[Updated] Choosing the right CBD skincare brand to use in your spa

With the global CBD skincare market booming, now is the ideal time to work the anti-inflammatory ingredient into your beauty salon or spa treatment menu. But, with so much choice, how do you pick the right brand to partner with? 

When looking to offer CBD beauty services in your business, finding a reputable brand partner is key. We quizzed the professionals on how to choose the right product house and the key considerations to undertake when looking to invest in a CDB range. 

You can find out more about how CBD oil works in our informative guide. 

Seven ways you can find a reputable CBD beauty brand to partner with:

1. Do thorough research 

Before choosing a brand to collaborate with you need to research the sector because there are so many different brands of CBD on the market, and they are of various quality. 

“I spent my time choosing the right partner. I wanted someone with a CBD background who understood the mechanisms of CBD and ensured their product was independently tested for strength and efficacy. Checking that the company manufactured their own CBD and had the lab facilities to do this was key,” says Finlay Anderson, InterContinental Hotel Group’s area spa and leisure director for UK and Professional Beauty’s Spa Leader of the Year 2021.

“Further to this, independent studies on the products and quality controls needed to be in place so I could fully trust the brand partner.”

Anderson also advises that you want a laboratory-grade CBD oil from a company that has independent testing done on their products. “As yet, CBD oil is still undergoing a lot of testing to ascertain its benefits, so it’s currently considered a supplement,” he adds.  

2. Get to grips with the different strengths 

Just like other skincare or health supplements that vary in strength, the same is true for CBD, as Kim Smith, director of premium CBD brand Kloris, explains.

“This can be for several reasons, such as price point, customer preference, and what has been deemed most popular or effective depending on the delivery method. 

“For ingestible products, comparing percentage strength is generally most useful. For example, oil drops labelled as 1,500mg in 30ml would be the same strength per drop as a 500mg product in 10ml – both would be 5% strength. For topical products, much lower concentrations are considered effective doses, generally 1%–2%.”

She adds: “Everyone is different, and thus, need different amounts. It's been widely reported that anything in the region of 15mg plus per ingestible dose is helpful to most people. You can ingest up to 70mg per day, according to the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) advice, and this can be in different formats and multiple doses depending on your preference.”

3. Try before you buy

“Sampling the products first-hand was an absolute given for us. However, when trialling the ranges, I ensured that it wasn’t just our spa team that got to test out the products. It was important that the wider hotel team enjoyed the experiences and believed in the brand, so I had representatives from all over our estate feedback their thoughts,” says Daniel Core, spa general manager at Nàdarra Spa, which won Professional Beauty’s Boutique Spa of the Year Award 2021.

“We also made sure we researched brands fully – credentials, strength and sustainability – and even called on our industry friends to share their thoughts about brands.”

4. Ask the supplier these key questions

When meeting with CBD-infused skincare brands, Anderson recommends asking these key questions to ensure you know everything you need to about the company. 

“Ask: Is the CBD pharmaceutical grade? Does the company do lab testing? Do they have independent tests completed and available to review? Where do they source their raw materials? Do they have a good reputation with customer reviews available? And is it THC-free (tetrahydrocannabinol)?,” he explains. 

5. Think about your current offering

“Evaluate what you’re trying to achieve and ensure your guest type, team and any existing product houses you work with will be open to you using CBD products,” says Sarah Johnson, head of spa at Rudding Park, which won Professional Beauty’s Spa Team of the Year 2021 Award.

“Educating guests and your therapists in the uses and benefits of CBD is crucial, and always remember it’s a supplement not a medical treatment – we should never prescribe. Each guest’s tolerance differs and if they are new to CBD then they should start with a low dose and increase slowly.” 

6. Adjust your retail strategy

“Work with a partner who has a good range of retail lines including some at the lower end of the price scale as many people will still be ‘taking a chance’ on CBD,” says Anderson. 

“I advise having smaller-sized CBD lines, samples or bath bombs that they can try without making a huge commitment. Clients will love it and return for the full-sized products later.” 

7. Run the idea by your team

Further consideration should be given to how comfortable your spa team will be working closely with CBD. “While it is used topically in problem areas of tension, absorption differs to ingestion or if it is taken sublingually. Your therapists already work with many other essential oils, so adding another dimension can be daunting,” explains Johnson. 

“There needs to be an education piece for your therapists around the safety of CBD’s use. Some of my team were not comfortable working with it, and that’s OK.” 

 

Important: what can and can’t you say about CBD skincare?

Your spa team must be aware of the advice they are giving to clients on the benefits of using CBD products because they can’t make claims of any medical benefits as that is still being researched. 

“For your therapists to feel truly comfortable talking about CBD then they needed to master the treatment protocols as well as further their understanding of the endocannabinoid system,” explains Anderson. 

“This will allow them to best communicate to the client how CBD biologically works, and it also gives your team a method of conversing the benefits of the ingredient without making medical claims.”

Smith agrees, adding: “We know CBD is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and speeds up healing and regulates oil production – all things that are obviously great in skincare. 

“However, it is still a relatively new ingredient in terms of skincare, so it doesn’t have the same volume of data that other hero ingredients such as retinol or vitamin C has (yet), but what has been found so far in terms of topical use is hugely exciting.” 

So, you can say the ingredient can help the skin because it is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-ageing. “CBD acts on the endocannabinoid system, the body’s innate balancing mechanism, which is made up of a series of receptors sited throughout the brain and central nervous system. It is responsible for regulating mood, sleep, pain, inflammation, appetite, memory, and fertility,” says Anderson.  

“These receptors are called CB1 and CB2. However, we also have CB1 and CB2 receptors sited throughout the epidermis. CBD acts on these receptors to affect the immune cells for inflammation, acting on sensory nerves to inhibit the sensation of itch (the most common diagnosed symptom in dermatology practice), interns of an antioxidant on the skin. 

“CBD provides the missing particle for a free radical to bond with, stopping it going on to cause DNA damage. We know Inflammation and oxidative stress go hand in hand with ageing, so this offers a layered approach to all.”  

Do you offer CBD treatments in your beauty salon or spa? Tell us about it below.