Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. There’s a debate on the taxonomy of Cannabis, and depending on the taxonomical classification adopted, the genus include 3 species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
Cannabis is probably indigenous to the Asiatic Continent and has a very long history of domestication, due to the large spectrum of possible utilisations, as a source of textile fibers, as well as medicinal and psychoactive compounds.
Cannabis is also referred to as hemp and marijuana. The defining characteristic between the two is based on a single factor — the amount of THC in the plant. “Hemp” is a term used to classify varieties of Cannabis that contain 0.3% or less THC content by dry weight, while “Marijuana” is a term used to classify varieties of Cannabis that contain more than 0.3% THC. Technically, CBD can be obtained from both plants.
There are a number of ways of extracting CBD from Cannabis, and they will usually vary according to the THC content, which can be separated from the extract.
The three main extraction methods for CBD are carbon dioxide extraction, steam distillation, and solvent extraction, and the extracts are made from the flowers, leaves, and stalks of the plant.
You will probably find the terms full or broad spectrum and isolate when searching for CBD. Although none of these terms are legally regulated, their meaning is:
Our Endocannabinoid system is composed by 2 types of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, and both are present in the skin, distributed through keratinocytes, melanocytes, in hair follicles and sebaceous and sweat glands. In simple terms, this means that the Cannabidiol that is applied to the skin can potentially connect with the receptors regulating certain skin physiological processes. However, although studies have demonstrated a range of effects for topical application, more conclusive clinical data is needed to confirm these results. The main functions attributed to CBD in skincare are as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
The role of the Endocannabinoid system on immune regulation, supports its local therapeutic effects in the skin, as this system is involved in cutaneous function by regulating, among others; cell growth, differentiation and survival, immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore the disruption of the endocannabinoid system could be involved in skin diseases.
The mechanism of action for the benefits of CBD in topical usage has not yet fully been explained, but its hypothesis involves regulations on sebocyte proliferation, control of sebum production, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative (inhibits cell growth) activity. Medical literature has shown some evidence of a role for CBD in the management of symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, pruritus, allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and acne, by relieving chronic pain, modifying the itching sensation, and reducing inflammation.
Studies show that it may inhibit proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes and to stimulate apoptosis (cell death), cause a reduction of histamine responses in human skin, and there have been studies documenting its use in treating inflammatory acne vulgaris because of its ability to decrease proliferation of human sebocytes in vitro.
CBD’s activities described above are valuable for the cosmetic formulator, as they are applicable for a wide range of cosmetic products. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions are both pillars for anti-ageing products, whilst the anti-inflammatory action added to the sebum regulation are relevant for cosmetics intended for acne prone skin. Conditions like eczema and dermatitis will benefit from pain relief and regulation of epidermal proliferation.
These are the most frequent applications for CBD in skincare:
From full-spectrum to isolate, CBD extracts are oil-soluble, and you should add it to the oil phase of your product. The ingredient will work well in products such as balms, massage bars, lip balms, oils, creams, emulsions and serums.
There is no consensus of the CBD dosage for topical application so far, and the effective concentration to obtain the activities reported in literature is yet to be defined. You will find cosmetic products that mention the CBD content in milligrams while some products will mention a percentage instead, both measurements are OK and can be converted to each other easily; They represent how much CBD you would be using with that product.
The most common recommendation to CBD concentration in skincare is around 1%, but concentrations can widely vary, and in order to find an effective concentration to deliver the activities mentioned in literature, it would be necessary to conduct studies to evaluate the concentration and results.
We recommend that CBD is added in the cool down phase, bellow 40C. If you are using a powder form, you can disperse it in a portion of your oil phase.
We offer a Hemp & CBD Bag to purchase and below our Booklet will give you ideas for recipes