As we move to a future where marijuana is increasingly legal, one industry already being disrupted in a big way is beauty. Specifically, CBD (cannabidiol), the legal, non-psychoactive compound derived from its THC-producing mother, weed, is showing up as an ingredient in beauty products with increasing frequency. CBD is concentrate from the stalk or seed of the cannabis plant, also know as hemp, and has been trending lately for its apparent ability to aid the recovery of the body, including our skin.
The KANA Lavender CBD Sleeping Mask was one of the first such products to hit the market, and has quickly become a cult favorite among beauty junkies and laymen alike. After applying it three times a week for a month, we can report that the soothing benefits are at least anecdotally true. The mask's lightweight, almost jelly-like feel doesn't leave a thick residue and the lavender scent is a welcome note to end on after a long day. We foresee this mask remaining part of our regular beauty rotation.
We spoke with Janice Buu, the founder of KANA Skincare, over email about the mask, how it works and why she got into CBD beauty in the first place:
PAPER: Can you tell us about the mask and how it should be used?
Janice Buu: Our Lavender CBD Sleeping Mask is organic CBD infused with 28 other active botanicals, natural brightening agent, collagen booster (by 400%), and essential oil blends. They all work in synergy while you sleep to sooth, relax, and detox the skin from a day of sun damage, and environmental stress. It also provides the benefits of aromatherapy!
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Why do you use CBD in your products?
As a topical, CBD is more rich and powerful than vitamin A, E, C, and amino acids combined. It has strong anti-inflammatory agents to heal damage caused by sun and environmental stress during the day. Therefore, it's a strong ingredient for anti-aging and acne healing beauty products. We combine CBD with Korean skincare recipes to make it the most hydrating, nutritious sleeping mask there is on the market. Most of our beauties experience instant glow on their skin with suppleness when they wake up the next morning, others gradually see positive results.
How is cannabis disrupting the beauty market?
I really don't think the beauty market saw this coming. I mean, maybe they knew how powerful CBD was all along, but no one wanted to fight for this "niche" market, meaning, they would have to be associated with cannabis, selling to only certain countries, staying on top of laws and regulations. It's too much of a hassle, when they can just buy in large quantities ingredients that are legal but full of synthetic chemicals and cancer causing additives (and yet still make billions with strong marketing campaigns and do animal testing on the side).
The majority of the people in cannabis industry are true believers of the plant through personal experiences. And I'm not talking about smoking and getting high. Most of us have personally experienced how cannabis has helped a loved one recover from chemotherapy, relieved children from severe eczema, or in my case, CBD helped my dad recover from his bypass surgery four years ago.
And that sparked your interest in CBD beauty?
I began researching CBD beauty in 2015, and there were no beauty products on the market. I found some hemp-related beauty products, but hemp isn't even close to what CBD offers our skin. We have the technology to extract 100% of CBD with 0% of THC from the plant, so it's a no brainer to use such powerful ingredient for the beauty industry.
I foresee the majority of the people trying out CBD beauty products this year, and they will all include CBD into their daily skincare/beauty routines after discovering how beneficial it is to our skin and health. Cannabis beauty is new, yet powerful! It is definitely here to stay and will take over.
What trends in cannabis/CBD beauty are you excited to see going forward?
There are so many possibilities to improve our health/beauty from using 100% natural ingredients along with the strength of cannabis! We will be seeing cannabis/CBD spas, facials, massages popping up this year, and in legalized states THC topicals will definitely be included for full body and mind relaxation. At KANA, we are currently working on a tech beauty tool to be used with our CBD + Korean skincare recipes that will give your skin amazing results, naturally.