Is Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum Worth The Hype?

Last Updated on August 11, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

It’s the question on everyone’s lips atm: is Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum worth $215? I know, I know, worth is subjective. You may not hesitate to splurge 1K on a designer bag while your BFF thinks you’re crazy. That’s cool. Your money. Your call. Same with skincare. Kind of.

I’m all for splurging on luxury skincare products if you can afford them BUT only if they contain actives that really work and give you the most beautiful skin ever. Otherwise, you may pay $5 but you still got ripped off. So, is Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum really the “facial oil to end all facial oils” (that’s how In The Gloss called it) or is it all hype? Sadly, the latter. This is an oil I would not add to my routine. Here’s why:

About The Brand: Vintner’s Daughter

Vintner’s Daughter was founded by winery owner April Gargiulo. Dissatisfied with her own skincare routine and inspired by her background in the wine industry, April decided to create a serum made entirely from natural ingredients and sourced from raw materials that meets excellent quality standards. Craftsmanship is at the art of the brand. But is effectiveness too?

Key Ingredients In Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum: What Makes It Work?

GRAPE SEED OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN

Grape seed oil is derived from the seeds of grape. It’s much thinner and less greasy than most oils, which is why it makes a great base for natural beauty products. Grape seed oil is loaded with antioxidants. They’re called procyanidis and help neutralise the free radicals that cause wrinkles, dark spots and sagging.  There’s also some research that shows that grape seed oil provides some protection against UVB rays (P.S. This doesn’t mean it’s a substitute for sunscreen!).

HAZELNUT OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN, TOO

Hazelnut oil isn’t an oil you see often in skincare. That’s a shame because it’s loaded with oleic acid (it contains a whooping 85%!), a super moisturising substance. Oleic acid makes even dry skin soft and smooth for hours. Plus, it helps other ingredients penetrate your skin, so they work better and faster, too. P.S. Oleic acid may also cause breakouts. If you have oily skin, this may not be the best oil for you.

AVOCADO OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN AND SLOW DOWN PREMATURE AGING

You know what they say, “an avocado a day keeps the doctor away.” Wait, what?! That’s apple? Oh well, I’ll keep eating my fair share of avos cos they taste better. 🙂 Plus, avocados are awesome for the skin. Avocado oil is rich in fatty acids that moisturise skin and antioxidants like vitamin E that fight free radicals damage and protects skin from UV damage. In a nutshell, it makes your skin soft and smooth and keeps wrinkles away.

Related: How Do Antioxidants Work?

ROSEHIP OIL TO SLOW DOWN PREMATURE AGING

Rosehip oil is my fave oil for skin. It’s derived from the hips of roses, i.e. the radish-like balls roses leave behind after they blossom. Rosehip oil has a whooping 64-87% linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is a super moisturizing fatty acid. It works by strengthening your skin’s protective barrier, so that moisture stays into your skin and moisturises it. Talking about linoleic acid, do you know that those who suffer from acne have less of it in their skin? Studies show that if you add it back in, you can make mini pimples disappear.

There’s more. Rosehip oil is a natural source of vitamin A, the only thing that can really reduce wrinkles. Vitamin A fights wrinkles on three fronts: it boosts collagen production, destroys free radicals and speeds up the skin’s natural exfoliating process. All things that make it look younger.

Related: Why Rosehip Oil Is My Go-To For Any Skincare Woe

CITRUS OILS TO LIGHTEN SKIN… OR IRRITATE IT?

If you’ve ready this far, you’re probably thinking that Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum is indeed worth the hype. Not so fast. A few essential oils sneaked their way inside and they could cause some serious trouble to your skin. Usually, these citrus essential oils are just sprinkled in to make the product smell good.

But in Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum, they’re quite far top the ingredient list and there are just too many of them! The brand says that bergamot, together with the other citrus offender, lemon oil, can fade away dark spots. Science doesn’t agree. I couldn’t find any studies supporting this claim.

What we know, instead, is that citrus oils are irritating for the skin. Even if they don’t give you a rash, they can inflame the deeper layer of the skin, a process that eventually leads to wrinkles. I know it sucks. I love the smell of anything citrus. And if there’s only a drop of lemon or bergamot essential oil, I’d still go ahead and use it. But this serum has way, way too much.

P.S. While we’re on the subject, lavender oil can be irritating, too. I know it’s not a citrus oil, but I had to mention it.

Related: 7 Natural Ingredients That Can Irritate Sensitive Skin

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

• Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil: This is rose essential oil, and let’s be honest, it’s here because it smells nice. Rose does have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in lab research, but that doesn’t mean putting rose oil on your face is going to visibly smooth your wrinkles. It can also be irritating if your skin doesn’t love fragrance, so I’m not going to pretend this is doing something amazing just because it sounds luxurious.
• Daucus Carota (Carrot) Seed Oil: It has antioxidant properties that slow down primate aging. But its fragrant components can be irritating.
• Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Seed Extract: Evening primrose comes from the seeds of the evening primrose plant and contains fatty acids and other plant compounds. It moisturises skin.
• Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Resin Extract: Frankincense contains compounds called boswellic acids that have anti-inflammatory properties. The essential oil is irritating, but the extract is usually fine. Just patch test first.
• Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract: Calendula is a marigold extract with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. It’s generally used to moisturise and soothe skin.
• Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Oil: Tamanu oil is a fairly rich plant oil with fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Citrus Aurantium Amara (Neroli) Flower Oil: Neroli is an essential oil made from bitter orange blossoms, and its main job here is fragrance. It has antioxidant activity in laboratory studies, sure, but that doesn’t make it an anti-aging active. Plus, it can irritate sensitive skin.
• Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Peel Oil: Bergamot oil is extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange and is mainly used for its lovely citrusy smell. It can contain phototoxic compounds that can irritate sensitive skin.
• Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil: Lemon peel oil is another fragrant citrus essential oil. It gets thrown into skincare formulas and then suddenly everyone starts talking about brightening and vitamin C, but lemon essential oil is not a substitute for a properly formulated vitamin C product. It doesn’t brighten as well and it can also be irritating, particularly if your skin is sensitive.
• Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Leaf Oil: It makes the oil smell good – but it can also cause irritations.
• Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract: Turmeric contains curcuminoids, especially curcumin, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil: Sunflower oil is mostly a mix of fatty acids that moisturise skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
• Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract: Sea buckthorn is packed with carotenoids, vitamin E and other antioxidant compounds that help fight free radicals.
• Jasminum Grandiflorum (Jasmine) Flower Oil: Jasmine flower oil is, unsurprisingly, mainly here to make the product smell like jasmine. But it can be irritating.
• Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract: Lavender extract contains various plant compounds with antioxidant and potentially soothing properties. But it can also cause irritations in some people.
• Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Extract: Alfalfa contains flavonoids and other antioxidant compounds, to fight free radicals.
• Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract: Rosemary extract contains antioxidants such as rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid. It can provide antioxidant benefits to the skin, but it also has another very practical job here: helping protect all those plant oils from oxidising and going rancid.
• Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract: Yep, dandelion. It contains various polyphenols and antioxidant compounds, which is why it gets used in botanical skincare.
• Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract: Nettle leaf contains flavonoids and other plant compounds with antioxidant and potentially anti-inflammatory properties.
• Tocopherol: Tocopherol is vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect oils from oxidising and can also provide antioxidant benefits to the skin.
• Benzyl Alcohol: Benzyl alcohol is a fragrance ingredient that can also be used as a preservative. It can cause irritation or contact allergy in some people.
• Benzyl Benzoate: Benzyl benzoate is another fragrance ingredient, and it can occur naturally in some essential oils.It’s also a recognised fragrance allergen,.
• Citronellol: Citronellol is a fragrant compound found naturally in rose and citronella oils. It contributes to the scent of the formula but it’s also one of the fragrance allergens that has to be declared separately on the label.
• Farnesol: Farnesol is a fragrant compound found in a number of essential oils. It can have antimicrobial activity, but it can also cause sensitisation in some people.
• Geraniol: Geraniol is another fragrance compound, naturally found in oils such as rose and geranium. It helps create that floral smell. It’s also a recognised fragrance allergen.
• Limonene: Limonene is the citrusy-smelling compound you get in things like lemon and bergamot oils. It’s a fragrance ingredient.. It can also become more irritating as it oxidises.
• Linalool: Linalool is a fragrant compound found naturally in lavender, rose and various other essential oils. Again, its main job here is making the product smell good. Oxidised linalool can also trigger contact allergy in susceptible people.

Texture

It is an oil, so the texture is kinda what you’d expect from an oil. It’s thick and takes a couple of minutes to sink in. But it’s also silky and a pleasure to use. You can tell that Vintner’s Daughter pays close attention to every detail – and, at this price point, it should.

Fragrance

Floral with a hint of citrus. It smells divine, no doubt about that. If like me, you love anything with a hint of citrus, you’ll fall in love with this too – as long as your skin isn’t sensitive. The problem with beautiful fragrances like this is that they can irritate sensitive skin.

Here’s what no one tells you: natural plants and oils are made up of lots of different chemicals. Some of these chemicals are moisturising. Others have antioxidant properties that fight premature aging. Some have anti-inflammatory properties that soothe redness and irritations. And, in the same plant, you’ll also have a few chemicals that are irritating.

There’s a reason why plants smell good – that beautiful scent is deadly to many predators. For most humans, those predator-killing chemicals are totally innocuous. But, if you have sensitive, they may irritate your skin or trigger an allergic reaction. This is why I prefer fragrance-free products.

How To Use It

It’s an oil and oils are always the last step of your skincare routine at night. You could use them during the day, there’s no law that says you can’t. But they usually don’t layer well under sunscreen and can be too greasy for daytime.

Packaging

The oil is housed in a sleek black bottle with a dropper applicator. I like the dropper because it allows you to dispense only the amount of product you need, so that none gets wasted, and makes application easier. It’s also gorgeous. Most importantly, the dark packaging keeps the oil inside safe from the UV light that could spoil them faster.

Performance & Personal Opinion

Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum has a light oily feel (duh!). It absorbs quickly into my slight dry skin, leaving just a sheen behind. I kinda dig it, but it may be too much for oilier skin types. It does a great job at hydrating skin. It plumps it up, so fine lines look smaller, and makes it silky soft to the touch. It also strengthens your skin’s protective barrier, helping it withstand attacks from cold weather, pollutants, and anything else that tries to harm it.

I don’t have any dark spots, but even if it did, I doubt it’d lighten them. As I mentioned above, the science isn’t there. Plus, there are better ways to fade away dark spots. This oil didn’t make me breakout, but then my skin isn’t acne-prone. If yours is, stay away – just in case.

Related: The Battle Of The Skin-Lighteners: Which Is The Best Alternative To Hydroquinone?

What I Like About Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum

• Silky texture.
• Smells divine.
• Very moisturising, makes skin softer and smoother.
• Beautiful packaging.

What I DON’T Like Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum

• It’s loaded with irritating oils.

Who Should Use This?

I honestly don’t recommend this. It’s best suitable for dry skin, but you can find plenty of less potentially irritating oils at a fraction of the cost. I don’t recommend it to anyone, but it’s ESPECIALLY NOT for oily, acne-prone skin and sensitive skin.

Does Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum Live Up To Its Claims?

Is Vintner’s Daughter Cruelty-Free?

Yes, they don’t test on animals and don’t outsource the process either. Plus, they’re vegan too.

Price & Availability

$185.00 at major beauty retailers.

Do You Need It?

No. On paper, Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum has a lot going for it. It’s loaded with nourishing oils that moisturise your skin and keeps wrinkles away too. But the high concentration of bergamot oil is a dealbreaker for me. It can give you an irritation and won’t even fade your dark spots. What the heck is it here for?!