couple of nights first. If your skin barrier is already struggling, start with argan: comfort comes before brightness. Our guide to your skin barrier covers the rest.
Can you use rosehip oil and argan oil together?
Yes — and it is where most people end up. Two sensible ways to do it.
Split them by time of day. Rosehip when you want the lighter, brightening feel; argan at night as the final sealing step, or on mornings when your skin feels tight. If you use an oil in the morning, put sunscreen on afterwards as its own step rather than mixing the two in your palm.
Split them by zone. Argan on the dry patches — cheeks, around the nose, the jaw. Rosehip where you get shiny or look flat — it sounds fussy, it takes ten seconds.
What you should not do is use a lot of both at once. Two to three drops total is plenty for the whole face and neck — more sits on top, pills under makeup and ends up on your pillowcase.
How to apply a face oil so it actually works
How to use face oil at night
Cleanse, apply any water-based serum, then your moisturiser, then two to three drops of oil warmed between your palms and pressed — not rubbed — in. Pressing matters: dragging an oil across your face stretches the skin and wastes half of it on your fingers. Do your neck while your hands are still oily. For the full running order, see what order to apply your skincare.
How to use face oil with gua sha
A gua sha tool needs slip, and a face oil gives it — a gel or cream grabs, and dry skin drags. Apply three or four drops, then work the tool slowly from the centre of your face outwards, jaw to ear, cheek to temple, stone almost flat. Argan is easier here because it stays slippery longer. Our step-by-step gua sha guide covers the directions.
Rosehip oil vs argan oil for face in the Australian climate
Most comparisons of these oils are written for a Northern Hemisphere routine, which is why they rarely match what your skin does here. Australia makes you use both halves of your routine in the same year.
In a humid summer — Brisbane, Darwin, the Sydney coast in February — skin is damp on the surface and shinier than it is hydrated, and a heavy oil feels like too much. That is rosehip weather: one light drop at night, nothing in the morning but sunscreen. In winter, especially where the heater runs from four in the afternoon, the air in the house is dry and your skin loses water all evening. That is argan weather: a richer final step on damp skin.
Heat matters for the bottle too. Cold-pressed oils do not love heat or light, so keep yours in a drawer rather than on a sunny windowsill — and if one smells sharp instead of faintly nutty, it has turned.
Then there is the sun. Whatever oil you choose, it is not sun protection, and nothing in a face oil replaces a daily SPF. Oil at night, sunscreen in the morning. And if you are after the best face oil Australia has to offer, look for oils sold as 100% of the single ingredient rather than a blend where rosehip or argan sits seventh on the list, and check it is made here rather than decanted here — small-batch local production means fresher oil, which for a cold-pressed oil is most of the story.
The set that means you do not have to choose
By now the honest answer is obvious: argan for the nights your skin feels tight, rosehip for the mornings you catch yourself looking flat in the car mirror. That is exactly what Exfoljenate was built around.
What you get from it is what people actually want from a face oil — skin that looks awake again. Softer in the first week, brighter and more even-looking as the weeks go on, comfortable in February and in August alike. Liquid Gold 100% Argan is the cushioning one: two drops as your last step at night, pressed into damp skin, and the morning tightness is gone. Rejuvenate 100% Rosehip is the glow: light, fast-sinking, rich in vitamins A and C, for the days your skin looks tired before you do.
The set carries the rest of the ritual — Glowsturize, a fruit-enzyme gel for daytime smoothing, Golden Glow Night Repair, a gentle plant-juice AHA for the evening, and an Australian-made Sun Protect SPF50+ that rubs in clear. It comes with a gua sha tool and a 100 g soap bar of your choice.
How to use it: in the morning, cleanse, Glowsturize, SPF50+ over the top. At night, Golden Glow Night Repair, then your oil — argan if your skin feels tight, rosehip if it looks dull — pressed in with your palms or the gua sha. Two to three drops, five minutes, done.
Made in Australia in small batches, cruelty-free, zero nasties. If you would rather start with one step, the rest of the face range is there, but the Australian-made face oil set answers the rosehip-or-argan question by handing you both. It is backed by our 90-day satisfaction guarantee and rated 4.8★ · 1,100+ reviews across the range.
Your hair deserves the same thinking — Long and Strong is our three-step aloe vera and coconut system for hair that looks fuller and keeps its length, and it is sulphate-free.
Common questions about rosehip oil vs argan oil for face
Is rosehip oil or argan oil better for face?
Neither is better outright. Argan wins if your skin is dry, tight or easily reddened, because it is richer and more cushioning. Rosehip wins if your skin is oily, congested-feeling or dull, because it is lighter and associated with brighter, more even-looking skin. If you cannot decide, start with argan in winter and rosehip in summer.
Does rosehip oil clog pores?
Rosehip is generally considered one of the lighter, less pore-clogging facial oils, which is why it is so often suggested for oily skin. Skin is individual, though, and some people find any oil too much on congested areas. Use one or two drops at night only, and give it a few weeks.
Is argan oil good for your face?
Yes, particularly if your skin runs dry or feels tight after cleansing. It is naturally rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, sinks in quickly for how rich it is, and works as a final step over a moisturiser. It also makes an excellent gua sha oil because it keeps its slip.
Should you use face oil before or after moisturiser?
After, as a rule. Oils are the heaviest thing in most routines, and the heaviest thing goes last so it seals in everything underneath. The exception is a light oil like rosehip on oily skin, which some people prefer under a moisturiser.
What is the best face oil in Australia for dry skin?
Look for a 100% single-ingredient argan, or a set that includes one, made locally in small batches so it is fresh. Apply it to damp skin at night — the water is what the oil holds in. For more on each oil on its own, see our guides to rosehip oil for your face and to argan oil and your skin barrier.
When to see a GP or dermatologist
Face oils are cosmetics: they change how your skin looks and feels. If your skin is persistently sore, stinging or flaking in patches that do not settle, that is a conversation for your GP or a dermatologist rather than a new bottle. The same goes for any mole or spot that changes shape, size or colour — in Australia, get it looked at promptly.
So, which one goes in your bathroom?
If you only ever buy one, buy for the problem you have most often: argan if your skin is usually tight, rosehip if it is usually dull. Start with two or three drops, press rather than rub, and give it six weeks. You can find both oils, the gua sha and the rest of the ritual at Tasic Pure Oils, an Australian natural skincare brand, made in small batches in Australia.
