CBD extract approved for use in EU cosmetics

After official appeals to DG GROW, which specializes, among other things, in making changes to CosIng, it was decided to include cannabidiol (CANNABIDIOL, CBD) obtained from extracts, tinctures or hemp resin in the above catalog. This means that now in the EU you can use not only the extract obtained from the leaves and stems of hemp, but also the extract of plant cannabidiol.

Preparing for participation on April 7 in the round table “ Problems and prospects of the use of therapeutically active elements of hemp as a basis for nutraceuticals, medicinal cosmetics, animal feed or other products with medicinal properties of a plant ”, already traditionally held as part of the training of students of “ Hemp University ”, The editors of the specialized electronic edition of Ukrainian cannabis growers turned to our colleagues conducting various kinds of research on the basis of the information and analytical platform Hemp Consulting for help in the high-quality preparation of materials for one of the panels prepared for consideration by the organizers of the event related to the development of the situation on the market for skin and hair care.

In addition to systematized data, some of which will be used during the preparation of presentations for the subsection “ Medical cosmetics, the formulation of which includes various hemp ingredients ”, the speakers were provided with fresh information on trends in the hemp cosmetics market in Europe. 

In particular, on the pages of the specialized electronic edition of Ukrainian cannabis growers, the question was raised about “ What cannabinoids are allowed to be used in cosmetic products produced in the EU ”. The attention of our dear readers and listeners was focused on the prohibition of the use of cannabidiol of plant origin in the formulation of cosmetic preparations, despite the fact that its synthetic analogue is legal for use.

To the credit of the staff and management of the Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, Small and Medium Enterprises of the EU, after official appeals to the above structure, which also specializes in making changes to “CosIng”, it was decided to include cannabidiol (CANNABIDIOL, CBD) derived from extracts, tinctures or hemp resin in the above catalog. This means that now in the EU you can use not only the extract obtained from the leaves and stems of hemp, but also the extract of plant cannabidiol.

On the one hand, such changes made to the “CosIng” catalog can be welcomed, since the relevant EU structures are removing absurd administrative barriers that hinder the development of this market segment. On the other hand, these kinds of trends should be monitored by national cannabis growers. By expanding the possibilities of the internal market for hemp cosmetics, the EU government structures are narrowing the market segment in which Ukrainian producers have significant advantages. Cosmetic preparations made on the basis of therapeutic hemp have a much more powerful healing / healing effect even in comparison with cosmetic preparations made on the basis of individual extracts of the hemp plant. Without developing the market for hemp cosmetics made on the basis of flowers or leaves of therapeutic hemp, we are gradually losing the opportunity to introduce cheap and extremely high-quality products to the markets of the EU countries.

Commentary of experts of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

In 2020, Hemp Consulting specialists conducted a study “ Hemp beauty industry in the world and in Ukraine (from the use of derivatives of grain, young shoots and roots in the formulations of cosmetic preparations, to the“ green mass ”of a hemp plant) ", which not only demonstrated certain trends in the hemp market cosmetics, but also provided sufficient information that prompted a number of national companies specializing in the production of skin and hair care products to partially change their marketing policy, as well as introduce new products (hair balm, hair mask, shampoo, foam for intimate hygiene, hemp soap) to the market.

The Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG GROW is the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG GROW. The Cosmetic ingredient database (“CosIng”) is the EU cosmetics catalog, created by the European Commission, which contains information on substances and ingredients that can be used to create cosmetic formulations. Despite the fact that "CosIng" has an informative purpose and has no legal force, the compounds that are not included in it cannot be safely used for the production of goods manufactured for body and hair care, which implies an automatic ban on their use in the territory all EU countries.