the rise of cannabis in makeup and skin care

from smoke session-inspired eyeshadow palettes to hemp-infused lotions, why are we seeing the exponential growth of cannabis-themed luxury goods?

Hey there, how’s it going? It’s been quite the beginning of the year, so I’m not going to say “Happy January” because I’d really rather not have this newsletter enter into the farcical genre of writing.

chef jr 🌽. ⑦ @juniiorxxz

Aliens watching earth like: “this season fire”

With that I’ll offer my two cents of advice no one asked for: my psychiatrist said it’s a good idea to switch up routines — especially bad ones. So if your average day looks like wake-up-scroll-on-twitter-grudgingly-do-work-kinda-and-then-lay-in-bed-watching-netflix-and-or-stare-at-the-wall (like mine!), maybe it’s time to go for a walk or try a new recipe or whatever it is that makes your heart sing just a little bit.

neoliberalism is a sham⭐️ @cholochulo666

(Thanks José for this beautiful tweet.)

Without further ado, let’s talk about something I love (cannabis, makeup!) and its complex (read: not really that complex) relationship with something I hate (capitalism!)

how did everything become infused with cannabis?

As an advocate of the medical and practical benefits of cannabis, it’s unsurprising that CBD and hemp-infused lotions, the latter of which have been around for decades through brands such as Hempz lotion and The Body Shop, offer plenty of benefits — from soothing dry skin and redness to moderating oil production and slowing down the effects of aging. With the spread of legalization, we’ve also seen the rise of THC-infused makeup, which can literally get you high through the primer that soaks into your pores (not to be dramatic, but I need this now).

Of course, we owe the rise of cannabis in the luxury space to legalization, as well as increased general knowledge on the health benefits of the plant. But, as I’ve written about on multiple occasions in previous works, there is something to say about the rapid commercialization of weed with the advent of legislation changes. Particularly, there is something to be said about the corporate usage of cannabis to market products as “hip” and “cutting edge” — if not completely “edgy.”

This Independent article paints a picture of makeup and skin care conglomerates’ tactics in promoting their cannabis-themed line of products, which include wordplay with “High Beauty” and offer ingredients that come from “the highest grade, locally grown cannabis and marijuana:”

“According to Brightfield Group, a company that specialises in cannabis and CBD market research, CBD is the "next hot, functional beauty ingredient", that may have a similar impact on the beauty industry as shea butter and aloe.”

And, although CBD’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits are widely known to benefit the body when consumed, there’s not much research on how these benefits can be extended to the skin, according to dermatologist and Dermstore founder Alan Parks.

“‘There is no literature to date that shows any benefit to these products. As their use becomes more prevalent, however, that might change.’ CBD has yet to be widely studied, but that hasn’t stopped brands from banking on word-of-mouth and trend momentum by creating products featuring the ingredient.”

For example, Milk Makeup — like Glossier, known for its “cool girl” and e-girl aesthetic — came out with a Kush line in early 2019, featuring mascara, eyeliner, brow gel, lip balm and a face mask. While CBD acts as a binding agent in mascara, in lieu of beeswax (which Milk co-founder Dianna Ruth says is not in line with the company’s all-vegan products), it’s clear the company profited off of traditional cannabis marketing for its product line.

And herein lies the issue, as articulated by this Forbes article:

“Although greenwashing often refers to brands attempting to appear more environmentally friendly, the term still applies here with the rise of CBD and mental wellbeing giving brands an opportunity to capitalize by using hemp seed oil, another derivative from the cannabis plant.”

Just as I wrote in my column on the gendered usage of cannabis in the Daily Trojan, what the skin care and makeup industry is doing to weed is just as vapid as what the suburban white mom is doing to weed: “To be the Martha Stewart of weed is to invoke the power of normative white femininity in order to bring cannabis into Canadian homes as a non-threatening leafy green vegetable just like spinach or broccoli,” writes Jacqueline Kittel in her article on women in weed published in The Arbutus Review in 2018.

While I love the acceptance of weed in all spaces, such as luxury skin care and makeup, as much as the next person, it’s difficult to celebrate the originality and quality of these products when they come off as disingenuous as pointless decriminalization bills or equity programs that end up accomplishing nothing. It’s just as hard to separate these see-through marketing tactics from the fact that none of these companies have even attempted to offer a stake in social justice advocacy agencies geared toward freeing people incarcerated for petty cannabis charges.

🧘🏽 @byr420n

the trilogy

I’m not here to tell you to stop buying makeup and skin care with CBD in it, as the Kush mascara is actually quite good and I’ve been eyeing this palette for literally ages. But there’s no dismissing how problematic it is for multimillion (if not billion) dollar companies to insert themselves into the cannabis space when mom-and-pop dispensaries still don’t have the capital to make a living and when the prison industrial complex (which shouldn’t exist in general!) houses more small-time dealers than rapists.

now, the battle of the “damn shawty’s”

kaja @3xtragay

another one

natalie💖 @nat_oganesyan

i made one

dropout @charlesdropout

it really be like that

While I like the background of the dispensary in *my* tweet, I have to say that the artistry in the third tweet is superior to the rest. And yes, I did feel it was absolutely necessary to put all of these tweets in this week’s post. No thoughts, just damn shawty.

And for good measure, this tweet:

m! @sad_thot69

why doesn’t anyone remember this

I would give anything to see this scene unfold in real time.

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Before I jump into my “song of the week,” I would like to ask the people (you!) if they would care for a “show/movie/video-like item to light up to for the week” section. This could be rotating with the songs or in addition to the songs — let me know in the comments what you would prefer!

And now, a song to light up to

Because, duh?

Further reading

• “Welcome to 2021’s Weed” — The Broccoli Report

One last thing

Make sure to like this post and share “the garden” if you enjoyed this content!

your bud, Natalie