Why CBD and Hyaluronic Acid May Be The Perfect Skin Care Pair

Hyaluronic acid isn’t as scary as it might sound, and CBD products aren’t as overrated as you might (understandably) assume. Both of these ingredients are becoming increasingly common in beauty products and, according to skin care experts, using them together on a daily basis could help you get the summer skin of your dreams.

Both ingredients boast a long list of benefits for the skin, and can be used for all skin types — something which can’t be said for other trendy products like retinol or vitamin C serums. Gentleness is a common talking point in most articles about CBD-infused skin care, but most people don’t realize that the same can be said for hyaluronic.

“Hyaluronic acid works for any skin type,” as Dia Foley, the woman behind skin care research and development company Indeed Labs, told Elle. “Even sensitive or breakout-prone skin, as well as those with an oily complexion.”

The same holds true for CBD, and the combination of the two can yield even better results — but to understand why they work so well together, it helps to understand what they both bring to the table.

What Do Hyaluronic Acid and CBD Each Have to Offer?

Hyaluronic acid might sound like it comes from a lab, but in fact it’s perfectly natural. Our bodies produce this substance, but our production of it decreases as we age. So, you could think of using a hyaluronic product as akin to taking a dietary supplement with breakfast — you’re simply replenishing stores of something your body is supposed to have.

The main benefit of hyaluronic is its ability to draw moisture from the air around us and pull it deep into the layers of the skin, giving the complexion a youthful plumpness. But this moisture-injecting effect has other benefits that aren’t always mentioned in conversations about hyaluronic products.

For example, better-moisturized skin is less susceptible to the development of fine lines and wrinkles (CBD can help with this too, but more on that in a moment). It also tends to be less sensitive and less susceptible to damage caused by pollution. So, by restoring lost moisture to parched skin, hyaluronic acid can improve the long-term health of your skin.

So can CBD. Known in scientific circles as cannabidiol, it’s a chemical compound that’s found in marijuana and hemp plants and extracted for its medicinal qualities. It’s found in much more than just skin care products — you can even buy CBD sodas now — but beauty brands have become some of its loudest and most enterprising advocates.

Like hyaluronic acid, CBD skin care and beauty products have a number of benefits for all skin types. People with sensitive skin will enjoy its soothing and calming effects. Those with acne- prone skin use it for its sebum-reducing abilities and anti-inflammatory properties. Anyone dealing with dry skin will appreciate the rich fatty acid content that makes CBD an excellent natural moisturizer, and those of us of a certain vintage will particularly benefit from its status as a powerful antioxidant and anti-aging ingredient.

When used together, CBD and hyaluronic acid have a holistic effect on the skin. CBD takes care of acne, rashes, and dark spots while the acid looks after hydration and texture. Both tackle fine lines and wrinkles, and together they can restore the skin’s previous youthful glow.

Treat Puffiness, Dark Circles, and More With CBD and Hyaluronic Acid

If you want to join the millions of American men and women using CBD and hyaluronic acid to treat their troubled skin, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Use Serums for Night, Primers for Day
Choosing the best product isn’t just about making sure the ingredients are right. You also need to consider your daily routine, how much time you have to spare, when you’ll be using it, and what kind of finish you want it to leave on your skin.

Serums work best for night time, as they’re oil based and need hours to soak deep into the inner layers of the skin. Primers, on the other hand, work best at the beginning of your makeup routine and soak quickly into the skin while providing an even base for your foundation. You don’t necessarily have to use both, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Choose High Quality CBD
There’s not much point in spending money on products if the ingredients aren’t of a high enough quality to have the effect you want, and this is particularly true of CBD.

You may have heard of marijuana-derived CBD, hemp-derived CBD, hemp extract (often called hemp oil) and hemp seed oil (sometimes called cannabis sativa seed oil). Steer clear of the last two as hemp seeds don’t contain any CBD, so they won’t deliver the results you’re expecting from a CBD product, though they do have certain benefits of their own.

Of the others, marijuana-derived CBD is best because it contains more of the main ingredient, plus a richer array of the plant’s other compounds that are great for the skin. However, since this variety is only available in states with legalized cannabis, it might not be possible to find it where you live. But even if hemp-derived CBD oil is your only option, you can still improve your odds by choosing a full spectrum oil, which will also have a well-balanced list of ingredients.

Patch Testing
Finally, you should always patch test any new product on your skin before applying it on your face. This might seem like something that only people with sensitive skin or eczema have to worry about, but even those of us with robust skin can have sudden reactions to ingredients we’ve never used before. While both hyaluronic acid and CBD are gentle substances, you can’t be too careful when it comes to the delicate skin on your face (especially the skin around the eye area).

To patch test a product, simply apply a pea-sized amount to the skin on the inside of your wrist and the inside of your elbow. Don’t wash it off (unless you experience irritation) and wait 24 hours. If at the end of this time you’ve had no reaction, you can incorporate it into your skin care routine with confidence, and if you have, at least you’ve avoided a potentially painful reaction on your face.