For some, coffee is a necessity to start the day, but Get Supr founder Whitney Eckis struggled. Initially, there were headaches. Soon came menstrual cramps, coupled by digestive pain. Anxiety and trouble sleeping followed. She eventually discovered that her struggles with caffeine were universal. Creating an alternative would not only cure her own health issues but satiate the habitual craving for coffee lovers everywhere. Exploring natural solutions, Eckis turned to one key ingredient: hemp.
“We decided to infuse organic Colombian instant coffee with broad-spectrum hemp extract to give you a true ‘entourage’ effect — all the benefits without the high.”
Get Supr is one of many brands across the lifestyle industry utilizing the lucrative properties of cannabinoids. Few people are aware that cannabinoids naturally occur in the human body. Our endocannabinoid system influences the majority of our biological functions, from mood to metabolism and sleep. CBD, in particular, is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and when coupled with cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabidivarin (CBDV), it heightens the other's benefits. As such, cannabinoids have been credited as metabolism boosters, as well as having anti-anxiety and other medicinal properties, making their consumption — topical or otherwise — considered a supplement.
Beyond soothing and rejuvenating the mind and body, CBD has also been known to help with sexual health.
“In sexual wellness, there is definitely a huge benefit to using CBD, CBG, and CBDV,” explains Bawdy Beauty founder Sylwia Wiesenberg. “As we learn, we discover other cannabinoids with huge benefits for health, wellness, beauty, and sexuality.”
Skyrocketing to success as the innovator of the butt mask, Bawdy Beauty was quick to incorporate CBD into its skincare products. Its CBD Butt Balm and CBD Oil are intended to aid in faster muscle recovery while offering therapeutic and beautifying benefits with the help of CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects. More recently, the brand has expanded into the sexual-wellness space with a lubrication product that hinges on CBD as a pleasure-enhancer. Wiesenberg claims the vegan and fragrance-free Blow took “a while to nail,” but Bawdy eventually emerged with a CBG- and CBD-infused formula that delivers the user a “natural high.”
It still frustrates Wiesenberg how rarely the variations of cannabinoids, or CBD specifically, are explained. The foremost misconception is that CBD oil is derived from hemp seeds (hemp extract) rather than the hemp flower, leading to consumers conflating the two. CBD itself can also be broken down into several categories: broad spectrum and full spectrum — both of which do not contain THC and are therefore non-psychoactive. The former offers a few shades of cannabinoid power, whereas full spectrum offers a “rainbow” of advantages.
“Most people know very little about cannabinoids,” she says, explaining that many companies add to consumer confusion around CBD by conflating hemp with CBD. “Once the customer becomes more educated, they will be able to choose brands and products that are fully beneficial for them and filter through the bulls--t.”
Cosmetic chemist and the founder of fast-rising skincare brand Acaderma, Dr. Shuting Hu has long cited the power of cannabinoids. The Better With Age Rejuvenating Rich Cream contains broad-spectrum CBD and hemp-seed oil to calm redness and inflammation, while the omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids found in cannabis sativa-seed oil minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The high essential fatty acid content of the brand’s Serenity Calming Cleanser (also derived from cannabis sativa-seed oil) similarly helps improve skin-barrier function. Dr. Hu also cites CBD’s ability to work well in conjunction with other highly effective skincare ingredients such as niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid.
CBD has been shown to not only reduce sebum production, which is one of the leading causes of acne, but to also reduce inflammation and neutralize skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis. For those with inflamed, sensitive, and/or dry skin, CBD can be a key ingredient in helping soothe and hydrate skin.
When Jennifer McClure founded the beauty brand Melach 33, she hoped to bridge the gap between old-world therapies and modern-day science. The brand’s Silky Shea Body Butter was already a best-seller, but that didn’t stop the brand from infusing the product with 1,000 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD. Melach 33’s Luxe CBD Body Butter boasts the ability to relieve pain and reduce redness, and it’s also the first product on the market to integrate CBD and Dead Sea minerals.
“The more people continue to normalize CBD in beauty and wellness, the more healing we will see in people’s skin and bodies,” McClure says. “I think it is only a matter of time before it becomes more and more popular as we continue to bridge the gap from CBD being taboo to a wellness product to promote healing in the skin and in the body.”
Nonetheless, the taboo continues to be a big deterrent for cannabinoid-infused products. Olivia Alexander has confronted that stigma firsthand, garnering Instagram fans en masse as a “cannabis influencer,” only to have her account deleted in 2015. Feeling overlooked and censored because of the stoner stereotype, she invested her time in creating “effective [cannabis-derived] products.”
She explains, “There are a lot of misconceptions about CBD, specifically that it is another form of marijuana. While they are both derived from the cannabis plant, CBD is typically extracted from hemp and not addictive. … [In fact], cannabinoid molecules are interacting with our endocannabinoid system, creating homeostasis within the body. I am an evangelist for daily cannabinoid use because of this.”
Over the course of three years, Alexander would conceptualize Kush Queen, a one-stop shop for cannabinoid products. The company stocks an array of skin, bath, and sex essentials, as well as gummies to medicate for depression, anxiety, and stress. She also references the “entourage effect” of pairing cannabinoids with other essential oils because “they work better together”; moreover, she believes other hemp-based molecules will eventually eclipse CBD in popularity due to their targeted effectiveness.
“Molecules like CBN (the sleep molecule), CBG (the bliss molecule), THCV (the diet weed) have so much untapped potential,” she explains.
According to Dr. Shuting Hu, it’s only a matter of time before cannabinoids move to the forefront of the beauty and wellness industries. “As research evolves and more [cannabis-related] products hit the market, there will hopefully be less misconception around CBD and hemp-seed oil. There is a bit of wariness from consumers about ingredients from the same plant as marijuana, but that will fade as people see all the great effects.”
Ultimately, adds Alexander, wellness-oriented consumers will come to rely on hemp extracts for an elevated quality of life — not only for beauty or lifestyle purposes but for all-round health benefits. While CBD has risen to unprecedented heights as the ingredient du jour, permeating coffee, cleansers, and even lubrication products, only by supplementing each facet of our daily routine with cannabinoids can we benefit from a true entourage effect.
“We’ve been innovating this sector of minor cannabinoids for some time,” she says. “CBD has already had its mainstream moment. It’s in grocery stores and sold in Sephora. Now, we’re going to see the world discover the power of the entire cannabis plant.”
Beatrice Hazlehurst is a New Zealand–born writer covering culture, entertainment, and lifestyle for multiple outlets. She nomadically traverses both coasts, but currently you can find her by the beach in Southern California.
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