Could Cannabis Be the Cure to Your Cosmetic Troubles?
Cosmetic brands have turned to CBD for solutions to the seemingly never-ending search for the ultimate skincare routine.
This year’s $148,000 Oscar’s gift bag included an array of cannabis products. Among those products were a multitude of CBD beauty products.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a plant cannabinoid found in many cannabis products. CBD is non-intoxicating and does not have the psychoactive effects that THC does.
Many cosmetic brands have been using hemp in their products for years. However, with the legalization of recreational marijuana use in California and many other states, cosmetic brands have begun to incorporate CBD into their products.
Unlike many other cannabis products, CBD beauty products aren’t exclusively sold in dispensaries. Sephora, a leading force in the beauty industry, and many other beauty retailers have begun to supply more and more products containing cannabis-derivatives.
Milk Makeup, a cosmetic brand carried at Sephora, released their KUSH line. “Hemp-derived cannabis oil fuses the heart-shaped fibers to your lashes without fallout. […] Kush Mascara is the vegan way to get major volume and healthier-looking lashes in one hit,” according to the Milk Makeup website.
In Los Angeles, there are some retailers that specialize in CBD and sell a wide variety of beauty products.
“We’ve had a great response to the beauty products. People are extremely excited to learn what CBD does for the skin, and we definitely have a great amount of people coming back,” said Anita Boras, the beauty specialist at The Antidote.
“Once people learn about CBD and the benefits of it for whole body wellness, they definitely leave behind the whole idea of having to smoke or that ‘stoner image’. Our products here are hemp derived, they are all natural products, helping you to achieve reduced inflammation throughout the entire body,” said Boras.
Few studies have actually been conducted to prove that there are benefits to CBD beauty products. “We know it’s a strong antioxidant—stronger than vitamin C and vitamin E, more like a botanical antioxidant, so that’s always helpful because it protects collagen and stops DNA damage and protects from sun damage,” said dermatologist Patricia Farris to TODAY Style.
Despite the lack of conclusive scientific studies around CBD use, some salons have begun incorporating treatments using CBD.
Bellacures, a nail salon chain with locations around the Los Angeles area, is the first salon to offer a CBD nail treatment. They call it the ‘canna-cure’ manicure.
Angel Victor Prado, a stylist at Framed Salon in Santa Monica, offers a CBD scalp treatment. “What I do is a very vigorous exfoliation on the scalp, and then using the CBD to sooth after. That is really where the CBD comes into play, to help kind of relax and bring the client into a grounded position. Then using the hemp oil as a moisturizer,” said Prado.
As a result of the incorporation of CBD products into traditionally non-smoking landscapes, like the Oscars, and the increase in the number and variety of retailers now selling products containing CBD, the conversation around CBD has begun to shift from classifying any aspect of cannabis as a dangerous drug to considering CBD to be a lifestyle ingredient with potential health benefits.
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