THE ABCs OF CBD

Is it a dope new skincare ingredient—or 21st-century snake oil? We sort through the hype.

- Krista Bennett DeMaio

PLANT-BASED beauty isn’t new, but a certain botanical is creating quite a buzz in skincare. CBD (short for cannabidiol ) is one of more than 100 compounds called phytocannabinoids that are found in Cannabis sativa plants, and it’s cropping up in serums, masks, and creams that promise to leave skin clearer, smoother, and more youthful. Important to note: CBD is nonpsychoactive (meaning it can’t get you high); the kind you’re seeing on cosmetics shelves is derived from hemp, a C. sativa strain that contains only a tiny amount of THC (no more than 0.3 percent), the chemical that does alter your mind.

So what do the experts think? CBD is a promising new topical ingredient, says Dendy Engelman, MD, a New York City dermatologist: “We have cannabinoid receptors in every layer of our skin working to keep our cells functioning properly, so our body is already designed to receive it.”