Why are CBD face creams becoming so popular?
You’ve probably heard of some type of CBD skincare product, but you might still be wondering how CBD face cream compares to regular face cream and CBD body lotion, and why to use it at all.
CBD face creams can treat inflammation and free radical damage. Cannabidiol or CBD may also help reduce signs of age-related damage such as dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles because it is an antioxidant. Finally, CBD face creams can soothe dryness, itching, and red skin.
In this post, we’re going to compare CBD face creams vs CBD body creams, CBD lotions, and other CBD topicals, explain whether you should use CBD c
ream on your face at all, and compare regular face creams and CBD face creams.
CBD Face Cream vs. CBD Body Lotion
Many people want to try the benefits of CBD. If you’ve decided that a CBD topical is going to be your delivery route instead of something like CBD oil, you’ve probably also done some label checking. Let’s be honest: none of it is cheap.
Maybe you’re thinking it’s possible to use just one CBD topical for your face and body to save money. Is it a good idea, or even possible?
Yes, maybe—depending on your skin and your goals for the CBD product.
Most products made specifically for the face are creams because those work best on facial skin. Products for the body are usually lotions. Sometimes they may be salves or balms if they are specialized for treating pain. What’s the difference?
CBD lotion. Lotions have more water content than creams. Any lotion, including one infused with CBD, is typically a mix of droplets of oil and water, and is both non-greasy and lighter weight than cream.
CBD cream. Cream needs to be more of an emollient than lotion, so it’s more moisturizing for delicate, dry skin. But at the same time, even though it’s richer, thicker, and heavier, it must retain that non-greasy quality. For this reason, a cream is not oil-based like many true emollients and is instead a sort of compromise.
A cream is a water/oil blend much like lotion, but with a higher ratio of oil to water of at least a 50/50. This is why creams feel richer and thicker than lotions, and it allows them to provide a more substantial barrier that keeps skin beneath it ultra-hydrated.
CBD body butters and creams. CBD body creams or butters are similarly thick to a CBD face cream, but typically they are less non-comedogenic and may feel oilier than a cream intended for the face.
How is Face Cream Infused With CBD?
Cannabinoids such as CBD bind with fatty acids, which is why creams and lotions usually suspend CBD isolate, extract, serum, or oil in a base. The base itself might have any number of other cannabinoids, terpenes, and other botanicals. Many are found naturally in the Cannabis sativa plant, while others are simply compatible with its benefits.
CBD lotion generally works best for skin that is normal or just slightly dry
, leaves less of an oily residue than cream sometimes can, and is perfect for use during daytime hours and warm weather. You feel CBD lotion on your skin less because the skin absorbs it more readily; lotion is less viscous than cream.
However, depending on your goals and your existing skincare routine, you might want to make sure your CBD topical will cling to your skin for longer, if possible. Absorption time is important to how CBD products work. High-quality lotions with excellent ingredients
that absorb well can go right to work when they sink into the skin and finds cannabinoid receptors in the body. On the other hand, richer cream or CBD salve allows the product to work its way into the pores as it sits even longer on the skin.
This is just one of several reasons you can’t use any oral CBD products like CBD tinctures on your skin. So: do you want that CBD to go to work as it sits on your skin? Or would you prefer for your body to quickly absorb it? This is one of your decisions as you decide whether CBD face cream is worth it.
Can You Use Any CBD Cream On Your Face?
You should only use only the best quality CBD creams on your face, to start with. Those CBD creams that are specially formulated for facial skin are usually very high-end products. But beyond the quality issue, facial skin itself is different and should come into your assessment.
Thickness is the biggest difference between facial skin and the skin on the rest of the body. You can see where your skin is thinnest—the periorbital skin around the eyes, where most people first get fine lines.
Compared to the rest of the body, the facial skin contains many more sebaceous glands, at least per square inch. When it comes to what’s making you feel greasy and breakout, those sebaceous glands are guilty. They produce oil, and how much sometimes depends on hormone changes, environmental conditions, and other factors.
That thin, facial skin and its oily glands are far more sensitive than skin generally is. It’s also exposed to elements and harm more than other skin, meaning it is vulnerable. The takeaway here is that face creams are designed to nourish the highly specialized facial skin, including treating blemishes and acne, dark spots, fine lines, oiliness and problem pores, and wrinkles.
Furthermore, there is a true difference in other active ingredients between body creams, body lotions, and face creams. Body creams are heaviest and contain heavier, oilier ingredients, because they and designed to seal the skin with moisture. This can overwhelm and irritate sensitive facial skin, which often prefers the more specialized ingredients of face creams, such as hyaluronic acid, collagen-producing peptides, and hydrating botanicals such as aloe vera and hemp seed oil. Even natural ingredients such as peppermint and other essential oils can be overpowering to some faces if not in the proper amount.
Body creams can also cause small, white cysts around the eyes called milia by causing the pores to clog with sebum. And particularly for anyone who suffers from an inflammatory skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis, the wrong moisturizer on the face can worsen symptoms.
You might also run the risk of breaking out in acne on your face if you use the wrong CBD cream or face mask. And of course, it’s good to be aware that many CBD body creams lack UV protection, presenting users with sunburn risk.
Dermatology and CBD: How CBD Face Creams Compare to Regular Face Creams
Adding CBD to face cream and other beauty products could really improve your overall wellness and skincare outcomes at the same time:
Acne breakouts. Much of the acne that causes us all so much embarrassment is caused by hormones. However, according to the research, CBD helps normalize the growth of skin cells and fight acne-related inflammation, which can help treat the swelling and redness that breakouts cause.
Anti-aging. Because CBD is an antioxidant like vitamin C, CBD face creams can treat dryness, free radical damage, and inflammation including signs of damage from aging like fine lines, dark spots, and wrinkles.
Balance complexion. CBD assists the skin’s endocannabinoid system in stopping excess oil and maintaining hydration in the face of the skin and brightening it overall—and this helps prevent an oily T-zone or patchy spots, for example.
Inflammation. With powerful anti-inflammatory effects, CBD reduces pain and inflammation in animal studies and has the potential to treat skin issues such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis.
Scarring. A research report found that scar tissue in patients was “significantly improved” by a CBD topical.
Soothe skin. CBD has anti-inflammatory benefits that can soothe dryness, itching, and red skin.
CBD works with any skin type, and the World Health Organization has deemed CBD safe.
Note: The Food and Drug Administration or FDA does regulate CBD products, but there is not much consistency out there. Due to the ongoing illegality of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant which is also present in the hemp plant, we can probably all expect an ongoing level of confusion in the regulations.
Remember, there is no THC at all in either pure CBD isolate or broad-spectrum CBD products. And although full-spectrum CBD products do contain trace amounts of THC, they are not intoxicating, by law.
As always, whenever you try a new topical CBD product, check with your dermatologist or other healthcare provider and share your prescription medications and other details of your routine with them to avoid unwanted side effects.
CBD face creams have excellent benefits for people who really want to add anti-aging care to a beauty regimen, for example. They’re also wonderful if you have really delicate, sensitive skin. That said, if you just want to get the benefits of CBD topicals and you’re not as picky about the facial skin being treated directly, there are many other options out there to try!
