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The skin is the body’s largest organ, so it’s important to put time and effort into keeping it healthy. CBD-infused skincare products are a great way to keep your skin glowing, hydrated, and healthy. Cannabidiol may regulate the oil in your skin, as well as reduce inflammation and hydrate it. There are even products with CBD for acne and CBD for wrinkles.
In this article, we aim to educate you on the best CBD for skincare and recommend the best brands to try.
What are CBD Skincare Products?
You’re probably already familiar with CBD and its common uses. There are products for pain, stress, and even sleep. But, what you probably didn’t know is that CBD has properties that could be beneficial to your skin as well.
Different CBD skincare products include body creams, exfoliants, face masks, salves, creams, and more. These products are infused with CBD, which when applied, can be absorbed through the skin. CBD skincare products may help ease pain in specific problem areas and some topical products and creams also aim to provide additional comfort to your skin, muscles, and joints.
CBD skincare products function like any other quality skincare product, helping to nourish, rejuvenate, and re-hydrate cracked or drying skin. The potency of the hemp extract in CBD skincare products works with fatty acids and polyphenols to soothe and hydrate the skin.
Our Top CBD Creams, Exfoliants, and Face Masks
Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. You can learn more about our review methodology here. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
- Best Overall – Prima Skin Therapy Body Cream
- Best Exfoliant – cbdMD CBD Perfect Polish Facial Exfoliant
- Strongest CBD Concentration – Cornbread Hemp CBD Lotion
- Best for Everyday Use – CBDistillery CBDefine CBD Balm
- Best Face Mask – Plant People Restore Face Mask
- Most Luxurious – Joy Organic Organic CBD Salve
How We Chose the Best CBD for Skin
As the CBD industry grows, it can be overwhelming to try and narrow down the best products to buy. Our goal is to recommend quality and effective CBD products.
Here’s what we consider when ranking and recommending CBD skincare products.
- Potency – There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the amount of CBD included in each product, other than there can be no more than 0.3 % THC in a product in order for it to be shipped in the U.S. In skincare products, the potency is typically measured by milligrams per container.
- Ingredients – When searching for any skincare product, it’s important to look at what ingredients are included in the formula. Some artificial or synthetic ingredients can cause more harm than good. We like to make sure the CBD skincare products we choose don’t include any synthetic fragrances, concerning chemicals, or parabens.
- Ethicality – It’s important to look out for our furry friends, so we like it when products don’t test on animals and are cruelty-free and vegan.
- Hemp Source – We recommend brands that source their CBD from natural and organic farms here in the U.S. so you know they are free from pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
Our Favorite CBD Skincare Products for 2022
Best Overall: Prima Skin Therapy Body Cream
prima.co
- CBD – Broad Spectrum
- Strength – 275 mg CBD per jar
- Hemp source – Oregon
Why buy: Prima puts their products through a third-party testing process and transparently lists the results on their site. This product is certified residue-free, cruelty-free, and is a plastic neutral product. Their family-farmed hemp is extracted from the whole plant. We love that Prima CBD body butter uses luxurious ingredients including shea butter, jojoba seed oil, cocoa butter, hemp seed oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and olive oil.
Best Exfoliant: cbdMD CBD Perfect Polish Facial Exfoliant
cbdmd.com
- CBD – Broad spectrum
- Strength – 100 mg CBD per container
- Hemp source – U.S. Farms
Why buy: This CBD exfoliating scrub helps to refine and brighten the skin. It uses natural ingredients including coconut and avocado oil that are third-party lab tested. We like it because it’s vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and non-GMO. This is a great option for those with sensitive skin as it very gentle and can help to scrub away the top layer of skin once or twice a week.
Strongest CBD Concentration: Cornbread Hemp CBD Lotion
cornbreadhemp.com
- CBD – Full spectrum
- Strength – 500 mg CBD per jar
- Hemp source – Kentucky
Why buy: CBD topicals are fast-acting, getting CBD to specified areas quickly. We like this lotion because it uses flower-only hemp extract, leaving behind the stem and leaves of the plant, for strong and natural relief. The potency is tested in an ISO-certified third-party lab. This product clearly labels all of its ingredients including organic Vitamin E, hemp extract, lemongrass oil, and tea tree oil.
Best for Everyday Use: CBDistillery CBDefine CBD Balm
thecbdistillery.com
- CBD – Full spectrum
- Strength – 500 mg per container
- Hemp source – Colorado
Why buy: This CBD skin cream is great to add to your everyday skincare routine. This easy-to-apply product is made from hemp grown using natural farming practices and is ISO certified. It can be used anywhere on the body and includes a variety of essential oils, including lavender and rosemary, for soothing relief.
Best Face Mask: Plant People Restore Face Mask
plantpeople.co
- CBD – Full spectrum
- Strength – 300 mg CBD per jar
- Hemp source – Colorado
Why buy: In addition to CBD, Plant People’s face mask also includes CBC, another beneficial cannabinoid. We like that this face mask is organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and non-GMO. The product is doctor-formulated and lab tested. It’s an excellent option for regulating the skin’s texture and tone, as well as encouraging youthful, radiant-looking skin through natural botanicals.
Most Luxurious: Joy Organics Organic CBD Salve
joyorganics.com
- CBD – Broad spectrum
- Strength – 500 mg CBD per container
- Hemp source – U.S.A
Why buy: This CBD salve is spa-worthy, and helps to nourish rough skin with its certified organic and lab-tested ingredients, including soothing and organic essential oils like lavender and eucalyptus. We like that this product has a 30-day money-back guarantee and that it has free, carbon-neutral shipping.
The Research on CBD Skincare
Studies related to the positive effects of CBD show that cannabinoids may help with stress, anxiety, chronic pain, and even insomnia. So, how is CBD in skincare products different?
A study showed that CBD for skin may slow down the aging process in mice. Another study conducted by Tamás Bíró, a professor at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, showed that CBD, when infused through the skin, has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help with acne and eczema, as well as psoriasis.
The human endocannabinoid system, also known as ECS, is a highly complex cell-signaling system that was researched in the 1990s exploring THC and its effect on the human body. There are ECS receptors in the skin, allowing CBD to enter the skin, and deliver its benefits directly to different areas of the body.
Choosing the Best CBD for Skin Product for You
The world of skincare and CBD are vast, and choosing the best CBD for skin can be a daunting task. It helps to know what to look for — we’re here to help make that process easier for you. Here’s what we look for in a quality CBD skincare product.
What to Look for
Below are a few key attributes to look for when researching a CBD skincare product.
Strength
The strength or potency of a product indicates how much CBD is in the product. CBD topicals can sometimes have anywhere from 100mg to 1000mg of CBD per container. If you want a higher potency product, go for a higher concentration of CBD. If you want somethings stronger than a cream, we have a list of the strongest CBD oils here.
Spectrum
Some products will note what kind of hemp extract is used in their product. A broad spectrum CBD product means that it contains other cannabinoids from the hemp plant such as CBC and CBN, but it does not contain THC. A full spectrum CBD product contains all of the compounds from the hemp plant, including THC in low doses. Full spectrum CBD tends to be less processed.
Ingredients
Although in any CBD product the quality of the hemp extract is important, so are the other ingredients used in the product’s formula. Always look out for organic and natural ingredients like essential oils and botanicals. Choosing a product with high-quality ingredients can hekpp you find the best CBD for acne and wrinkles.
Packaging
Have you ever considered that getting a package shipped to your door may have a negative impact on the environment? Many CBD products will let you know what materials their packaging is made from, and if they offer carbon-neutral shipping.
How to Read Labels
We read the labels on the food we eat, but we should also be reading the labels on the products we consume. For CBD skincare products, there are a few specific aspects of the label and packaging that are important to be aware of.
- Concentration – Shown as milligrams per container, the label should clue you in to just how potent the product is.
- Lab testing – CBD products that are third-party lab tested and ISO certified ensure that there aren’t any toxic additives to the product’s formula and that it’s safe to use.
- Dosage – It’s important to note that even if a product says it contains 1000mg of CBD, you actually aren’t getting that much per serving, or use. Most product labels will tell you how much CBD is in a single ‘serving’ of their product.
- CBD Type – The label on a CBD product should tell you if it is made with full spectrum CBD, broad spectrum CBD, or CBD isolate.
How to Use
You should consult each product’s specific label for usage instructions, but generally, CBD skincare products can be applied directly to the skin, as needed, just like any other skincare topical. There are even products that have CBD for acne that you can implement into your routine.
The application process depends on the type of product you wish to use. For example, CBD face masks can be applied like any other face mask.
It’s beneficial to follow the recommended regimens for the order of application, though. If you’re using a CBD-infused cream, it should be applied to the skin after you apply a serum. The general rule is thinnest to thickest products.
Safety and Side Effects
Since CBD skincare products are not ingested, they’re one of the safest ways to use CBD. However, there are a few potential side effects to be aware of when deciding to use CBD, including:
- Dry mouth
- Diarrhea
- Reduced appetite
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
Additionally, if you take any prescription medications, you should consult your doctor before trying CBD. If a CBD-infused lotion or balm causes redness, soreness, or any discomfort to your skin, you should stop use and see your doctor.
Takeaway
If you’re looking to try a new skincare product, or if you suffer from any joint or muscle pain, a CBD skincare product might be right for you.
There are a variety of types of CBD skincare products — exfoliants, creams, CBD for acne, CBD for wrinkles, topicals, salves, lotions — many of which may help to moisturize, nourish and rejuvenate the skin. If you’re apprehensive about ingesting CBD, these skincare products are a great way to break into the world of hemp-infused health.
Audrey Nakagawa is the content creator intern at EcoWatch. She is a senior at James Madison University studying Media, Art, and Design, with a concentration in journalism. She’s a reporter for The Breeze in the culture section and writes features on Harrisonburg artists, album reviews, and topics related to mental health and the environment. She was also a contributor for Virginia Reports where she reported on the impact that COVID-19 had on college students.