Is CBD Really a Wonder Beauty Ingredient? Here’s What Doctors Actually Think

Over the past handful of years, one of the hottest trends in skin care can be whittled down to three letters: CBD. The abbreviation for cannabidiol, CBD has been popping up in wellness and beauty products that are marketed to address everything from stress and insomnia to even your pet’s lackluster coat. 

The boom in CBD skin-care products is particularly noteworthy, as companies attempt to cash in on the topical’s potential benefits to skin (and also hair). But the ingredient isn’t without controversy—and sorting through the science for answers on how and where to use it can be tricky. Below, take a look at the basics of CBD beauty products and other need-to-know info behind this trending ingredient before adding it to your skin-care routine.

What is CBD oil?

CBD is a derivative of the hemp plant. It lacks the psychoactive effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis. It works on the body’s own endocannabinoid system, which is involved in regulating sleep, mood, appetite, inflammation, and pain.

Often added to a carrier oil, CBD is categorized by different descriptors on ingredient lists and product labels. Here’s a quick primer on CBD terms to know:

  • “CBD isolate” means it has been singled out
  • “full-spectrum CBD” means it contains all the compounds found in the hemp plant
  • “broad-spectrum CBD” means it falls somewhere in between the two

Full-spectrum CBD and broad-spectrum CBD are generally seen as more desirable, since research suggests the mix of compounds help one another work better.

Virginia Lee, CBD research manager at the Brightfield Group in Chicago, shares several reasons why the extract is getting a ton of attention. “CBD shows promise of being a long-term trend and being more sustainable than other hot new ingredients,” she begins. Calling it versatile, she continues to say that the potential benefits of CBD include but aren’t limited to:

  • pain relief
  • anxiety reduction
  • anti-acne properties
  • anti-inflammatory properties

This ingredient is also popular in CBD beauty products and other formulations (think topicals, tinctures, and edibles) since it’s colorless, tasteless, and odorless. In addition, Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says he’s seeing patients show more interest in CBD skin care as part of a larger trend that beauty brands are also taking note of. “It is becoming increasingly popular as consumers are looking for more natural treatment options,” he explains.

What are the controversial points?

Gathering information on CBD has been somewhat slow going. Why? “Since hemp—and, by extension, CBD—has been a controlled substance for many decades, there was an inability to conduct research on CBD,” explains Lee. That changed with the 2018 Farm Bill, which took derivatives with less than 0.3% THC (including CBD) out of that classification, separating cannabidiol from the legal definition of its cousin, marijuana.

The lack of studies means making claims for CBD is tough, because there is some evidence of its efficacy, but not a lot—and we don’t have strong answers for dosages and safety. This was underlined in late 2019, when the FDA decided that CBD is excluded from classification as a supplement.

Overall, the demand for CBD-laced goodies is outpacing knowledge and regulation. “Unfortunately, in most cases, skin-care trials, research, and scientific testing are absent when these products enter the market,” explains Mary Pryor, New York state chapter president of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, co-founder of the diversity-advocacy group Cannaclusive, and chief marketing officer at TONIC CBD/Tricolla Farms. That’s why, she says, “sourcing issues matter greatly when it comes to selecting the best CBD products.”

In addition, it’s also important to note that the FDA warns that the possible side effects of CBD oil include:

  • drowsiness
  • gastrointestinal distress
  • irritability
  • agitation

Do CBD beauty products really work?

In one word: maybe. The small amount of info we have on it—at least compared to tried-and-true ingredients like retinol—doesn’t mean you won’t necessarily see results, or that any perceived benefits of CBD are all in your head.

“Preclinical and a few clinical trials are showing the efficacy of cannabinoids for various skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, scleroderma, skin cancers, neutrophil diseases, dermatomyositis, and cutaneous lupus erythematosus,” explains Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. As we can see, there’s a lot of potential in the realm of CBD beauty, but we need more substantiated proof. That’s why you might notice the benefits on the packaging of CBD beauty products are often kept vague, with the word “soothe” being thrown around quite a bit.

In the meantime, in hopes of capitalizing on the anti-inflammatory abilities of the extract, skin-care and hair companies have been adding the ingredient to pretty much everything from lip balms, anti-aging eye creams, body lotions, and body oils to creams for relieving foot pain and scalp soothers. Looking forward, Dr. King says, you may also see it pop up as a cure-all for itching and dryness. Meanwhile, Dr. Zeichner highlighted the possible use of CBD beauty products for acne, pointing to data showing that CBD oil actually lowers activities of sebaceous glands. (Less sebum equals less oil and breakouts.)

Over the past few years, leaders in the CBD beauty space that offer a range of products with this hemp-derived ingredient include Lord Jones, Saint Jane, and Vertly. Other popular skin-care brands have also been catching on, adding CBD face products to their lineups. Popular CBD beauty boosters include the likes of:

Do doctors recommend using CBD beauty products?

For now, the lack of hard research makes dermatologists a bit apprehensive when it comes to giving their patients carte blanche to go for it. “I think the bottom line is that more work is needed with randomized, controlled trials with sufficiently large sample sizes, to establish the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids [in treating] skin conditions,” says Dr. King. She adds that this is especially true for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Also, for anyone hoping to use it in their post-cosmetic treatment recovery plan—perhaps to ease anxiety and pain or speed up healing—Dr. Emily J. Kirby, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Fort Worth, Texas, says it’s best to hold off or… at the very least, check in with your doctor beforehand. First, CBD has been shown to have anti-coagulating effects, which could complicate recovery. “Even something noninvasive, such as CoolSculpting, can lead to issues with bleeding or bruising in the areas treated when you’re using CBD,” she adds.

As for pain, “Although [hemp derivatives] have been studied in chronic pain conditions, studies to date are not promising in the setting of postoperative pain,” says Dr. Kirby. Another reason to run it by your doc: CBD has been shown to counteract some medications, so you’ll definitely want to use it with caution.

What’s a CBD-curious person to do?

Despite the confusion, CBD products abound—and Pryor predicts we’ll see more offerings for scar reduction, blemish control, skin care for dryness and hydration, cellular healing, and rash- and burn-soothing as time goes on. And efforts are being made to ensure that the entire space becomes easier to navigate. There is more information on the way: research is being done by academic and medical institutions as well as by beauty and wellness companies. You can also expect stricter labeling laws as the FDA continues to refine its stance; the organization has started to crack down on the Wild West of some pockets of the industry by issuing warnings to companies for making unsubstantiated claims and for being found not to have the level of CBD stated on their packaging.

In the meantime, heed Dr. King’s advice for those who want to incorporate the derivative in their beauty routines. Look for a Certificate of Analysis (COA), which, she says, should indicate that “the product has been tested in a lab and will give a per-batch breakdown of how much CBD it contains, as well as other ingredients.”Beyond that, Dr. King says to look for CBD that’s full-spectrum, because it’s “generally more beneficial and more effective at much lower doses” than isolate, and to be wary of outrageous claims. And of course, when in doubt, always check in with your doctor.