Cannabis and Sunscreen: Can CBD Protect Your Skin This Summer?

CBD skincare products were once considered novel items in the beauty market but now are ubiquitous. Every single health pharmacy and beauty store in the United Kingdom carries CBD-infused moisturizers, serums, facial oils and body creams along side many of the same well-established brands we’ve known for years.

While the industry has accepted CBD, the claim associated with CBD products has rarely been supported by credible scientific research.

The Short Answer on Sunscreen

CBD does not prevent UV Radiation. CBD does not absorb either UVA or UVB light, therefore it does not have SPF. As such, CBD cannot replace a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an appropriate SPF. If a product claims to be a CBD sunscreen then it’s relying on zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or chemical UV filters for it’s UV blocking capability while the CBD provides some other benefit or no benefit at all.

This is important since there is a high likelihood that consumers may rely too heavily on a CBD product to provide them adequate sun protection. Failure to use adequate sun protective measures may lead to both short term sun burn and potential long term effects from excessive exposure to UV radiation which include photo aging and increased incidence of skin cancer. For summer time sun protection the minimum recommended is a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or greater that is applied liberally and reapplied every two hours or immediately after swimming. The inclusion of CBD in your regimen will not reduce your need for adequate sun screening.

What CBD Actually Does in Skincare

With the sunscreen debate out of the way, we now enter into more interesting terrain. While the above noted applications of CBD to skincare relate to its anti-inflammatory characteristics, as well as how it interacts with your skin’s endocannabinoid system and as an antioxidant, these characteristics all do have a basis in reality when it comes to your sun exposed skin; however, their level of clinical evidence vary.

Endocannabinoid System In Skin:

Your skin is not simply a physical barrier – it is also an active immune system and endocrine system, and it does contain a functional endocannabinoid system. CB1 and CB2 receptors exist in keratinocytes (which are the predominant type of cell found in the outer layer of your skin), sebaceous glands, hair follicles, and sensory nerve fibers. Your skin naturally produces its own endocannabinoids such as anandamide and 2-AG. These natural compounds help regulate many physiological functions in your skin including inflammation, cell turnover and sebum production.

CBD interacts with this system through several different mechanisms — rather than by directly activating CB receptors, CBD inhibits FAAH which breaks down anandamide. Additionally, CBD activates TRPV1 receptors which help mediate sensations of heat and pain, while activating PPARγ which helps mediate inflammation and lipid metabolism. As a result, CBD presents itself as a compound with truly multifaceted interactions with the biological systems of the skin — rather than being merely a simple receptor agonist.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects:

As mentioned earlier, the best documented use for CBD in skincare is for its anti-inflammatory properties. Both UV radiation can cause acute inflammation (i.e., the redness and heat associated with sunburn) and chronic low-level inflammation which contribute to photoaging over time. CBD has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in numerous cell culture and animal model experiments — exhibiting reductions in the production of various pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α.

However, whether or not this will translate to meaningful results in terms of topical application on human sun-exposed skin is far less clear. Due to its structure as a large lipophilic molecule, penetration of CBD through intact skin is very limited. However, formulation makes a considerable difference — using CBD in a well-formulated delivery vehicle containing penetration-enhancing agents will produce entirely different results compared to using CBD in a standard cream base. Therefore, there are still questions regarding the extent to which CBD penetrates the skin to interact with immune activity occurring deep within the skin layers.

Antioxidant Activity:

UV radiation creates reactive oxygen species (ROS) — i.e., free radicals — that damage DNA, proteins, and cellular membrane components present in sun-exposed skin. Oxidative stress caused by ROS is responsible for much of both the immediate sunburn effect and the eventual photoaging effects observed with prolonged sun exposure. CBD has demonstrated antioxidant capability in laboratory-based experiments — with some studies indicating it may have equal-to-or greater-than amounts of antioxidant activity relative to those provided by vitamins C & E at similar concentrations.

While laboratory-based evidence exists demonstrating CBD exhibits antioxidant capabilities, the distance between that evidence and establishing actual benefits in a topical skincare product is significant. Antioxidants require careful formulation to remain stable and provide adequate bioavailability — and currently no study has proven that CBD provides superior antioxidant protection compared to other established antioxidants (such as vitamin C or niacinamide) used in a typical skincare product.

After-Sun: The Most Plausible Application

If the proof for CBD is strongest anywhere in the context of summer Skincare, that would be post-sun use rather than before sun exposure. This is because After-Sun Care addresses all of the areas CBD has been shown to have some effect on.

• Inflammation from sun stress and damage.
• Antioxidant support to reduce free radical damage from sun exposure.
• Heat and irritation reduction through modulating TRPV1 – which is also the receptor pathway used by capsaicin to produce the “burn” feeling when applied.
• Skin hydration and recovery.

It is therefore, a perfectly acceptable product option, to formulate an after-sun product that includes CBD – as opposed to or instead of traditional soothing products such as Aloe Vera, Panthenol, etc. Using established soothing active ingredients along with CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties makes for a much better basis for developing this product concept, than trying to make claims about CBD being a UV blocker.

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CBD and sunscreen are not competitors. They address different problems — UV protection on one hand, inflammation and oxidative stress management on the other — and a thoughtful summer skincare approach can include both without confusion. The risk is the marketing language that implies CBD does more than the evidence supports, which leads users to either expect too much or dismiss it entirely when results don’t match inflated claims.

Use sunscreen and buy the best-quality cannabis products from a trusted place in the UK.