Lately, there’s a lot of hype around beauty products infused with CBD. It is steadily taking over the US beauty market. You may have noticed CBD budding its head into daily skincare routines and inspiring a lush new design aesthetic for big-brand product launches. It is the Cady Heron of the skincare world right now — buzzy, intriguing, and full of secrets (though not as much as Gretchen Weiners’ hair). The ingredient has officially crossed over from being a wellness supplement to a beauty buzzword, but what exactly is a cannabis compound doing in your beauty products? Keep reading to find out.

What is CBD Oil?

If you aren’t familiar with this trending beauty ingredient, CBD — stands for Cannabidiol is a naturally-occurring chemical compound present in the Cannabis plant, which includes marijuana and hemp plants. It is one of the two primary active ingredients of cannabis, the other one being THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the compound responsible for the “high” that people may associate with cannabis. CBD alone doesn’t have psychoactive effects, meaning it will not cause a person to feel high.

It is also important to know that CBD oil is not the same thing as hemp seed oil, which has been a common ingredient in skincare products for a long time. The two are often marketed interchangeably, but CBD oil is richly concentrated in cannabidiol, whereas hemp seed oil only contains trace amounts of cannabidiol, if any. There’s nothing wrong with hemp seed oil, but it’s not an active ingredient, nor does it have any particularly notable anti-inflammatory benefits (though it can help with hydration and controlling oil production).

For Acne: Anti-inflammatory, Anti-bacterial, and Oil-reducing Properties

Treats Inflammation

CBD oil is an effective and natural anti-inflammatory. It helps soothe irritation caused by acne, noticeably reducing acne-related redness and making breakouts appear smaller and less painful.

Kills Off Bacteria

Due to its potent antibacterial properties, CBD can be effective at killing acne-causing bacteria.

Regulates Oil Production

The most exciting finding of CBD oil is that it’s ‘sebostatic’ — it cuts down on oil production in the skin. Current evidence suggests the skin has its own endocannabinoid system, which is to say cannabinoids are active in the skin, binding to their receptors, and signaling for certain activities to occur or not occur. The increase in sebum production is a result of endogenous cannabinoids (anandamide and 2AG) which are produced in the sebaceous glands. These endogenous cannabinoids act on CB2 receptors inhibiting the lipogenic action, therefore regulating sebum production. So, this miracle ingredient also reduces breakouts by decreasing excessive levels of oil produced by the skin — a major trigger for acne-prone skin.

For Dryness, Itching, and Sensitive Skin: Anti-inflammatory, Anti-bacterial, and Hydrating Properties

Treats Inflammation

The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD are useful for reducing potential triggers of eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis. It can help soothe skin and reduce the appearance of irritation. It can even help calm rosacea flare-ups

Nourishes Sensitive Skin

CBD helps soothe sensitive, easily-irritated skin. Its substantial skin-calming and skin-normalizing effects can help minimize issues related to skin sensitivity, including redness and reactivity. Since all skin types are affected daily by environmental stressors, CBD’s soothing mechanism can help keep everyone’s skin in check.

Kills Off Bacteria

Skin diseases like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis are caused by bacteria. CBD can help kill off bacteria that causes these.

Boosts Hydration

CBD has moisturizing properties that can help combat dehydration and dryness.

For Aging and Wrinkles: Antioxidant Properties

Neutralizes Free Radical Damage

CBD combats the visible signs of aginng because of its powerful antioxidant properties. It works to protect skin from free radicals resulting from environmental damage, rejuvenates dull complexion, improves texture, and evens skin tone.

Potential Side Effects and Risks

Though rare, the known side effects of using CBD oil for acne include dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness, and fatigue. CBD oil is also known to interact with certain medications such as blood thinners. While there are no known interactions with other topical products, you should start with a patch test if you’re concerned about a reaction. If you experience irritation, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re sensitive to CBD oil, and you should stop using it.

How to Use It

When it comes to actually using CBD oil to treat acne, you may find yourself wondering: supplement or product? The evidence supporting use of CBD in treating acne is purely topical at this point. Use of CBD was tested topically on skin cells and has shown promise. Oral supplementation or smoking of CBD formulations has not been evaluated in this manner and can not be recommended.

The good news is, there’s no shortage of CBD-laced products. One of the most popular routes is face oil. Oils are still having their moment in skincare, as they’re ideal for virtually every skin type (depending on the formulation) and act as an excellent carrier for a variety of potent compounds — like CBD. Oils are also easy to incorporate into a multiple-step skincare regimen, so if you’re looking to up your anti-acne game with an extra product that has very little likelihood to interact with your existing products, a face oil containing CBD oil might be the perfect fit. There are also various cleansers, creams, lotions, and oils for the face and body, but it’s important to steer clear of any that might contain potential comedogenic ingredients.

How to Find the Best CBD Skin Care

With so many CBD skincare products available, you need to know what to look for so you can be sure you’re finding the best CBD oil (or other types of CBD skin care). Here are some CBD shopping tips:

  1. Make sure the ingredient list states “cannabidiol”. As mentioned above, other terms aren’t INCI-compliant, nor is hemp seed oil or extract the same as CBD oil.
  2. Many brands selling CBD skin products list the total cannabidiol content in milligrams, sometimes further broken down per use. This is a good indicator the CBD product is legitimate, although there’s currently no consensus on how much CBD skin needs per application; we just know skin has receptor sites for this ingredient that when connected can interrupt signals that cause skin to act up.
  3. Ask the brand or check to see if they provide evidence of third-party certification on the purity and stated amount of the CBD to be sure you’re getting what the label claims.
  4. Look for CBD skin care in stable packaging — no jars, clear bottles or any component that exposes this delicate plant ingredient to a lot of light or air, which cause it to become less effective.
  5. Some brands advertise their CBD as being “isolate”, “full spectrum”, or “broad spectrum”. None of these terms are regulated, but they can be helpful differentiators:
  6. CBD isolate means pure CBD, no other cannabinoids or other naturally occurring substances like flavonoids or terpenes.
  7. Full spectrum CBD means everything that occurs in the hemp plant alongside the CBD, including trace amounts of THC and other cannabinoids such as CBG (cannabigerol) and antioxidant compounds.
  8. Broad spectrum CBD means no THC is detectable. Trace amounts of THC can be detected in full spectrum CBD, but must fall below 0.3% in order to not be considered active.