The Future of CBD Skincare, Is it a Silver Bullet?

CBD’s growth in popularity

As you hear CBD being mentioned more and more, it may seem like there’s a new reason to try CBD each time it's brought up. You're stressed out? Someone suggests CBD. Sore muscles? You’ll probably hear a CBD recommendation or two. Can’t sleep? CBD helped your sister sleep through the night, and you can’t stop hearing about it. The science behind CBD and the way it interacts with our body is the reason why the botanically-based ingredient can help so many different concerns.

In conjunction with the traditional CBD market, the CBD skincare industry is booming. It is expected to be worth $959 million by 2024, according to a recent report released by Prohibition Partners. “Thus far, the disruption we've seen in the beauty industry is nothing short of remarkable, attracting attention from high-street retailers, global brands and indie entrepreneurs. Consumers are looking for new and exciting products derived from natural and sustainable sources and cannabis continues to fit this mould, driving product demand through the roof,” said Prohibition Partners’ managing director Stephen Murphy. "There are constant questions on the longevity of this trend but with the ability to act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent and an antioxidant, cannabis is becoming one of the most disruptive forces in the beauty and personal care industry in the last two decades."

The endocannabinoid system - at a glance

The reason for CBD’s versatility is simple: the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a system that is found in not only the human body, but every other creature that scientists have studied. This system is made up of various receptors, and those receptors are located throughout our bodies. Endocannabinoid receptors can be found in our vital organs, our brains, our spine, immune cells, the digestive system, our nerves, and what we will mainly be focusing on in this article: the skin. These receptors are wholly responsible for receiving CBD, then working with the CBD to bring the body to homeostasis. This is why CBD is so effective, because there is a bodily system designed to perfectly meet these cannabinoids and create lasting effects. The receptors are located everywhere, so CBD is able to do work in any area of the body that you need.

Can CBD replace potentially dangerous skincare ingredients?

As we look to the traditional skincare industry, we see a variety of different products on the shelves. You can find skincare brands claiming to soothe redness, moisturize the skin, promote an even skin tone, repair damage, reduce fine lines, and more. Many of these products work, but they require a host of different ingredients. Some of these ingredients are thought to be potentially dangerous, too. One example is the ingredient called triclosan. This ingredient is used in various CPG products, but especially cleansers and skincare because it is antibacterial and antimicrobial. Triclosan is also found in hand sanitizer. Though it may kill bacteria immediately present on the skin, research shows that it also disrupts thyroid and disruptive hormones in the process. Triclosan is banned in several countries because of this, and may be an ingredient to consider phasing out. There is evidence to suggest that CBD may have the potential to replace triclosan, because of its antibacterial properties.

Not only triclosan, but various other ingredients as well. CBD is seen as the “silver bullet” of health for many people involved in the wellness space, and applying the same science, there is no reason it can’t be the same for skincare, too. This article we wrote goes more into depth about CBD skincare, why it is being used, and what it can potentially help with.

In addition to being seen as virtually non-toxic by most experts, CBD being derived from a plant guarantees that it is always vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and sometimes USDA certified organic. This is appealing to the millennial crowd, who according to makeup mogul Kat Von D, “really do care” about cruelty-free beauty products. Keep in mind, just because a CBD skincare product has CBD, it doesn’t automatically make it cruelty-free; that isn’t what we are suggesting. But, the idea of a “silver bullet”, cruelty-free, plant-based ingredient like CBD is enough to watch CBD like a hawk as it secures its rightful place on the skin care aisle’s shelves.

Israeli-based pharmaceutical tech company, Innocan Pharma, focuses on research exploring the use of CBD as a therapeutic. They recently released a compelling study that further verifies the CBD skin care industry’s legitimacy. The team followed 20 volunteers that applied a 300 milligram bottle of CBD serum for 28 days. Almost all of the participants, 90% of them to be exact, evaluated the product as very good. In addition, 90% of participants said their skin had less wrinkles once the experiment was up, 95% claimed finer expression lines, 90% reported having a more even skin tone, 80% claimed the serum helped their skin achieve a depigmented effect, and 85% of participants claimed the skin was more moisturized.

It is amazing to look at this study and realize that one product did all of these different things. Skin care is typically seen as a multi-step process, because there are typically a couple of different issues needing to be addressed. Based on the results of the Innocan study, combined with other research that we know about CBD, strongly points to the need for research exploring CBD’s place in the skincare industry.