Beauty mark: Cannabis holds promise for beauty products, but are some unsightly trends developing?

Cannabis has been tapped as being among the next big things in beauty for the last two years. So what’s the current state of affairs? And are any concerns rearing their heads as the new market develops?

Search cannabis on Sephora.ca and nearly 20 products will pop up—most contain cannabis sativa oil or hemp seed oil. Both TheBay.com and Holt Renfrew each have at least one infused product available, but remain mum on current offerings or plans to expand.

The Body Shop, which launched its hemp line over 20 years ago, notes in an email that its Hemp Hardworking Hand Protector is the second best seller in Canada, and that it has seen an uptick in sales for the line. The company attributes a percentage of the increase to cannabis being in the spotlight over the past few years.

The Body Shop, which launched its hemp line over 20 years ago, notes in an email that its Hemp Hardworking Hand Protector is the second best seller in Canada, and that it has seen an uptick in sales for the line.

While The Body Shop has long taken a bold stance when it comes to touting hemp’s benefits, most stores remain pretty hush-hush about selling cannabis-related products. That trend, however, may be changing.

Analysts, companies high on beauty’s potential

As reported earlier this year, analysts at investment banking company Piper Jaffray estimated the CBD sector of the cannabis industry is valued at between US$50 billion to US$100 billion, and that the growing awareness around cannabis as a skincare and beauty ingredient will only help further that growth. Also last fall, The Brightfield Group, a market research firm based in Chicago, predicted that hemp and CBD as an offshoot industry could outpace the cannabis market, bringing in an estimated US$22 billion by 2022. The U.S. cannabis industry is expected to make US$20 billion in the same time frame, by comparison.

Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Barney’s have announced cannabis dedicated departments to their stores, and big weed player Beboe (dubbed the “Hermès of marijuana”) and its founder Scott Campbell launched Beboe Therapies on Apr. 1, with a product line of two, including a serum and a sheet mask. It is reported both will be sold on its websites, as well as within Barney’s cannabis pop-ups.

In another report last fall, Google searches for CBD had been steadily on the rise over the last year, with the most searched brands being Oleo, Jersey Shore Cosmetics and Cannuka, which is sold through powerplantapothecary.com here in Canada.

Anita Matte, founder of CBD-centred Power Plant Apothecary, notes an uptick in Cannuka in recent months. Since launching in April 2018, her star product had been Wunder Workshop’s Tumeric CBD Oil, coming in at $150. But with the rise of education on what CBD can do for the skin, Matte reports Cannuka (the company’s body cream, listed at $40 on its website) sales have risen to meet Wunder Workshops.

In June 2018, Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop highlighted the benefits of cannabis through a panel, and by handing out CBD bath bombs, at their health and wellness conference.

“Everybody wants something that has CBD in it. [The] Wunder Workshop tincture sells amazingly well even with that price tag. The Cannuka products sell very well, as well. And, of course, I have a few other products, but CBD is what people want,” she says.

Do consumers understand what they’re getting?

Despite the rising profile, though, Matte cautions consumers to do their research. Some offerings are being called CBD products, but they aren’t. “It’s sort of taking advantage of the consumer that doesn’t necessarily know what cannabis is and that there are differences between hemp seed oil and hemp oil,” she says.

Hemp seed oil is just that, oil from the seed of a hemp plant, Matte says. Hemp oil, however, is used as a synonym for CBD, which will always contain a trace amount of THC, and is extracted from a fully mature cannabis plant, she notes.

If looking for a true CBD-infused product, look for hemp oil on the label. When topicals become legal, expected later this year, brands should then be able to tout cannabidiol in their literature.

Inaccurate claims could have unintended impact

Victoria Radford, a Toronto-based clinical esthetician and founder of Radford Studio salon and spa, also has concerns about claims being made about CBD. Radford has been looking into CBD as an ingredient for a few years now, since the beginning of its rise in California two years ago.

“The fantastical thing about it is the misconception about it. ‘It’s magical, anti-aging,’” she says. “In the simplest terms, it’s quite exceptional at taking down inflammation, so from a pimple, scratch or burn,” she explains.

But, she advises, CBD will not help with the production of collagen and, while it can be very hydrating, there are better moisturizing ingredients on the market, like hyaluronic acid.

If looking for a true CBD-infused product, look for hemp oil on the label. When topicals become legal, expected later this year, brands should then be able to tout cannabidiol in their literature.

“It will become more obvious over time,” believes Radford, who is frustrated with brands that are taking advantage of consumer’s lack of knowledge and even overpricing some products on offer. “We just need to wait for regulations to catch up. Sadly, people may think it doesn’t work because they’re trying products that don’t have actual CBD or the proper amount,” she adds.

B.C. company banking on hemp root

Urban Juve, a skincare line out of B.C. with a former M.A.C. Cosmetics executive on its team, is banking on hemp root oil with its line of serums, lotions and toners. The brand claims the root of the hemp plant has so far been an untapped extraction point for cannabis oil, and does not contain CBD.

“The formulas that we developed are based on Ayurvedic medicine, which has traditionally used the hemp root,” says Penny Green, director, president and CEO of The Yield Growth Corp., which produces Urban Juve. Green notes that hemp root oil didn’t become legal until the Cannabis Act came into force in October 2018.

In Ayurvedic practices, the hemp root would be used for inflammation, fever, skin burns, swelling and to stop hemorrhaging in childbirth, going back thousands of years.

Yield Growth is working on several brands under the company’s umbrella, most of which will launch later this year. And the company just recently announced Urban Juve will be available in 70 brick-and-mortar retail locations within Ontario, Saskatchewan and B.C.

For Radford, she is convinced of CBD’s benefits to acne-prone and sensitive skin. “The jury is still out on whether applying hemp oil of cannabis-based skin products topically is more effective than taking an oral tincture or supplement capsule, but the good news is that hemp oil is both completely natural and generally considered very safe, so there’s not a lot of downside to trying both delivery methods and observing the benefits,” she suggests.

 

Michelle Bilodeau has been a fashion, beauty and lifestyle journalist for almost 20 years.