The world’s first CBD facial comes to the UK

As the world’s first industry-endorsed CBD facial and cosmeceutical skincare range launches in the UK, Cannabis Health speaks to those behind it.

Now widely recognised for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, cannabis is changing the face of the beauty industry.

As the latest go-to ingredient for skin and beauty brands, an influx of CBD-infused products have hit the shelves in recent years, with an industry report published earlier this year suggesting that the CBD skincare market is projected to generate £734m in annual sales by 2024.

Meanwhile leading doctors have touted the potential of cannabis to treat rare and challenging skin conditions, such as atopic eczema, allergic contact dermatitis and psoriasis, as the UK’s first medical cannabis dermatology service launched at the Sapphire Clinic in London in September.

But until now, no one has brought the two together.

The Grass Roots Facial, the world’s first CIBTAC (Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology) endorsed CBD facial procedure – using a full range of cosmeceutical CBD skincare products – is coming to the UK from October.

Created by global beauty training provider SkinTres, founders Jo Minchin, Lyndsey Price and Zoe Wilkinson saw the potential of the cannabinoid and set out to create a dynamic, results-driven and relaxing facial – but quickly realised that they would need to develop their own skincare range too.

SkinTres founders (from left) Lyndsey Price, Jo Minchin and Zoe Wilkinson

“Other brands were doing a nod to CBD, with products containing 100mg or less, but nobody was doing the cosmeceutical skincare that most women in their 30s and 40s now are using,” said Jo Minchin, co-founder of SkinTres, Grass Roots Facial and Grass Roots Skin.

“If you wanted to incorporate CBD into your skincare, you’d have to buy a CBD oil and use this alongside your existing skincare routine –  it was adding too much and is also quite expensive.”

She added: “We saw this gap in the market and it felt like a perfect opportunity to incorporate CBD into our own range of cosmeceutical skincare, along with retinols, Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.”

There are initially seven products in the Grass Roots Skin range from the AHA Cleansing Wash and AHA Skin Tonic at £28.99, to the Skin Drench Super Serum, containing 15 percent vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and 300mg of CBD isolate – which at £54.99 has been described as the brand’s ‘superhero’.

Also in the range are a 1% Retinol Repair Cream, Retinol Eye Refiner, Super Glow Miracle Oil and Super Shield SPF50, all of which have been third party tested, are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and unisex.

The products go hand in hand with the Grass Roots Facial, a five step, in-salon treatment which can be personalised to suit any skin type and is designed to give instant results.

It starts with dermaplaning, where a fine surgical blade is passed back and forth along the top layer of the skin to remove dead skin cells and allows the skin to absorb the ingredients of the products.

A special CBD-infused oil is used to boost the anti-inflammatory effect of lymphatic drainage, a therapeutic massage treatment, which uses light pressure and rhythmic strokes to increase the flow of lymph and reduce toxins in the body.

LED light therapy then uses different wavelengths of light to target certain conditions including acne, rosacea, sensitive, pigmented and ageing skin.

“We’ve designed the facial so that anyone can benefit from it, by creating different processes within it that can be adapted for any skin condition,” explained co-founder Zoe Wilkinson from the Skin Tres salon and training centre in Oxfordshire.

“For example, if someone has active acne we wouldn’t do the dermaplaning part of the facial, but we could do more lymphatic drainage and spend more time with the LED light.

“The idea is that the skin will absorb the products better and the end result will be an instant glow, as well as reducing inflammation and redness, but also a really relaxing facial.”

At the moment the Grass Roots Facial and skincare range will only be available at salons where therapists have completed a Skin Tres CIBTAC approved course.

From October 2020 training will be provided at the SkinTres training centres in Witney in Oxfordshire and Marple in Cheshire, but the aim is to roll it out to salons across the UK.

“An important part of our message is educating people about CBD, so a big part of the process is training and teaching therapists to be knowledgeable about the products, so they can teach their clients the benefits of that and help to educate people,” said Jo.

“A lot of people are still afraid of CBD and don’t really understand it, but the more we people can educate about it, the more people will try it.

“In five years, everybody will have probably tried something with a bit of CBD in.”

And this could be groundbreaking in how common skin conditions are managed.

Zoe added: “The biggest use for CBD is in skin conditions such as eczema, acne and psoriasis, because of its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

“Doctors often prescribe strong ointments for these conditions, so if people can treat them with something natural like CBD, before going down the medical route, that could massively change how we use skincare.”

For more information visit www.grassrootsskin.com and www.skintres.com