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Is CBD Good for Your Skin?

CBD and Skin Care

There’s a lot of hype about CBD out there, and even a few questionable products making unsubstantiated claims. Fortunately, there’s also a lot of valuable research underway, using scientific approaches to evaluate and demonstrate CBD’s many real benefits.

Sweet Earth offers this information so that customers can be informed consumers. We want to be honest and informative while also producing great products. So, we’d like to start by talking a bit about what we do know based on the limited research available.

 

CBD and Hemp Oil

CBD (or cannabidiol) comes from the flowers and leaves of the hemp plant. Hemp production was allowed in all 50 states in the 2018 Farm Bill, and its use is legal as long as it contains less than 0.3 percent of THC, the psychoactive compound found in some cannabis species. Hemp plants typically contain trace amounts or no THC, so it can’t get you high. CBD is generally considered safe for topical use; the same cannot be said of ingestible CBD. 

 

CBD powder is mixed with a carrier oil, like hemp, olive, or coconut oil. Hemp oil itself is also great for the skin. It doesn’t clog your pores, and it’s soothing for sensitive skin—so it’s a nice-to-have addition to any cosmetics product 

 

CBD and Aging Skin

Oxidation and the UV rays in sunlight can wreak havoc on our skin by damaging mitochondria, DNA, and cell membranes. In 2018, Today’s Practitioner reviewed two clinical studies and concluded that cannabidiol is a “potent antioxidant,” suggesting a “therapeutic use as neuroprotective agents, and the particular properties of cannabidiol make it a good candidate for such development.” The theory is that by counteracting the effects of free radicals, CBD helps keep skin healthier.

 

CBD and Acne

Several dermatological studies, including research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD on the skin, calming the surface and potentially reducing the amount of sebum (oil) produced. Acne is primarily an inflammatory condition, and initial results from CBD studies show that it can visibly reduce breakouts, especially acne-related redness.

Another study, from 2019, concluded that “topical administration of CBD ointment, without any THC, is a safe and effective non-invasive alternative for improving the quality of life in patients with some skin disorders,” particularly those involving inflammation.

 

CBD the Germ Fighter

Ongoing research has demonstrated that CBD alone, and in concert with other compounds, can be a potent weapon again a range of harmful germs. A study cited in the Journal of Natural Products found that cannabidiolshowed potent activity against a variety of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains.” And recently the journal Nature published findings confirming that CBD is “a quite effective antimicrobial compound,” even though scientists don’t yet fully understand how it works so well.

 

Pain Relief

In 2016, the European Journal of Pain reported some interesting findings on a study of CBD used as an arthritis treatment. Researchers found that not only did topical cannabidiol reduce inflammation and pain and significantly reduced joint swelling, it worked without any of the side-effects other treatments can cause.


 

 

Selected Sources

"Is Cannabidiol the Next Clinical Antioxidant?," Today’s Practitioner, November 2018.

“Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants,” U.S. Patent application, 1999.

Anti-inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychotropic Cannabinoid, in Experimental Allergic Contact Dermatitis,” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, March 2018.

“Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes,” Journal of Clinical Investigation, July 2014.

“A Therapeutic Effect of Cbd-Enriched Ointment in Inflammatory Skin Diseases and Cutaneous Scars,” La Clinica Terapeutica, March-April 2019.

“Antibacterial Cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa: A Structure-Activity Study,” Journal of Natural Products, August 2008.

Cannabidiol is an effective helper compound in combination with bacitracin to kill Gram-positive bacteria,” Nature, March 2020.

“Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis,” European Journal of Pain, July 2016.