Beauty cannabis products with non-psychoactive CBD or cannabidiol hemp oil ingredients are going mainstream with celebrity endorsements and distribution agreements.
The beauty industry does most of its business online, which makes it easy for consumers to order some hemp-based lotion or cannabis-infused lip balm. In 2015, the beauty industry saw $6.2 billion (nearly 8 percent) of its sales occur online, according to market reports. The global cosmetics market is expected to reach $429.8 billion by 2022.
Some beauty giants are already carrying hemp-based products. Beauty megastore Ulta carries several hemp beauty brands. Other retailers are holding back due to legal complications, as CBD and hemp products are allowed in some states, banned in other states, and federally frowned upon.
But the industrial hemp industry is quietly growing stronger with bi-partisan support for the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. It would only take a couple congressional approvals before CBD and hemp-based consumer products are widely available in drugstores, health stores, supermarkets and beauty stores across the United States.
Besides legal limitations, retailers are primarily concerned with quality control and seek to offer only products with high-quality CBD oil and hemp ingredients, according to Business of Fashion.
“The trick is finding a brand that is able to put this powerful ingredient to work in a modern formula with beautiful packaging,” Credo Beauty CEO Annie Jackson told Forbes. “As merchants, we are constantly on the lookout for brands that both formulate beautifully with hemp-derived CBD but also comply with our ingredient standard — which has been a tall order.” Credo stores, which are known for favoring natural beauty products, will be carrying cannabis beauty products including lip balms by Vertly starting this month.
Kicking off California’s recreational legalization, Bellacures salon made national headlines this month for offering a ‘Canna-cure’ spa treatment in partnership with Kush Queen. The treatment includes CBD-infused chocolate, scrub, and lotion. Beauty editors for Us Weekly, Refinery29, Fashionista, and Hollywood Reporter wrote about the experience.
Cannabis industry leaders have hinted at a cannabinoid beauty products boom for the last few years. Women control over $20 trillion in annual consumer spending globally, according to Harvard Business Review.
Tonya Watts, CEO of Dazey Hemp which creates hemp seed oil skin care products, said “When I began learning about all the natural benefits of hemp seed oil as well as cannabis, I was completely blown away. I truly believe that mother nature meant for us to utilize this plant to heal ourselves from whatever need be.”
Some cannabis brands take inspiration from the self-titled “stoner girls” of Instagram who post magazine-style photos of themselves using cannabis products. On Instagram, which is the primary platform in developing beauty industry trends, #girlswhosmokeweed has over 2 million tags.
Jane West, who makes personally branded cannabis accessories for women, offers a travel container for cannabis accessories that looks just like a makeup compact. “Women are getting more and more curious about cannabis and how to incorporate it into our lives,” West said.
Cannabis beauty products in the news
Cannabis industry leader Medical Marijuana, Inc. has its own line of CBD skincare products which have been featured in beauty round-ups by Elle Magazine, Vogue Magazine, USA Today and more. “Cannabis Beauty Defined® is the first luxury beauty line featuring CBD hemp oil. Formulated for those who care about lasting, youthful skin, this anti-aging line of products contains CBD hemp oil and exclusive Bi-Bong™ herbal blends for dynamic skincare, yet all products in the brand are created free of dyes, fragrances, parabens, and sulfates,” according to the website.
Cannabis skincare brand Lord Taylor was recently interviewed by Forbes, which predicts that “cannabis could be the most profitable ingredient in skincare.” Lord Taylor’s CBD-infused body lotion has been endorsed by celebrities like Olivia Wilde and Mandy Moore, with a full feature on the brand’s celebrity endorsements in PageSix.
Cannabis lip products and makeup brand Vertly has been featured in Vogue, Allure Magazine and POPSUGAR.
