Consumer interest in and demand for hemp seed oil is on the rise. The global hemp seed oil market is projected to reach $336 million by the end of 2030, according to a study by Future Market Insights.
Of the five major categories in which the hemp seed oil market is comprised, hemp seed oil in cosmetics and personal care is predicted to have the second largest growth (hemp seed oil in food and beverages is said to see the most growth), per Future Market Insight.
Why Hemp Seed Oil Is Good For Skincare Formulations
With good reason: hemp seed oil is brimming with skin-healthy nutrients. It’s very rich polyunsaturated fatty acids, which includes omega-3s, as well as omega-6 fats like γ-linolenic acid. Those polyunsaturated fats play a critical role in normal skin function and appearance.
Hemp seed oil is also packed with essential fatty acids, like α-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fat). In fact, compared to other oils often used in skincare formulations, hemp seed oil is richest in omega-3s.
How Hemp Seed Oil Benefits Skin
Hemp seed oil can promote skin health, according to preliminary research. Plus, other oils with a similar amount and ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to those in hemp seed oil have some promising science-backed skin health benefits.
One acne-focused study looked at the potential benefits of hemp seed and found that hemp seed extracts had three main anti-acne benefits. The study, which was published in 2018 in PLoS ONE, showed that hemp seed extracts had anti-microbial activity against acne, helped lower acne-related skin inflammation, and also encouraged collagen and lipid synthesis in the skin.
Hemp seed oil’s high omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid profile makes it a great oil to use in lieu of other common natural oils. In fact, there’s some exciting progress in other areas of skin health like wound healing, per a study published in 2019 in Drug Delivery and Translational Research. When researchers applied an emulsion of oils rich in omega-3s, omega-6s, and omega-9s onto animals’ wounds (in the form of linseed, evening primrose, or olive oils), their wounds healed and closed faster compared to animals who didn’t receive any oil treatment.
Inside-Out Beauty: Consuming Hemp Seed Oil Helps Skin, Too
There’s also preliminary, yet promising, research that looks at consuming hemp seed oil, or supplementing the diet with the omega-3 ALA, which is the type of omega-3 fat found in hemp seed oil. Put another way, beauty from the inside out.
For instance, adding hemp seed oil to the diet has been shown to help with eczema, according to a study in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. When people with eczema added hemp seed oil to their diet, their skin dryness and itchiness significantly improved, and they were able to use less topical treatment creams—compared to when they added olive oil to their diet.
In another study, this one in animals and published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, found that consuming the omega-3 ALA directly helped to prevent sunburn and also suppressed the production of two pro-inflammatory compounds.
A fairly large study of middle-aged women (ages 40 to 74 years, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) found that those who got higher levels of linoleic acid (an omega-6 fat in hemp seeds) in their diets were less likely to have dry skin or age-related skin thinning.
The Best Hemp Seed Oil for Skincare Formulations
Even though hemp seed oil is a trending ingredient and it and the nutrients found in hemp seed oil have promising skin health benefits, there are some formulation challenges when using traditional hemp seed oil in skincare formulations. The color of traditional, natural, cold-pressed hemp seed oil is very green and this can influence the color of your final product. It also has an odor that can be unpleasant to some consumers. So, if you choose to formulate with traditional hemp seed oil, you may need to add masking ingredients to improve the naturally strong herbaceous scent.
To avoid these hurdles, skincare product formulators may turn to refined hemp seed oil for its lighter, straw color and neutral scent. The issue with refined hemp seed oil, though, is how it’s processed: it’s chemically extracted from the seed using solvents; high heat is also applied and this destroys many of the oil’s natural nutrients; bleaching agents are required to remove the green color. Thus, using a refined version means missing out on some of the holistic benefits of traditional hemp seed oil. In fact, research even illustrates that how an oil is extracted should be a key consideration when choosing it for a skincare product. Heat- and chemical-free is the goal and cold-pressed is ideal, according to a 2017 review in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.
A New Generation of Hemp Seed Oil for Skincare Formulations
For these reasons, Victory Hemp—the leader in hemp seed oil—developed V-ONE™ Hemp Heart Oil. V-ONE™ is ideal for cosmetic applications because it gives you all of the clarity of the refined oil with the benefits (read: skin-healthy nutrients) of natural hemp oil. Not only do we not use solvents or bleaching in our processing, but we maintain the key skin-healthy nutrients.
Why and how do we do this? At Victory Hemp, we make V-ONE™ using a proprietary process from the hemp heart of the hemp seed. This is the next generation of hemp seed oil, and it’s ideal for your skincare and cosmetic formulas.
Are you interested in using—or trying out—V-ONE™ in your next skincare formulation? Contact us here.
