It’s the buzzy ingredient popping up all over the beauty industry. But what exactly is CBD beauty and what does it do? Let’s take a closer look.

“I say CBD, you say marijuana. But they aren’t exactly the same thing,” explains skincare expert and medical esthetician Cassandra Bankson (www.instagram.com/cassandrabankson). “The high that is associated with marijuana comes from a compound called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), meanwhile CBD does not cause any high and is a compound called cannabidiol. Both of these compounds work on different receptors in the brain, as well as receptors in your skin.”

What is one of the most common places where you can see these three letters? It’s definitely in skincare.

“CBD is beneficial for every complexion because it contains a blend of beauty vitamins like A, C, and E,” explains Elina Fedotova, cosmetic chemist, celebrity esthetician, and founder of Elina Organics skincare (www.elinaorganics.com). “They are powerful antioxidants that help to promote collagen and have strong antioxidant effects. CBD also helps to reduce free radicals which help to heal skin from sun damage,” she explains.

The Elina Organics CBD Ageless line contains three different products (a face cream, a hand cream, and a wrinkle-filling serum) that use

liposome-encapsulated CBD. Her CBD isolate also calms and soothes irritated and sensitive skin while also helping rejuvenate aging skin.

But CBD is not just for skincare. A brand called Flowerkist has numerous makeup options, including their Pure Perfection CBD-Infused Primer. Delivering a soft-focus finish, this lightweight formula can be worn under makeup for an added smoothing effect.

When it comes to the body, Bawdy Beauty makes a product called The Bawdy Oil. With a blend of 300-mg full-spectrum organic CBD oil and nutrient-rich botanicals, it helps improve skin tone with marula oil while also revitalizing and relaxing your muscles.

There is also This Works Stress Check CBD Body Polish Skincare. This natural CBD body exfoliator even features lactic acid and pumice to remove the buildup of dirt and improve skin tone, and its hemp-derived, pure CBD isolate (490-mg per tube) helps soothe and calm.

But, as with all hot products, it is important to know that you’re buying quality products, too.

“When anything becomes trendy, interesting, or has shown to be beneficial, someone is inevitably going to try to rip it off. CBD is not easy to extract—you need to get it from cannabis or hemp and separate it from the other components of the plant through extraction and distillation. Then you have to purify it—this is an expensive and timely process,” shares Bankson. “The best products are going to be the ones that give you the boost of other supplemental ingredients,” she adds. So, think niacinamide or salicylic acid.

The final verdict: do your research and buy responsibly. You might just find that CBD is just what your beauty routine needs.

1. Elina Organics CBD Ageless $38.00 to $57.00 from www.elinaorganics.com 2. Flowerkist Pure Prefection CBD-Infused Primer $32.00 from www.flowerkist.com 3. Bawdy Beauty The Bawdy Oil $75.00 from www.bawdybeauty.com 4. This Works Stress Check CBD Body Polish Skincare $17.99 from www.shopcanopy.com