More Than Pain-Relief: CBD in Makeup

When you think of CBD (cannabidiol), beautification is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. But the world of CBD products has expanded far beyond pain relief creams and supplements for relaxation—it also includes makeup! 

This is because the benefits and uses of CBD contain more variety than you might expect. While it might be more popularly known for helping with anxiety, chronic pain, and insomnia, it has also started to become a favorite ingredient among beauty brands.

In contrast to THC, the element of cannabis that has psychoactive properties, the CBD found in these makeup and beauty products will not give you a high, and these products do not have the same legal restrictions or requirements that other cannabis products do. In fact, you can even find some of them at major mainstream retailers like Sephora. 

We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite CBD makeup products you’ll want to add to your routine.

Milk Makeup’s KUSH

Ultra-cool makeup brand Milk has a whole line of CBD products for eyes, eyebrows, and lips, aptly named KUSH. 

In 2018, Milk introduced its KUSH High Volumizing Mascara, which contains hemp-derived cannabis seed oil. According to the product page, this key ingredient “Conditions to keep lashes soft, not stiff.” 

This conditioning formula helps to create healthier-looking lashes, unlike typical mascaras that can leave lashes looking and feeling brittle. According to Milk, the mascara is also mega volumizing, lengthening, and thickening for a false lash effect.

While the mascara was their first and most popular product in the KUSH line (with over 12.3k reviews on Sephora’s website and an average of four stars), they also have brow gels, brow shadow, lash and brow serum, and lip oil.

The brow gel is similarly thickening and conditioning, with the hemp seed oil helping to fuse fibers to the brows. In the lip oil, hemp hydrates, nourishes, and conditions lips. 

You can try out KUSH through the Milk website or at Sephora. 

Bee-Och Organics

Are you interested in discovering a smaller brand? Look no further than Bee-Och Organics. The company boasts several certifications that you can feel great about, including the USDA Organics certification, the EWG Skin Deep Safety Ratings, and the Cruelty-Free Bunny. 

They prioritize natural, high-quality ingredients in their products, explaining, “We are proud to formulate only organic, 100% chemical-free and truly effective products, with hemp sourced right here in Colorado. Lab tested for purity and THC-free for customers subject to screenings.”

Their Lip Balm contains 60 mg of CBD, which they say helps relieve dry and cracked lips. It also has a delicious cocoa and vanilla scent and contains other nourishing ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil, and cocoa butter. 

But the CBD offerings of Bee-Och Organics don’t end there. You can also experience the benefits of CBD through their beautiful bath bombs, Vitamin-C-rich facial toner, and more. 

Revolution Beauty

Willing to shop internationally? London’s Revolution Beauty has a CBD collection that includes super fun and colorful eyeshadows, lip glosses, mascara, and more. 

The Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Chilled Palette contains 18 colors in earthy, green-blue, and brown tones, including matte and shimmery shadows. There is no mystery about the key ingredient in the palette, featuring colors with tongue-in-cheek names like “Bud,” “Leaf,” and “Huff.” 

Makeup Forever explains, “Infused with nourishing cannabis sativa seed oil, the powder shadows have strong buildable pigments.” Their products are also vegan and cruelty-free, so you can feel extra good about adding them to your routine. 

The Future of CBD Makeup

While CBD makeup products have had a promising start and a warm reception for many customers, the future of this niche remains uncertain. Despite the lack of psychoactive properties in CBD, the association has become a hurdle for many companies. 

Allure explains that the proximity “rings alarm bells for e-commerce software systems like Shopify and advertising platforms such as Facebook.” Additionally, companies selling CBD makeup and skincare must often shoulder the high costs of insurance and registration. 

These issues have unfortunately prompted some companies to shut down, discontinue their CBD products, or rebrand them. We hope that increasing acceptance of CBD products may change this in the future, but for now, we’re happy to support companies like the ones above that are still making incredible makeup that takes advantage of all that CBD has to offer.