“The U.S. market is so ahead of the
game. It really is.”
— CAROLINE RUSHWORTH
providers. “Have your technicians and front desk staff
trained to be able to speak knowledgeably about how
[CBD] works. Not just a blanket statement, but really educate
them. It makes a world of difference.”
CBD Goes Global?
While spas and therapists continue to evaluate CBD products,
integrate them into treatments and spread word of
their potential benefits to spa-goers, the companies that
develop those products have faced their own sets of challenges,
resulting primarily from the complex and inconsistent
web of regulations that still govern its sale and use,
particularly outside of the U.S.
“Depending on where you live, there are different levels
of regulation, or no regulation at all,” comments Benjamin
Simpson, senior vice president for marketing at BABOR.
The Germany-based cosmetic company sells into more
than 70 countries, but as they launch their CLEANFORM-
ANCE line, it remains unclear how widely available the
line’s two CBD-infused skincare products will be. Even
countries with generally lenient views toward cannabis
often remain stringent when it comes to CBD.
“The U.S. market is so ahead of the game. It really is,”
says Caroline Rushworth, BABOR’s director of education
for North America. “It’s very interesting in Canada: recreational
use [of marijuana] is absolutely fine, but we still
don’t have confirmation that our CBD products will be
available in Canada. We’re still waiting on that.”
The European market is similarly restrictive. As Simpson
notes, “The European Cosmetic Directive across the
E.U. regulates the use of major cosmetic ingredients, and
there’s quite a substantial list of banned substances in the
E.U.” BABOR’s efforts to incorporate CBD into a line
launch while adhering to those ingredient restrictions led
20 PULSE ■ AUGUST 2020