“Overblown marketing claims” and too many players on the market.  As CBD sales decline, some are suggesting we’re witnessing the end of the craze.

Is CBD on its way out? Some recent headlines suggest so. Just a few years ago, CBD (cannabidiol, one of more than 100 cannabinoid compounds in the cannabis plant) was the biggest buzzword in the wellness and beauty industries, showing up in products ranging from tinctures, pills, teas, beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) to muscle balms, bath bombs, massage oils, face creams, and makeup. 

Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t get you high, which was a big part of its appeal for those wary of cannabis. And its purported benefits were oh, so very many, including relief from pain, anxiety, and depression, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, antipsychotic effects, and more. Evidence for most of these claims is limited, at best, though this may be more the fault of legislation limiting research opportunities than of CBD itself. 

The market was quickly saturated, despite legal ambiguities in many regions and a lack of regulatory framework in the USA. Major beauty retailers started adding it to products, luxury spas around the world added it to treatments and services, and chefs were cooking and baking with it.  CBD was all the rage.

Until…it wasn’t?

Dramatic CBD sales decline

According to data from SPIN, via Natural Products Insider (NPI), in the year ending April 23, 2023, sales of supplements containing CBD as the primary functional ingredient in the US declined about 20% year over year (YOY) from about $54.5 million to roughly $44 million. NPI also reported that CBD marketers are facing financial challenges with decreased earnings and downsizing. 

Meanwhile, in January, Glossy reported that Kristen Bell’s CBD skincare line, Happy Dance, would be shutting down due to waning interest in CBD beauty products. Launched in October 2020 in partnership with CBD brand Lord Jones, Happy Dance was stocked at CVS and Ulta Beauty. However, parent company, Cronos Group, recently announced that it has decided to shift its focus to direct-to-consumer adult-use products, exiting the wholesale beauty sector. This move also led to Lord Jones’ departure from Sephora. Glossy also reported that Google searches for CBD are down 61% year-over-year and skin-care related CBD searches have decreased by 86.9%. ​​

Other beauty brands phasing out CBD include Wldkat. “In terms of the beauty market, CBD has not been received the way we all thought it would,” Wldkat founder Amy Zuzunegui, told Glossy. 

What is causing the decline in CBD sales? 

To what are people attributing this reported decrease in interest? Glossy’s take is that people actually just want to get high, which is something that, despite all its purported benefits, CBD doesn’t offer. And there appears to be truth there, though not necessarily the whole truth 

When Brightfield Group’s 2023 CBD market data showed a weak 2022, the research firm set out to understand why. When they surveyed people about why they stopped using CBD. The reasons were as follows:

CBD is too expensive
CBD doesn’t work
User wanted psychoactive products
CBD is not convenient to buy

Anneke Knot, meanwhile, mused in an article in Fashionista, that “overblown marketing claims and the sheer number of brands created a level of CBD fatigue.” 

NPI’s Frank Schultz also notes that the lack of regulatory framework from the FDA plays a big role. “The uncertainty about the legality of cannabinoids sold in supplement-like products has squelched investment and severely restricted distribution opportunities.” 

Another reason, related to the lack of regulation, may be erosion of trust. Multiple studies have reportedly found that testing of unregulated cannabis products has revealed discrepancies between what is on the label and what is in the actual product. 

What now for CBD in wellness, spa and beauty?

CBD’s moment has not definitively passed and it continues to maintain a solid consumer base. Volatility in emerging markets, particularly those as compelling and divisive as cannabis, is to be expected, and there was never any chance that every one of the thousands of brands that jumped in was going to survive.

The sector will stabilize, though in the US, the aforementioned lack of regulatory framework may continue to deter investors and send some companies in search of greener landscapes, like Canada, where recreational cannabis use is legal.

Cronos, for example, announced in May that it plans to bring Lord Jones “back to its adult-use roots” on the Canadian market, giving credence to the argument that people want psychoactive substances.

What we may see is a shift in consumer preference indicative of changing societal views and the de-stigmatization of cannabis as a recreational substance. Some consumers – emboldened by those first encounters with cannabis – will seek out products that combine the therapeutic effects of CBD with the psychoactive effects of THC. 

Moreover, as the novelty of CBD wears off, the emphasis will probably shift to quality over quantity. Brands that prioritize transparency, rigorous testing, and high-quality sourcing will stand out in a crowded market. The lesson, as always, is that while fads may come and go, quality and genuine efficacy will usually win. 

Ultimately, while the CBD hype may be dwindling, interest in holistic wellness, alternative therapies, and the broader potential of the cannabis plant is unlikely to wane. The demand for products that deliver tangible benefits, whether for relaxation, medicinal use, or simply the pursuit of a good high, will continue to shape the trajectory of the cannabis industry in the years to come.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

Image by wirestock on Freepik

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Cannabis — marijuana, dope, hashish, weed, grass, etc.– is one of the most controversial substances on Earth, but it hasn’t always been that way.

Smoked, ingested, and applied topically, for millennia the flowering plant has been used as an anti-inflammatory, an analgesic, an anesthetic, an anti-emetic, and a mood enhancer, among other things. And the ailments cannabis has been used to treat include gout, glaucoma, parasites, earache, rheumatism, leprosy, and, perhaps amusingly, “absentmindedness” — some, no doubt, with higher degrees of success than others.

The mythological Chinese Emperor Fuxi (or Fu Hsi) is credited with making the earliest reference to the herb as a popular medicine around 2900 BCE, while the earliest reference to the same in Greek and Latin literature dates to Herodotus’ description of the ancient Scythians’ hemp vapor baths in the fifth century BCE.

To say that there have never been detractors would be a lie. Though weed was apparently used medicinally across the Arab world in Roman times, the Arab physician Ibn Wahshiyya is said to have considered hashish a “lethal poison.” Still, Barney Warf, a University of Kansas geography professor and author of High Points: An Historical Geography of Cannabis reportedly states that “The idea that this is an evil drug is a very recent construction.”

These days, while some may be shocked and dismayed at the world going reefer mad for the devil’s weed, cannabis is enjoying a loosening of laws and a cultural mainstreaming. It’s been legalized for both recreational and medicinal use in several states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, with more pending. In Canada it’s legal to possess medicinal cannabis, while the federal government plans to have an established plan for legalization by July 2018, and we see varying degrees of tolerance in a locations from Amsterdam (of course) to Peru to South Africa.

With all its purported healing powers, it’s only natural that the spa, wellness, and skincare industries would be integrating cannabis into products and treatments.

Note there are two main chemical ingredients we talk about when we talk about cannabis: THC and CBD. THC has psychoactive properties, while CBD is non psychoactive. Both are attracting attention for their potential healing properties but it’s the non-psychoactive CBD that people are getting really excited about as it shows promise as a medicine for many ailments — without the buzz. Among the most exciting of these developments is as a treatment for epilepsy. CBD is also gaining popularity as a skincare ingredient.

To be clear, hemp in beauty products is nothing new;The Body Shop, Dr. Bronner’s, and Hempz have been doing it for years. Nor is getting stoned and getting a massage. But as these products become better understood and more widely available, their usage profile is rising (sky high).

See Lord Jones, a Los Angeles based company selling topicals and edibles containing either CBD, THC – or both – in lovely, regal cigar-box style packaging, one example of the welcome contemporary departure from the moldy tie dye aesthetics that have plagued the pot industry for so long. (See also Beboe, which sells vaporizers and pastilles in equally pleasing packaging.)

Lord Jones recently partnered with L.A celebrity fitness hub Equinox to produce a series of events, integrating cannabis infused topicals into classes. And Lord Jones CEO Cindy Capobianco tells me they’re currently working on a program with The Spa at Equinox to incorporate a Pure CBD Topical into the massage practice.

Over in Longmont Colorado, Nature’s Root claims to be the first hemp-based spa in the world. The company’s own body care products include a therapeutic, organically grown, industrial hemp oil extract line of massage oils, lotions and sore muscle salves.

And in Denver, LoDo Massage Studio has become famous for offering a “Mile High Massage” using Apothecanna’s Pain Crème, which is infused with THC and CBD (and Arnica, Peppermint and Juniper).

Lord Jones’ Capobianco believes the cannabis industry will continue to grow, and the plant will gain more traction as a bona-fide healing agent.

“This is just the beginning as far as we are concerned,” she says. “We run a non profit collective in California and have hundreds of patients who utilize our topicals for a variety of reasons ranging from skin conditions to muscle and joint pain to headache. We have patients who have leg and foot cramps, arthritis sufferers, and last but not least endometriosis and menstrual cramp sufferers.”

She continues, “Cannabis has so many dimensions. It is natural medicine. It is an anti-depressant and mood stabilizer. It is a coveted intoxicant. It is a health and wellness miracle and a sacrament to be shared among friends. Expect high-end offerings to come in all of these forms.”

Lord Jones 1:1 Pain and Wellness Formula Body Lotion
Each 100ml/3.4oz bottle contains 20mg of CBD and 20mg THC

“Soothing, rich luxurious lotion designed to be penetrating and readily absorbed. Lord Jones signature fragrance, fresh with notes of sage, mint and green citrus. Formulated with Frescolat, a natural agent that creates a cooling sensation upon contact . Non-psychoactive when used as directed.”

Nature’s Root Vital Hemp Oil Capsules

25 or 50 mg capsules

“Our capsules contain a high grade CO2 industrial hemp oil extract, delivering a whole plant extraction, providing the power of a broad spectrum of cannabinoids. A pure, true product, we ensure that each capsule contains less than 0.3% THC, so you can rest assured they are completely non-psychoactive.”

Apothecanna’s Extra Strength Relieving Creme

“Double strength moisturizing body cream with anti-inflammatory plant extracts. Cooling and invigorating, perfect for use on sore muscles, swollen joints and distressed skin. Use with full body massage or apply directly where it hurts.”

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