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Five Unique Benefits of Using Hemp Lotion

Hemp skincare products come in many forms, from body butter to facemasks and even lip balm. Hemp lotions are becoming increasingly popular due to their active ingredients, including essential fatty acids and varying levels of cannabinoids, which can relieve dry skin and lock in moisture, among other benefits.

Bloom and Oil Staff

Published October 23, 2020

If you’re looking for hemp lotions, you’ll come across two main types on the market: those containing hempseed oil as the active ingredient and those containing CBD oil.

Both hempseed and CBD oils are derived from varieties of the cannabis plant, but their compositions (and benefits) are different.

Hempseed oil is extracted from the plant’s seeds, which contain only trace levels of cannabinoids, but are packed with essential fatty acids and an abundance of vitamins, including vitamins A, C, and E.
CBD oil is made from the leaves, flowers, and stalks of the plant, where cannabinoids are found in higher concentrations. Depending on the hemp plant strain and extraction process, different CBD oil types are produced that contain various levels of cannabinoids and other compounds.

What Is Hemp Lotion?

Hemp lotion may contain either hempseed oil, CBD oil, or hempseed oil with added CBD extract. Like many other skincare products, you will find hemp body lotions in various formats like creams, butters, moisturizers, and even shower oils. And they can target your face, hands, feet, lips, or whole body, depending on your personal needs.

The federal government is still ironing out CBD regulations, so CBD skincare products are currently not lawfully required to have FDA approval. You should be aware that because this market is mostly unregulated, some brands will falsely claim that their products contain CBD. So, it’s important to choose products that are third-party lab tested and offer their certificate of analysis (lab results) for confirmation. CBDistillery is transparent about the quality of its CBD skincare products and provides an image of the lab testing results next to each product on the website.

What Are the Benefits of Hemp Lotion?

To recap, not all hemp-infused lotions contain CBD, so make sure to check the ingredient list on the product label for ‘cannabidiol’ if you’re looking for the added health benefits of CBD. Let´s take a closer look at five key benefits of hemp lotions.

1. Hemp Lotion Is Moisturizing

The healthy human body is equipped with an endocannabinoid system, which helps keep the body in a balanced state. This system is comprised of cannabinoid receptors all throughout the body, including the surface of the skin.

When you apply a CBD-infused lotion directly to your skin, the CBD interacts with and stimulates the skin’s cannabinoid receptors. It is believed to help balance sebum oil production in hair follicles and their sebaceous glands. This oil regulation may offer moisturization by stimulating sebum production ^{1 Cintosun, A., Lara-Corrales, I., & Pope, E. (2020). Mechanisms of Cannabinoids and Potential Applicability to Skin Diseases. Clinical drug investigation, 40(4), 293–304.}.

Lotion made with hempseed oil isn’t without benefits; the healthy fats hempseed fats also provide moisturizing benefits ^{2 Vogl, C. R., Mölleken, H., Lissek-Wolf, G., Surböck, A., & Kobert, J. (2004). Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as a resource for green cosmetics: Yield of seed and fatty acid compositions of 20 varieties under the growing conditions of organic farming in Austria. Journal of Industrial Hemp, 9(1), 51-68.}.

2. Hemp Lotion Has Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Scientists have performed preclinical studies on topically applied CBD, meaning that they have tested the effects of this type of product on skin cells (human or mice) in a laboratory, but the research has not been completed with actual human trials yet.

These studies have shown anti-inflammatory evidence from CBD in at least three ways ^{3 Oláh, A., Tóth, B. I., Borbíró, I., Sugawara, K., Szöllõsi, A. G., Czifra, G., Pál, B., Ambrus, L., Kloepper, J., Camera, E., Ludovici, M., Picardo, M., Voets, T., Zouboulis, C. C., Paus, R., & Bíró, T. (2014). Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. The Journal of clinical investigation, 124(9), 3713–3724.}:

Directly lowering the production of inflammation cells in the body
Indirectly modifying the focus of immune cells
Decreasing physical manifestations of inflammation like swelling

These laboratory studies show how CBD demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory properties, a desired feature in a beauty product ^{3 Oláh, A., Tóth, B. I., Borbíró, I., Sugawara, K., Szöllõsi, A. G., Czifra, G., Pál, B., Ambrus, L., Kloepper, J., Camera, E., Ludovici, M., Picardo, M., Voets, T., Zouboulis, C. C., Paus, R., & Bíró, T. (2014). Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. The Journal of clinical investigation, 124(9), 3713–3724.}.

3. Hemp Lotion Has Anti-Acne Properties

Acne is a common skin disease caused by an increase in sebum, which is the oily substance in hair follicles and their sebaceous glands. Acne is also characterized by the inflammation of those sebaceous glands. Studies have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system plays a key role in sebum production ^{4 Dobrosi, N., Tóth, B. I., Nagy, G., Dózsa, A., Géczy, T., Nagy, L., Zouboulis, C. C., Paus, R., Kovács, L., & Bíró, T. (2008). Endocannabinoids enhance lipid synthesis and apoptosis of human sebocytes via cannabinoid receptor-2-mediated signalling. FASEB journal: official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 22(10), 3685–3695.}.

As mentioned, CBD helps balance sebum oil production in the sebaceous glands through its interaction with the endocannabinoid system ^{1 Cintosun, A., Lara-Corrales, I., & Pope, E. (2020). Mechanisms of Cannabinoids and Potential Applicability to Skin Diseases. Clinical drug investigation, 40(4), 293–304.}. This could prevent excess oil and dead skin cells from clogging pores, which is another acne cause. Nonetheless, these studies have only shown lab-grown human cells demonstrating these effects, not humans.

More dermatology studies have found CBD to have antibacterial properties, potentially able to act as a therapeutic agent for acne treatment ^{5 Tóth, K. F., Ádám, D., Bíró, T., & Oláh, A. (2019). Cannabinoid Signaling in the Skin: Therapeutic Potential of the “C(ut)annabinoid” System. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 24(5), 918.}. This anti-acne property is further supported by a small study in patients with severe acne, in which a cream containing 3% cannabis seed extract was applied twice daily to the patients for 12 weeks. The treatment was found to be efficient in reducing sebum production ^{5 Tóth, K. F., Ádám, D., Bíró, T., & Oláh, A. (2019). Cannabinoid Signaling in the Skin: Therapeutic Potential of the “C(ut)annabinoid” System. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 24(5), 918.}.

4. Hemp Lotion Hydrates Dry Skin

As explained earlier, scientists have exposed human sebum-producing cells to cannabinoids such as CBD. Like the mechanisms providing moisturizing effects, they found a stimulation of sebum production, which can ultimately help with dry skin ^{6 Oláh, A., Markovics, A., Szabó-Papp, J., Szabó, P. T., Stott, C., Zouboulis, C. C., & Bíró, T. (2016). Differential effectiveness of selected non-psychotropic phytocannabinoids on human sebocyte functions implicates their introduction in dry/seborrhoeic skin and acne treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2016;25(9):701-707.}.

Experts suggest this property of non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBD makes them ideal compounds to use in topical formulations such as body lotions ^{7 Bíró T, Tóth BI, Haskó G, Paus R, Pacher P. The endocannabinoid system of the skin in health and disease: novel perspectives and therapeutic opportunities. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009;30(8):411-420.}.

It is also noteworthy that dry skin can be a leading cause of or be accompanied by other skin diseases and symptoms, such as itching and dermatitis. Therefore, such CBD creams may also be beneficial under these conditions ^{7 Bíró T, Tóth BI, Haskó G, Paus R, Pacher P. The endocannabinoid system of the skin in health and disease: novel perspectives and therapeutic opportunities. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009;30(8):411-420.}. Consulting with your dermatologist for these chronic conditions is still always advised.

5. Hemp Lotion Has Healing Properties

There is a wealth of data from animal studies supporting the link of the endocannabinoid system to the formation and regeneration of the skin barrier. There is some additional evidence from a case report studying three patients who used topical CBD that shows CBD’s efficacy to heal wounds faster ^{5 Tóth, K. F., Ádám, D., Bíró, T., & Oláh, A. (2019). Cannabinoid Signaling in the Skin: Therapeutic Potential of the “C(ut)annabinoid” System. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 24(5), 918.}.

For this reason, CBD seems to be a promising ingredient for wound healing that may promote skin regeneration, ease pain, and reduce inflammation of underlying tissue. Another study in humans who applied topical hempseed oil to wounds demonstrated its usefulness in healing mucosal skin wounds after eye, nose, and throat surgery. Consequently, a CBD-infused hemp lotion may help with mending damaged skin or even calming sunburns ^{5 Tóth, K. F., Ádám, D., Bíró, T., & Oláh, A. (2019). Cannabinoid Signaling in the Skin: Therapeutic Potential of the “C(ut)annabinoid” System. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 24(5), 918.}.

Keep in mind that because wound care products are applied to damaged skin, it’s essential to be selective with the ingredients you use. Myaderm is a brand focused on topical CBD products for skincare and pain relief, and they carry a calming cream with 100mg CBD (per 0.5oz) that they promote for soothing and nourishing irritated skin.

How Do I Find the Right Hemp Body Lotion?

To find a good hemp lotion, focus on finding a brand that provides details about the active ingredients. With trusted brands, you should be able to find the hemp origin, CBD potency, and lab test results that confirm the quality of the product.

Because the FDA does not yet regulate CBD, some products are incorrectly labeled and do not contain CBD at all or have a lower potency than advertised. So, be wary if the manufacturer does not or is not willing to share that information.

Additional tips when searching for a good hemp body lotion:

Watch out for any inactive ingredients such as fragrances and artificial colorants, as they may cause skin irritation.
As with any skincare product, test out a small portion on a patch of skin (like your forearm) before applying it to your entire body or the more sensitive skin areas like your face.

Finally, while more research on the efficacy of CBD-infused skincare is needed, the current scientific landscape suggests there are little to no side effects associated with applying CBD products topically. However, if you notice negative side effects, like a burning sensation or redness after application, stop using the product immediately.