Remarkable Rosemary: How This Revered Herb Can Transform Your Skin and Hair!

For thousands of years, humans across the world have lauded rosemary for its medicinal properties. In the ancient civilizations of Greece, Egypt, and Rome, to name but a few, rosemary was seen as a vital tool in dealing with medical complaints as varied as memory loss, muscle aches, stomach upset, infections, and a host of neurological issues.

Because the plant was often found growing along coastal cliffs, the Romans called it ros marinus, meaning ‘dew of the sea’ – this eventually became rosemary in English and similar in other European languages. In fact, you can still see the plant’s Latin roots in its scientific name, Salvia rosmarinus. 

In modern times, rosemary is still considered to hold a number of uses in maintaining our health, holding up even in an age of double-blind testing and rigid peer review. Scientific studies have confirmed that rosemary possesses antimicrobial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties – and that’s just scratching the surface.   Clearly then, humanity’s healer ancestors knew what they were talking about!

Here at LUMI, we’ve always sought to make the most of this fantastic herb, using it extensively throughout our product range and espousing its virtues whenever we get a chance!

To celebrate Perfect Hair Day, our latest exciting collaboration with the brilliant minds at Pure Shores, we thought we’d explore the benefits of rosemary for skin and hair, as well as showcasing some of the other incredible LUMI products that utilise this most revered of plants. Let’s get started!

A Skin-Shielding Sensation

As many readers will already know, UV radiation from sun exposure is the main contributor to premature skin aging by a wide margin. This process is called photoaging, and avoiding it as much as possible should be a priority for anyone who wants to look youthful for years to come!

Rosemary has shown itself to possess many properties that make it extremely useful in the fight against photoaging. In scientific studies, the plant was shown to provide some level of UV protection to skin, as well as replenishing levels of antioxidants in the body, reducing oxidative stress by hunting free radicals, and decreasing inflammation. That’s quite the list of benefits, and what’s more, rosemary achieves all this whilst being completely natural (duh, it’s a plant!) and without being cytotoxic (damaging/lethal to cells).

Amazingly, that’s not all! Rosemary’s ability to fight photoaging isn’t just limited to immediate exposure to sun. By accelerating the creation of elastic fibre in the skin (the compounds that give skin its structure and firmness), rosemary can also help to reduce the formation of wrinkles and sagging skin – classic hallmarks of chronic photoaging.

Rosemary’s beneficial characteristics do not merely involve helping prevent photoaging. Its aforementioned antioxidant properties, combined with its ability to inhibit the growth of fungi, bacteria, and other unwelcome pathogens, make it an exciting avenue of research for potential treatment of inflammatory and infection skin diseases. Scientific study has already shown excellent results in experiments conducted in laboratories and directly on human skin.

It’s even been shown that rosemary possesses anticancer potential by inhibiting the formation and growth of some types of tumours! Clearly, rosemary’s status throughout millennia as a potent natural medicine is well founded, and it’s no surprise that ancient civilisations from widely different places and times all gravitated towards it.

A Hair-Helping Hero

So, it’s clear that rosemary has an awful lot to offer our skin, but can the same be said for our hair? You bet! Academic studies have consistently shown that rosemary extract boosts hair growth and helps reduce oxidative stress in the hair and scalp.

When tested by sufferers of androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss), rosemary oil was found to be similarly effective to prescription medicine minoxidil in stimulating hair regrowth. Importantly, the rosemary oil cohort reported less scalp irritation than those who used minoxidil, suggesting that rosemary oil is not merely comparable, but may even be the preferable option for those with androgenetic alopecia. And it’s natural and organic to boot! 

Oxidative stress in the scalp and hair has been linked to a number of health issues, including compromising the effectiveness of the skin barrier, poor hair retention, the healthy appearance of hair, and sensitivity or itching of the scalp. Thanks to its high antioxidant content, rosemary has been shown to significantly reduce the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) found in hair and on the scalp when topically applied thereby reducing oxidative stress and the litany of unwelcome consequences that follow. 

There is also emerging evidence that, thanks to its antifungal properties, rosemary is also proficient at minimising dandruff. The sheer amount of uses for this natural marvel are incredibly impressive, especially when its efficacy is compared to synthetic alternatives that often have significantly more side effects, too. The fact that rosemary leaves your skin and hair smelling wonderful is simply the icing on the cake for us!

Unleash the Natural Power of Rosemary with LUMI!

So, we’ve explored the brilliant properties of rosemary, both in terms of looking after our skin and our hair. But how can you get your hands on personal care products that utilise this precious plant to its fullest? Right here, of course!

LUMI have long celebrated the fantastic efficacy and potency of natural ingredients, and we’ve always been huge fans of rosemary. You’ll find the plant utilised in the majority of our products, including in our TUNDRA series, where full use is made of its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, restoring elasticity to skin, balance to the skin’s microbiome, and keeping oxidative stress at bay.

You can also find rosemary heavily featured in our limited edition Hair Growth Explosion Kit, where the plant’s ability to encourage sustainable, healthy hair growth is perfectly showcased. Keep your eyes peeled for news if it’s out of stock – the set has proven incredibly popular, even by LUMI’s high standards!

Rosemary plays a starring role in our exciting new collaboration with the brilliant minds at Pure Shores, artisanal haircare experts based right here in Estonia!

Meet Perfect Hair Day, a shampoo and conditioner duo that utilises the incredible properties of rosemary to bring peace to your scalp, growth to your hair, and better health to you and your microbiome! The set pairs rosemary with LUMI favourite hemp seed oil, which moisturises and thickens hair, improves texture and shine, and promotes hair revival and regrowth. 

These two plant-based powerhouses are complemented by probiotics that maintain the microbiome and act as natural preservatives, as well as a blend of fruit acids that gently exfoliates, removing the buildup of products, dead skin, and other detritus that can clog hair and skin. It’s a luxurious treatment that leaves your hair and scalp feeling freer, happier, and healthier!

Unleash the power of rosemary today with LUMI – your hair and skin will thank you!

Ready to treat your skin and hair to the restorative power of rosemary? Click on any of the links above to be whisked away to specific product pages. After something else? Check out our entire range of science-backed natural personal care solutions right here!

References

1. Allegra, A., Tonacci, A., Pioggia, G., Musolino, C., & Gangemi, S. (2020). Anticancer Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L.: Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Potentials. Nutrients, 12(6), 1739. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061739 

2. Auh, J. H., & Madhavan, J. (2021). Protective effect of a mixture of marigold and rosemary extracts on UV-induced photoaging in mice. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 135, 111178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111178 

3. Azhar A. F. (2023). The Evidence Behind Topical Hair Loss Remedies on TikTok. Cutis, 111(2), E25–E26. https://doi.org/10.12788/cutis.0731 

4. Begum, A., S, S., N, A. K., & Ali, S. S. (2023). Evaluation of Herbal Hair Lotion loaded with Rosemary for Possible Hair Growth in C57BL/6 Mice. Advanced biomedical research, 12, 60. https://doi.org/10.4103/abr.abr_306_21 

5. Bin Rubaian, N. F., Alzamami, H. F. A., & Amir, B. A. (2024). An Overview of Commonly Used Natural Alternatives for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia, with Special Emphasis on Rosemary Oil. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 17, 2495–2503. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S470989 

6. Ibrahim, N., Abbas, H., El-Sayed, N. S., & Gad, H. A. (2022). Rosmarinus officinalis L. hexane extract: phytochemical analysis, nanoencapsulation, and in silico, in vitro, and in vivo anti-photoaging potential evaluation. Scientific reports, 12(1), 13102. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16592-7 

7. Jain, S., Arora, P., & Nainwal, L. M. (2022). Essential Oils as Potential Source of Anti-dandruff Agents: A Review. Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening, 25(9), 1411–1426. https://doi.org/10.2174/1386207324666210712094148 

8. Kasamatsu, S., Takano, K., Aoki, M., Takahashi, Y., & Suzuki, T. (2024). Rosemary extract and rosmarinic acid accelerate elastic fiber formation by increasing the expression of elastic fiber components in dermal fibroblasts. The Journal of dermatology, 51(6), 816–826. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.17185 

9. Marsh, J. M., Li, L., Knowles, S., Locker, K. C. S., Pearson, K., Bacon, R., Kozak, K., Laughlin, T., & Schwartz, J. R. (2024). Scalp condition improvement with botanical extracts possessing chemical and physical antioxidant activity. International journal of cosmetic science, 10.1111/ics.13031. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.13031 

10. Murata, K., Noguchi, K., Kondo, M., Onishi, M., Watanabe, N., Okamura, K., & Matsuda, H. (2013). Promotion of hair growth by Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract. Phytotherapy research : PTR, 27(2), 212–217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.4712

11. Panahi, Y., Taghizadeh, M., Marzony, E. T., & Sahebkar, A. (2015). Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed, 13(1), 15–21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/ 

12. Li Pomi, F., Papa, V., Borgia, F., Vaccaro, M., Allegra, A., Cicero, N., & Gangemi, S. (2023). Rosmarinus officinalis and Skin: Antioxidant Activity and Possible Therapeutical Role in Cutaneous Diseases. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 12(3), 680. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12030680

13. de Macedo, L. M., Santos, É. M. D., Militão, L., Tundisi, L. L., Ataide, J. A., Souto, E. B., & Mazzola, P. G. (2020). Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L., syn Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.) and Its Topical Applications: A Review. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(5), 651. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9050651 

14. Manville, R. W., Hogenkamp, D., & Abbott, G. W. (2023). Ancient medicinal plant rosemary contains a highly efficacious and isoform-selective KCNQ potassium channel opener. Communications biology, 6(1), 644. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05021-8