Everyday CBD: Sun, Sand, And SeaBD

The benefits of cannabis without the high? It may be the key to selling the “green revolution” to the wider population. This series investigates how CDB-based products are changing the products we use every day and how those products will drive the promised growth of the CBD industry.

Summer’s in full swing and if you live in one of the hip-to-hemp states or countries, you may have noticed a new addition to the sun care aisle: CBD-infused sunscreen. If you’ve been paying attention to the sunscreen scene of late, you’ve probably seen how tropical destinations like Hawaii and Key West are banning common sunscreen chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate since they damage delicate marine ecosystems.

That’s got people rethinking their sunscreen choices at a point when the sunscreen market is growing, creating the perfect opportunity for CBD to move in. The global, cannabis-free sun care market is expected to grow from $14.8 billion in 2015 to $24.9 billion in 2024, with growth being driven by organic and multi-function products—with anti-wrinkle, acne-fighting, and cosmetic benefits. That’s where CBD enters the picture: it can bring more benefits to sunscreen without altering its protective qualities.

I spoke with Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc. MJNA, the parent company of Dixie Botanicals, a health and wellness brand focused on hemp-based CBD products. The company recently partnered with Surface Products Corporation to sell fitness-focused CBD-infused sunscreen, including Dixie Botanicals® + Surface CBD-Infused SPF50 Sheer Touch, which is formulated with 100 mg of all-natural CBD isolate.

Sunscreen is an exciting new space for Dr. Titus and the Dixie Botanicals team for two reasons. The first is that the CBD skincare market is expected to reach $384.9 million by 2024, a 40% increase from 2019. Secondly, if you’ve used sunscreens before, you know it can be an awful, pore-clogging mess of a product. CBD-based products up the potential of sunscreen from primarily protecting the skin from the sun’s rays to adding moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties.

“CBD-based sunscreen,” Dr. Titus told me, “is a great product because it combines SPF protection with a wonderful moisturizer. People use this out in the desert all weekend for golf and their skin still feels soft and moist at the end of the day.”

His excitement for CBD-based sunscreen is undoubtedly shared by many people who spend time outdoors. The words “soft and moist” aren’t usually the words I’d use to describe how most sunscreens make my skin feel—typically I think “thick and sticky.” If CBD in sunscreen can do nothing more than help take the gross feeling out of putting on sunscreen and make it into an everyday product for more people, it’ll be a boon for the companies and help reduce the number of people developing skin cancer every year. In 2015, there were 1.6 million new cases of skin cancer in the U.S., making it one of the most common forms of cancer in the country.

When Rajul Punjabi of Vice looked in to CBD skincare products, he spoke with several dermatologists who confirmed that the skin is lined with CBD receptors, making CBD-based skincare products a viable way to deliver cannabinoids’ benefits. According to Punjabi, the benefits center around the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, which can help “almost every skin condition you can think of—from eczema to acne.” Since the skin doesn’t absorb CBD as well as inhaling or ingesting it—which allows it to enter the bloodstream—CBD-based skincare products are a great “gateway” product for consumers new to the hemp industry.

The problem with the CBD industry as it currently exists is that it is unregulated, so the quality and quantity of cannabinoids are difficult to determine. That’s why you should buy from trusted companies and look for reputable certifications. Dixie Botanicals, for example, is one of a handful of companies to recently receive a Certification Seal from the U.S. Hemp Authority. That means their hemp-based CBD products meet stringent industry standards for quality and safety. Once the FDA finally accepts the legality of CBD-based products and provides regulations, this will open up a path for better quality products and more research into the science behind CBD-based skincare.

Dr. Titus spoke in front of the FDA recently as an expert to help determine how the industry should be regulated. His perspective is that CBD should be regulated as a dietary supplement, which would make it easier to bring the benefits of CBD to more people compared to its more-regulated cousin, THC.

“I think what’s really pushing the industry forward,” he said, “is the fact that you don’t necessarily need to go to a doctor and get a prescription to be able to use CBD to help improve your overall levels of health and wellness.”

The preceding article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.