The Beauty Benefits of Marijuana

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Can marijuana make you “more beautiful?” Not in any proven way yet: lab studies show cannabinoids act on skin cells, and one small trial found that eating hempseed oil eased eczema symptoms, but the beauty benefits of marijuana are still unproven in people.

It sounds strange if you picture the old stereotype of the unkempt pot smoker.

(Stereotypes aside, people use cannabis for many reasons.)

That picture leaves out patients who also care about their skin and hair.

You may use medical marijuana for a qualifying condition, but you also want to smell good, look good and feel good. So what do you do?

Start by separating the claims from the evidence.

The sections below do that, one claim at a time.

And that means looking at what research really says about the beauty benefits of marijuana.

The beauty industry has taken notice, and hemp and CBD skincare products are now widely sold. FDA says cosmetics and their ingredients do not need FDA approval before they are sold.

We don’t know about you, but we feel it’s time to ditch our old attitudes about marijuana and personal beauty. It’s time to take a fresh, clean look at “The Bud and the Beautiful.”

(The evidence for each claim follows.)

Smoking Marijuana vs. Topicals for Your Skin

“Smoking is Bad, Mm-kay?”

First, let’s address a commonly held belief: smoking marijuana is bad for your skin.

Unfortunately, this is more than just a belief. It’s true, but it doesn’t apply specifically to smoking marijuana. Smoking anything is bad for your skin.

CDC says cannabis smoke has many of the same toxins, irritants and carcinogens as tobacco smoke, so smoking anything is a poor choice for your skin and lungs. If you have eczema, psoriasis or rosacea, ask a dermatologist about triggers.

Water pipes still deliver smoke, and the FDA has warned against THC vaping products. Edibles avoid smoke entirely, though they take longer to act.

So what about putting cannabis on your skin instead?

What Topicals Can and Cannot Do for Your Skin

Any effect marijuana has on skin would come from chemical compounds called cannabinoids.

The marijuana plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids, and the two most familiar are THC and CBD. THC causes the high; CBD does not, and its only FDA-approved use is for certain seizures, while evidence for anxiety or pain is limited.

Your skin contains cannabinoid receptors, and these receptors are part of your body’s endocannabinoid system. Lab studies suggest this system helps regulate oil production and inflammation in skin cells.

How much of a cannabinoid in a cream reaches those receptors, and whether it changes your skin, has not been well studied in people.

Here is how each beauty claim holds up.

Marijuana’s Beauty Claims, Checked

1). Antioxidants

“Antioxidants” has been a health buzzword for quite a while. There’s good reason for this, though. Antioxidants can help stop free radicals from damaging your skin.

UV rays, smoke and environmental pollution all generate free radicals, and when they come in contact with your skin, your skin suffers and you age more quickly. Over time, some people can even develop skin cancer.

A 1998 lab study found CBD protected rat brain cells from damage better than vitamin C or E in culture. It did not test skin, and we found no trial showing that cannabinoids reduce lines or wrinkles.

2). Anti-inflammation

If you have a rash, eczema or psoriasis, see a dermatologist: cannabinoids have anti-inflammatory effects in lab studies, but they are not proven treatments for these conditions. A 2015 review of plant remedies for acne mentions cannabis seed oil, and a 2014 lab study found CBD reduced oil production in human skin cells.

3). Omega Fatty Acids

Hempseed oil contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In a small 20-week crossover trial in people with atopic dermatitis, skin dryness and itching improved after the hempseed oil period, but hempseed oil has not been shown to protect against sun damage or skin cancer.

4). Faster Skin Absorption

Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in the cannabis plant that give the plant its familiar aroma. Terpenes are studied for many properties. Limonene, for example, gives off a citrus-like aroma and is used in some skin formulations to help other ingredients absorb, but it can also irritate sensitive skin.

5). Hempseed Oil and Hair

Hempseed oil is also sold in many hair products.

Its oils may help hair feel softer, but claims that it strengthens hair, adds shine or reduces dandruff have not been tested in clinical trials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will These Beauty Products Get Me High?

Most topicals are not meant to cause a high, but some cannabinoids can pass through skin: in a 2016 rat study, a CBD gel produced measurable blood levels.

What Kind of Marijuana Beauty Products Are Available?

Like we said earlier, there are a lot of marijuana-infused beauty products available on the market. These products include but are not limited to:

Soaps
Lotions
Creams
Balms
Pomades
Perfumes
Shampoos

How Popular Are Marijuana-Infused Beauty Products?

Hemp and CBD skincare is now sold widely in stores and online.

And if this still seems like a fringe movement to you, consider this: even Elle and Marie Claire have published articles on the beauty benefits of marijuana.

Make no mistake. This is a growing trend. Popularity is not proof, though, so weigh any product against the evidence above.

Where Can I Purchase These Products?

FDA lists hempseed oil among the hemp seed ingredients that can be legally sold in food in the United States, and it is sold at natural food and health stores.

Hempseed oil contains no more than traces of THC or CBD, NCI notes. That matters less than labels suggest, because the skin benefits of cannabinoids have not been proven in people.

The idea that fatty acids, cannabinoids and terpenes work better together, the entourage effect, is still a hypothesis, so there is no proven reason to choose cannabis-infused products for skin care.

In Florida, marijuana products are dispensed only to qualified patients and caregivers by a licensed treatment center, so check what your local dispensary carries.

The Beauty Benefits of Marijuana: What to Remember

Beauty is not just a vanity issue. Healthy skin and hair are, by consequence, beautiful skin and hair. When our hair and skin get damaged, a dermatologist is the place to start, and cannabis skin products are an unproven extra.

Florida law allows medical marijuana for patients with qualifying conditions, but the beauty benefits of marijuana are still unproven.

If you have questions about marijuana products, or you want to see whether you qualify for a Florida medical marijuana card, Dr. Green Relief is available to help.