The substance CBD from the hemp plant has been legal in skin care for a few years in Denmark, now new research shows that it can counteract a wide range of skin problems.

Pigment spots and acne are some of the skin problems that the CBD substance from the hemp plant can counteract, according to new research in the field.

– CBD has many benefits for the skin ranging from anti-itch effects to anti-inflammatory and pain relief. It can also remove pigmentation and combat acne, to name just a few examples. CBD can help a lot in skin care treatment and we can remove a lot of ignorance if we work together in research and update our policies on the plant at a global level, says professor and researcher Dr L. Makhakhe, who researches the effects of CBD on the skin at the Department of Dermatology at the Faculty of Health Sciences in South Africa.

A new substance in skin care

From the beginning of the 1960s and right up to 2020, the substance CBD from the hemp plant was categorized as an illegal drug, but in 2020 the EU changed the rules so that it was allowed to be used in cosmetic products, which skin care falls under.

- We must spread the word that skin care products with CBD have nothing to do with euphoric drugs. It is important to emphasize that CBD skin care has nothing to do with medical products, cannabis or contains illegal euphoric substances, says Lizbeth Falk, who, together with her husband Allan Falk Gamborg, is behind the company NatureCell , which is the first CBD-containing skin care range approved for sale in Denmark, and whose products are categorized as cosmetic products and therefore fully legal to buy and sell in Denmark.

- It wasn't very long ago that the whole plant was illegal here at home, so the hemp leaf is probably still associated with something illegal. But the cannabis plant is a versatile tool that can be used for many other things, it can be food, clothes, cosmetics and medicine, and it can also be a remedy for intoxication, which can be harmful to health, explains Sinikka Lehmann Kvamme, who is a researcher at the Center for Drug Research at Aarhus University.

Can affect newly discovered system in the body

CBD is extracted from the leaves of the hemp plant and can activate the receptors in what is called the endocannabinoid system , which is a system found in both humans and animals. This was first discovered in the late 1980s following the discovery of the active substances in the cannabis plant in the 1960s.

- The endocannabinoid system is extensive and present in almost all the processes that take place in the body, where it functions as a kind of feedback system that "keeps an eye" on the activity that takes place and is responsible for the body being in equilibrium . When there is, for example, a large stress response, the endocannabinoid system helps to dampen it, so that there is equilibrium in the body again. There is some research that suggests that CBD can improve the function of the endocannabinoid system, but research is still at a relatively early stage, explains Sinikka Lehmann Kvamme and adds:

- There is much we still do not know about the health effects of CBD and the other components of cannabis that affect the endocannabinoid system. But there is now a large consensus that CBD is relatively safe and without the addictive effects that THC can have.

Marianne's sun damage disappeared

66-year-old Marianne Zoffmann is one of those who have had good experiences with CBD on the skin.

- It started a few years ago, when I had eczema and developed sensitive skin that I didn't know what to apply. My daughter, who is a materialist, recommended the oil to me. Then I got a sunburn – a sore on my chest that wouldn't heal, but there was a three-month wait at the dermatologist, and in the meantime I was applying the oil and vitamin A cream. The wound disappeared in less than a month. I never got to the actual dermatologist, but her assistant saw it and was very surprised that there wasn't so much as a shadow left from the sun damage when she looked with a magnifying glass. She had never seen that before, and I was sent home again, says Marianne Zoffmann, who wants to help break the stigma attached to the hemp plant.

Facts about hemp and CBD

• The flower of the hemp plant has a high concentration of the plant's active substances - so-called cannabinoids. The flower contains both THC, which is euphoric and is not allowed to be used, and CBD, which is allowed to be used in cosmetics.

• The active substance CBD is extracted from the hemp plant in a laboratory, where it is also ensured that the THC level meets current legislation.

• From the seeds of the hemp plant, which do not contain cannabinoids, hemp seed oil can be extracted, which can be used in both cosmetics and cooking.

• Danish NatureCell, which has developed and produced skin care products with CBD, was the first in 2019 to receive confirmation from the Danish Medicines Agency that the company's products are not considered medicinal products and may therefore be sold as cosmetics in Denmark.

• In 2020, the European Court of Justice ruled that CBD is not covered by the definition of a narcotic drug according to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and that CBD is therefore allowed to be used in cosmetic products, regardless of which part of the plant it originates from.

• In 2021, the European Commission added CBD to their database of ingredients in cosmetics . CBD in skin care was already legal, but now the beneficial effects of CBD are recognized by the cosmetics industry.

The substance CBD from the hemp plant has been legal in skin care for a few years in Denmark, now new research shows that it can counteract a wide range of skin problems.