It isn’t an exaggeration to say that your skin is your very own custom built, flexible and regenerative superhero suit. The one organ in your body resilient enough to come into contact with the outside world and have the ability to deal with almost everything thrown at it.
Made up of around 300 million skin cells it accounts for 15% of your body weight and despite its size, renews itself entirely about every 28 days.
It also has an incredible built-in early warning system containing at least 5 different receptors that respond to pain and touch.
That’s why you drop that scolding pan before you even realise it’s hot. Electrical signals sent directly through your spinal cord to your brain trigger a response to make you instantly release it, protecting you from being badly burned way before your conscious brain has even realised what’s happening.
What’s more…. If you do damage or injure your skin? It responds! Play a lot of guitar? Expect callouses on your fingers to protect you from blisters. Get a nasty cut? Your skin responds with scar tissue.
Our skin is incredible, it helps regulate our temperature, produces essential Vitamin D, and protects us from pollutants and even that giant ball of fire out in Space.
Imagine for a moment if a piece of clothing was able to do all of that. It would be hailed as miraculous. Yet here we are, all wearing our superhero suits and let’s be honest, probably taking them for granted.
OK, so I think we have successfully made the case for just how important your skin is.
But despite it being so incredibly resilient, just like every aspect of our health, our skin needs to be properly maintained to work effectively. In fact, our skin can even be one of the most effective tools for identifying that our health may be suffering.
Poor diet? Your skin will tell you.
Underlying health conditions? Your skin will give clues.
Stress & Depression? Your skin will respond to both.
Given that skin is so important to overall health and well-being it is essential that brands that want to offer truly holistic health solutions to their customers make skincare products part of their repertoire. Anything less risks ignoring a fundamental aspect of your customers journey toward better health and well-being.
CBD in Skincare
The first thing that CBD brands should take note of when it comes to skincare is just how effective an ingredient the Hemp plant can be for your skin.
Before even commenting on CBD, consider that Hemp Seed oil itself is Omega-rich, stimulates the production of prostaglandins (which play an important role in controlling inflammation) and is non-comedogenic, meaning it sinks in quickly without blocking pores or making your skin oily.
As for CBD?
This is where things get really interesting.
CBD is a powerful tool for any skincare formulator. CBD has been shown to actively diffuse reactivity in the skin reducing redness, rough texture and dullness. It essentially calms the skin.
Packed full of antioxidants, CBD can counteract free-radical damage and research shows that it can also help to regulate the skin’s natural sebum production.
Estas propiedades producen verdaderos beneficios calmantes para la piel y el cuidado de la piel con CBD puede ayudar a reducir los brotes, el enrojecimiento y disminuir problemas como las arrugas, la opacidad y el tono rojo de la piel.
Whilst CBD products are prohibited from making medical claims, CBD’s well documented anti-inflammatory properties make it an obvious candidate for people with issues like Eczema and Psoriasis.
Skincare – The perfect compliment to any CBD brand
So, the benefits of using CBD skincare products are clear, and when presented well, will be clear to your customers as well. Not to mention the very real and observable benefits they will see from using them.
But that isn’t the only reason CBD brands should be adding skincare ranges to their arsenal of holistic health products. There are many!
People new to Cannabis & CBD Products
Cannabis has undergone a decades long smear campaign worse than any faced by US presidents during election year.
Everyone remember ‘Reefer Madness’? The amount of disinformation spread about this wonderfully useful plant is truly astonishing.
Unsurprisingly, this misinformation has pervaded into our cultural psyche and become that ever so dangerous thing we know as ‘conventional wisdom’.
Whilst those of us who work in the industry might disregard these views as old fashioned or even ‘silly’, consumers have very real concerns about Cannabis and it is our job, nae, our duty to help them see the reality of the situation. We believe that Topicals are an effective tool for doing just that!
Familiarity With Skincare Products
The reality is, that consumers considering using a Cannabis product for the first time find topical application far less intimidating than using an ingestible product.
Using a moisturiser or balm is far more familiar to them than using a tincture.
For the ‘Cannabis nervous’, a topical product offers them a chance to dip a toe and dispel some of the fears around interacting with other products in your CBD range.
Oral CBD Products & Their Taste
Cannabis isn’t for everyone. Many CBD oils on the market (certainly the unflavoured ones) can often taste very bitter and the same is true of many edible products.
Whilst ‘taste’ is not necessarily the most important factor in a health supplement product, it can certainly impact how likely and how often a consumer is likely to interact with it.
In more serious circumstance, for example in people with learning difficulties a bitter taste can actually make administration of CBD a real barrier.
As an application method, a CBD topical is often a lot easier to administer than an edible product.
CBD Topicals & Direct Application
CBD Topicals and skincare products also have the added benefit of direct application. Edible products require digestion which can delay the onset of relief as your body takes up to 2 hours to digest.
Furthermore, our digestive system is a powerful thing. Not all of the Cannabinoids you digest will survive the journey and enter the bloodstream.
Finally, ingestible CBD products, whilst very effective cannot be as targeted as a topical application which can be applied to problem areas directly and get to work much faster.
This is not to say that topicals are superior to edibles. Far from it, the salient point is that each have their own benefits, and each are useful in different situations and for different customers.
Offering both ingestible and topical products mean your customer is far more likely to find a product that is best suited to their needs.
CBD Skincare – Why They Should Be Your Brand’s Superhero Products.
One of my favourite things about skincare products is their ability to create a truly escapist experience for customers.
Applying a product like our Charcoal CBD Detox Mask will imbue its user with many benefits as it gently exfoliates, softens and smooths the skin whilst reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
A fantastic extra benefit that these products bring is that they encourage customers to take time for themselves. Picking up and using products like these enable us to put our phones down for a while, steal away some time for ourselves and detox not only our skin but our busy minds.
Remember, stress is terrible for your health and your whole body, including your skin will suffer.
CBD skincare products can encourage better habits, more mindfulness and less stress. Adding these products to your range can give your customers a ritualistic, indulgent and reflective experience that improves their health on multiple fronts.
Wellness & Industry Trends
Want more than just our opinion on the matter? Research by Cosmetics Europe shows that
– 72% of consumers feel skincare improves their quality of life.
– 80% identify their skin as a major factor in their self-esteem.
If your CBD brand wants to help its customers, these kind of metrics show that skincare should not be overlooked. It demonstrates that skincare is not an ‘add-on’ but rather an intrinsic part of our health and wellness.
According to TechNavio’s research, the current size of the ‘CBD Infused Cosmetics Market’ is estimated to be $3.09bn having seen rude growth during the past few years. The demand speaks for itself and the market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 31%.
Article by: Richard Messitt