Give Me Some Skin: Hemp Topical Products

Freedom Leaf reviews hemp cremes, lotions and oils from six cool companies.

By Lillian Taylor 

Hemp awareness and eco-consciousness tend to go hand in hand. Knowing their consumer, each of the hemp skin care alternatives reviewed here seem to have one thing in common: The all refrain from testing on animals and employ energy conserving manufacturing practices.

The Body Shop

By volume, The Body Shop dominates, having been out in front of the hemp beauty product industry since before it became popular. Presently the company offers a line containing fair trade hempseed oil, sourced from a co-operative of small-scale family farm in England.

The Body Shop gets high marks for social responsibility, with $31.5 million over the last 25 years going to more than 2,770 groups. In 1990, The Body Shop Foundation was established, and funds human rights and environmental protection groups facilitating positive social and environmental change in 109 countries. Their New Academy of Business, established in 1995, offers degrees built upon principles of sustainability. The Body Shop was absorbed into the L’Oreal Group in 2006, but purportedly operates independently, reporting solely to the L’Oreal Chairman.
The positive impact of The Body Shop’s progressive policies is great, but their hemp contains lead with water and glycerine, and a host of other ingredients on the what-the-heck-is-that list.

Go to: thebodyshop-usa.com/shop-by-line/hemp.aspx#/hemp.aspx

Manveena’s Solutions

Manveena’s Solutions goes toe to toe with The Body Shop’s highly impressive efforts. Their OPYN Pure Face Oil is the first and only USDA certified organic face oil. It contains hemp oil, argan oil (from Morocco), geranium oil, sweet orange oil and lemon oil, and is designed to minimize wrinkles, remove dark spots, inhibit acne, aid in collagen formation, reduce redness and restore elasticity. Packaged in recyclables and/or biodegradables in a facility run entirely on wind energy, the product is free of any formaldehyde, petrochemicals, ethoxylates, toxic minerals, heavy metals, silicone, preservatives, GM’s and synthetics.

OPYN was created by Manveena Singh, a veteran top-tier cosmetic and perfume industry “nose” who trained with the best (Estee Lauder, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, Bath and Body Works, and Jo Malone), and has always had a passion for natural ingredients.

Singh raised $40,000 in a seed money, then successfully crowdfunded over $35,000 to test market on Amazon. In mid February, OPYN became available at target.com. Look for the addition of Manveeva’s anti-frizz OPYN Nourish & Shine Hair Serum and Healing Body Oil for bath, body and massage.

Go to: amazon.com/O-P-Y-N-Manveenas-Solutions-Pure-Face/dp/B00IF9VKUW

Nubian Heritage

Founded in Harlem, NY 14 years ago, Nubian Heritage offers soap, body wash and lotion lines containing neem oil, organic Shea butter and Indian hemp oil. These high-quality products are made from natural ingredients, and don’t contain water, glycerin or mineral oils.

Kudos to Nubian Heritage for showing dedication to alleviating poverty in their supply chain by investing in several women’s cooperatives in Ghana.

From a company statement: “We bring together traditional healing practices, cultural wisdom and indigenous ingredients, remix them and create modern natural solutions for skin and hair. This is our mission: to make cultural exchange the model for transforming the global community.”

Go to: nubianheritage.com

Earthly Body

A family-owned business operating since 1994, Earthly Body produces its hemp-oil based products in a solar-powered facility in Chatsworth, CA. Their hemp oil is cold pressed for the optimal preservation of Omega-3 qualities. Body lotions, bath and shower gels, massage oils sprays, fragrant mists, shaving creams and Marrakesh hair-care products are all available, as well as their Earthly Body Love Button arousal balm, which is a perfect compliment to their Edible Massage Candle. Heated, this candle melts into a massage oil of soy, hemp, avocado and mint-flavored vitamin E oils. They’re sure to warm, soothe, and refresh.

Go to: facebook.com/EarthlyBodyInc

BC Bud Rub

On the more therapeutic end of beauty care hails Canadian David Faren, whose BC Bud Rub uses non-toxic solvents for extraction from organically grown and non-GMO materials. The Rub reportedly warms without burning, calms the itch, soothes and protects dry skin, skin, and relieves aching joints and sore muscles. It was introduced to remedy cold sores, and subsequently discovered to also remove hypersensitivity from burns, as well as to quell deep aches and pains.

“In the long term I see the company marketing my sublingual preparations as an alternative to the GW Pharmaceuticals’ products,” Faren tells Freedom Leaf.

Go to: bcbudrub.com/

Apothacanna

A more targeted array of healing creams is available from Apothacanna, made from certified organic and wild harvested ingredients, and grown without pesticides or herbicides, artificial ingredients, fillers, parabens or known toxins. Produced in Colorado, Apothacanna offers four different crèmes: Calming (hemp lotion, lavender, chamomile and frankincense), Stimulating (hemp lotion, ginger, capsaicin and grapefruit), Pain (hemp lotion, arnica, peppermint and juniper) and Everyday (hemp crème, mandarin, geranium and cedar. Each bottle (eight fluid ounces) cost $36.

Go to: apothecanna.com

There are many more companies with hemp products to indulge, rub, buff, polish, soothe, soak, glow, relax, exalt, and indulge at our disposal. We’ll cover them in a future issue.

Check out product photos in Freedom Leaf Magazine digital edition here 

Lillian Taylor is Freedom Leaf’s Fashion Coordinator.