Our Sea Buckthorn
A remarkable berry with a story worth sharing.
Sea buckthorn is a hardy shrub known for its vivid orange berries and distinctive seed and berry oils. Native across Europe and Asia, it has been valued for generations as food and in traditional skin care. What especially caught our attention is its unusual fatty-acid profile—including naturally occurring Omega-7 in the berry oil.
What Makes Sea Buckthorn Different?
One of the things that makes sea buckthorn unusual is the natural composition of its oils. The berry oil is particularly known for palmitoleic acid—an Omega-7 fatty acid that is relatively uncommon in plant oils.
The seed tells a different story. Sea buckthorn seed oil contains important amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. That difference between the berry and the seed is one of the things that first captured our attention and continues to shape how we work with sea buckthorn at Rocky Road Ranch.
Two Oils, Two Distinct Profiles
Sea buckthorn produces two very different oils. Seed oil is pressed from the small seeds inside the fruit and is known for its Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Berry oil—sometimes called pulp oil—comes from the fleshy part of the fruit and is particularly notable for naturally occurring Omega-7.
Their fatty-acid profiles are different, which is one reason we value using both at Rocky Road Ranch. Together, they let us explore the distinctive character of sea buckthorn in our small-batch lip and hand balm recipes.
Growing at Rocky Road Ranch
We are in the early stages of establishing sea buckthorn at Rocky Road Ranch. Our first plantings are teaching us how these young shrubs respond to our high-desert conditions—including heat, transplant stress, wildlife pressure, watering, and mulch.
Our goal is simple: establish healthy plants that can become a lasting part of the ranch. As they grow, we’ll keep sharing what works, what doesn’t, and what we learn along the way.
Protecting young sea buckthorn plants as they become established at Rocky Road Ranch.
While our sea buckthorn plants are taking root at Rocky Road Ranch, we are learning to work with carefully selected seed and berry oils in small-batch lip and hand balm recipes.
We make small test batches, share them with family and our Founding Product Testers, and use their feedback to refine texture, feel, scent, and firmness. We’re taking our time—learning what works and carrying forward only the recipes we truly believe in.
From the Ranch to Our Recipes
Small-batch lip balm and hand balm developed with carefully selected sea buckthorn seed and berry oils.
Growing Together
We’re still at the beginning of the Rocky Road Ranch sea buckthorn story. As the plants grow and our recipes evolve, we’ll keep sharing the milestones, lessons, and discoveries along the way.
Rooted in Heritage. Growing Together.
