The Sunflower Shoppe doesn’t need to chase trends. With three locations across Fort Worth and Colleyville, it’s been a trusted source for natural food, vitamins, and health and wellness supplies for 50 years. So, when its head buyer heard the hype surrounding skin care infused with cannabis-derived ingredients, she decided to test it on her own face to make sure it worked before stocking it on the Shoppe’s shelves.
Turns out, she didn’t just like it — she loved it, says Erika McCarthy, co-owner and vice president of marketing. “She’s at the age where her skin is beginning to change, and she claims her skin actually feels softer and appears brighter,” McCarthy says. “We are really careful about what we sell — our new product submission is rigorous, and we look carefully at sourcing, raw materials, the manufacturing process, and more.” McCarthy says she’s not looking to jump on any brand bandwagons — social media saturation doesn’t mean a product is up to Sunflower Shoppe standards. But she says she hopes to be offering several CBD skin care products by July.
Skin care infused with cannabis-derived ingredients is the biggest buzz in beauty right now, part of a global market valued at over $580 million and predicted to hit $1.7 billion by 2025, according to research cited by Forbes. Most products include one of two ingredients: cannabidiol, or CBD, a naturally occurring chemical compound derived from the cannabis sativa plant’s leaves, and cannabis sativa seed oil, which as the name suggests, comes from the plant’s seeds. You can’t get high from either, but both provide proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits when applied to the skin.
Veteran skin care formulator Melissa Jochim was so impressed by cannabis sativa seed oil that she based her company, High Beauty, on it. “Cannabis sativa seed oil is unlike any other oil I’ve worked with,” she says. “It has an unequaled essential fatty acid profile — it’s your skin’s daily multivitamin, providing high levels of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E; minerals, and all twenty amino acids — and it helps fortify the skin’s extracellular matrix and lipid barrier to inhibit the dehydration of skin cells for healthy, beautiful skin.”
In just two years, High Beauty has become so successful that Jochim recently won a 2020 Rising Star Award from the prestigious Fashion Group International in the beauty entrepreneur category. But Jochim believes her brand still has plenty of growth potential as the market continues to expand. “I think that cannabis will be recognized as a go-to ingredient in skin care because of its amazing nutrients and properties,” she says.
McCarthy agrees. “We have been selling CBD oil since 2015, and we believe our customers have seen the healing and anti-inflammatory benefits of the pill and liquid form,” she says. “They’re now ready to experience those same benefits from a skin care product.”
Find High Beauty at highbeauty.com; for new product information from The Sunflower Shoppe, visit sunflowershoppe.com.
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The goal of Reign Together is to create products that promote relaxation and connections. Its Royal Mask helps skin recover from the effects of stress, elevating vitality, restoring moisture, and making fine lines and wrinkles appear smoother. $70, reigntogether.com
Developed by certified crystal healer Mazz Hanna, the Rose Quartz Infused Mint Lip Balm from her eponymous brand boasts 15 milligrams of organic hemp extract along with hemp seed oil, sunscreen, and more for all-day hydration and protection. $15, mazzhanna.com
Demeter’s sheer-feeling massage and body oil is lightly scented by the New York-based brand’s signature Cannabis Flower fragrance, a scent that’s slightly floral with a hint of spice. $12.60, demeterfragrance.com
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The hero ingredient in CBD Ageless Wrinkle Filling Serum from Elina Organics comes encapsulated in liposomes made from organic sunflowers to help restore collagen and impart a feeling of firmness to the face. $38, elinaorganicsskincare.com