Puff, puff . . . moisturize?
by SunHee Grinnell
Marley Natural, Vertly, Perricone MD, Foria, The Lord Jones
The healing properties of cannabis have been extolled by different cultures for centuries, but the feel-good plant is becoming increasingly mainstream, in new forms, in both luxury beauty and wellness.
“We believe we are part of a revolution,” says Cindy Capobianco of Lord Jones. A former fashion executive from New York City, she co-founded the California-based company with her husband, Rob Rosenheck, in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. Together they have seemed to be living the pain-free life for a few years now in Los Angeles, thanks to their product line that includes a body lotion infused with C.B.D. (cannabidiol, a compound that won’t get you high, but is believed to soothe pain, inflammation, and anxiety). The lotion is packaged in an airtight bottle that delivers a measured 2 milligrams of C.B.D. with each pump, and is designed to soothe stiff joints, backaches, and muscle spasms.
The brand also offers gumdrops and chocolate espresso chews that contain 20 milligrams of C.B.D. per portion. This month, Lord Jones is launching its C.B.D. tincture in two flavors, lemon and peppermint, which aims to help with various conditions. It’s made using the “whole-plant extraction” method, capturing the full spectrum of the plant’s C.B.D. oil, to get what the industry calls the “entourage effect.” (That means you’ll get the full benefit of reassuring botanical extracts, such as terpenes and phytocannabinoids; nobody is promising you’ll have your own entourage.) Next up: oils and creams for the face—all infused with C.B.D., naturally.
Foria, founded in Venice Beach by Mathew Gerson, initially marketed cannabis oil for enhancing the female sexual experience. The brand’s latest product, Flow, is a C.B.D. vaporizer pen that aims to promote a relaxed state of mind, though the chemical does not induce a high.
Up Highway 1, in the San Francisco Bay area, Vertly is on point with the leafy trend, creating lotions and lip balms using the purest forms of hemp-derived C.B.D. Wait, C.B.D. in a lip balm? “I wanted something to normalize C.B.D. so that people weren’t frightened to use it,” says the brand’s founder, Claudia Mata, another die-hard New Yorker who moved to California and had a profound life change within a year. “We approached it like a vitamin, so this is a small amount you get throughout the day.” Mata is serious about the plant’s powers: she attended Oaksterdam University, the cannabis university (yes, it’s real!) in Oakland, then delved into a second herbalism program. “I am now a Californian and completely drinking the Kool-Aid,” laughs Mata. “I’m like an herbalist now.” And with that, relief lotion arrives this month, in a 2-ounce bottle that contains 150 milligrams of C.B.D., to serve as a concentrated spot treatment for pain.
On the East Coast, Perricone MD offers CBx for Men, a hemp-derived phytocannabinoids product line. The latest: a lightweight moisturizer and a soothing post-shave treatment.
And who is better positioned to spread the gospel of cannabis than Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella Marley? “Dad called the herb ‘the healing of the nation’ and believed it could bring people together,” says Marley, who operates her father’s brand, Marley Natural, out of Jamaica. The body lotion, face oil, and lip balm debut this month, to moisturize, reduce inflammation, and alleviate skin issues.
Given the growth of the natural and organic movements, the C.B.D. trend isn’t all that surprising. “We’re all united with a bigger goal in mind, to normalize and de-stigmatize this plant that we all know to be incredibly effective in so many ways,” says Capobianco of The Lord Jones. That’s the buzz.