Is CBD hair care set to make a big splash?

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome is the lack of verified clinical trials and scientific research to back up hair and scalp care claims, but with more and more ingredients and more brands being launched, and more science to back them up, that situation is slowly changing.

Hair care brands that have taken advantage of the claimed benefits of CBD include Dr. Hempster, Hempz and Emera in the USA, while in Europe brands such as India, Waterman’s and BamBeautiful are all making a splash.

Emphasis on natural formulation​

These products are being combined along with the CBD and natural ingredients such as keratin, collagen and biotin, together with a host of fruit, nut and plant extracts that include coconut, tea tree, aloe vera, argan and honey.

Latin America has proved to be a major market for CBD skin care launches, thanks to more liberal regulation laws governing the use of the ingredient, and it would seem that this is also having an impact on the hair care category too.

Last week Cosmetics Design attended the Expo Belleza event in Medellin, Colombia, which proved to be a launching platform for a large number of new beauty products across all categories, including a significant number of both hair and skin lines containing CBD.

Colombian brand launches hair and beard CBD line​

We caught up with one CBD men’s hair and beard brand, Barba Roja, which was platforming its newly launched product line at the event. You can see the video interview with brand founder Santiago Campuzano Hoyos by clicking here​.

Campuzano said he put in 18 months of research into the benefits of CBD for hair, beard and scalp care and says that there is a growing body of evidence that points to enhanced hair growth, better protection and improved scalp care.

When it comes to claims most CBD hair care brands are following a similar trajectory with their claims, which are attributed to the very high nutritional content of quality CBD oil, highlighted by 20 known amino acids, magnesium, potassium, at least five known vitamins, including A, B, C, D and E, together with all 21 amino acids, including omegas 3, 6 and 9.

Can the claims be substantiated?​

Translated into the hair care claims, these nutrients, and specifically the fatty acids, help to retain hydration in the hair shaft, making it stronger and more resilient to environmental hazards, as well as damage caused by styling.

It also serves to enhance scalp care thanks to the presence of the magnesium, potassium and vitamin E, soothing and healing conditions such as psoriasis and other dry scalp problems that can lead to dandruff.

But perhaps most importantly, CBD hair care products are being attributed to hair regrowth for non-hereditary hair loss problems.

This is because, while the scalp feeds on the main fatty acids to promote hair regrowth, CBD oil also contains GLA (gamma linoleic acid), which also promotes natural hair growth.

Although there is an increasing body of evidence to support these claims, many fomulation experts believe the jury is still out when it comes the substantiation of claims for CBD, so unequivocally proving the efficacy of CBD hair care products may still be some way off.