Rich in essential fatty acids, hemp seed oil provides a hefty dose of hydration for parched skin and tackles breakouts too. From a bestselling hand cream to a must-have face serum, here are our top product picks
When it comes to tackling dry, parched and inflamed skin, hemp seed oil is creating quite the buzz with brands going wacky for putting a bit of baccy into their products. Hemp seed skincare has particularly come into its own in the last few weeks, with many of us suffering from mask induced breakouts - dubbed maskne ; hemp being known to soothe stressed-out, spot-troubled skin so is becoming a staple ingredient in these trying times.
Made from the seeds of the cannabis sativa plant, it can also be found on your labels as hemp oil or cannabis sativa seed oil. Rich in omegas 3, 6 and 9, it’s w It’s not to be confused with cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical produced from the cannabis plant’s flowers and leaves that’s used as a supplement to help with sleep and joint pain. Interestingly, there are also CBD face oils available now too.
We're spoilt for choice when choosing hemp seed oil skincare; there’s everything from serums to moisturisers and hand creams to try. Here are eight of our favourites.
Kiehls Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate, £32 for 30ml
This non-comedogenic calming facial oil has been formulated to deal with stressed skin prone to blemishes, blotchiness and discomfort. The ingredients are 100 per cent natural and include hemp-derived cannabis sativa seed oil to calm your complexion and visibly reduced signs of inflammation.
Murad Revitalixir Recovery Serum, £70 for 40ml
If your skin’s starting to show the signs of a stressful lifestyle, this innovative serum’s for you. Its sphere delivery system is unlike anything we’ve ever seen - the outside of each ball is made up of effective de-stressers, namely hemp seed oil, firming paracress extract and hydrating hyaluronic acid ; and its reinvigorating gel inside includes glow-boosting wild indigo, peptides , caffeine and niacinamide . It tackles everything from dryness to dullness and fatigue - a great all-rounder. It isn't as complicated as it looks to apply though - simply press the pump and the perfect amount is dispensed.
The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector, £12 for 100ml
One of these is reportedly sold every nine seconds around the world and having tried it ourselves, it’s easy to see why. Rich without leaving a greasy residue, it contains cold-pressed hemp seed oil, glycerin and castor seed oil to provide immediate relief and long-lasting hydration too. It’s also currently available in a limited edition print. For every tube sold, The Body Shop will donate £1 to help Re-Wild the World through their World Bio-Bridges Mission. This helps organisations like Fauna & Flora International plant around 10,000 trees in Kyrgyzstan to help protect endangered birds, and the Queensland Koala Crusaders restore over 30 hectares of cleared land in Queensland, Australia.
Dr Organic Hemp Oil Intensive Eye Serum, £9.99 for 15ml
This hydrating daily eye serum’s conditioning cocktail of ingredients is great for fighting off the signs of tiredness. With hemp seed oil, safflower seed oil, aloe vera juice and candlenut oil, its lightweight texture slips silkily onto delicate eye areas and absorbs quickly too.
Dr Botanicals Hemp Stress Relaxing Antioxidant Night Moisturiser, £24 for 50ml
A mixture of hemp seed oil, glycerin, sweet almond oil and shea butter makes this cream the perfect overnight treat for winter wary skin. It’s rich but absorbs quickly and is vegan too.
Eve Lom Radiance Face Oil, £60 for 30ml
Containing hemp seed oil together with conditioning abyssinian oil, avocado oil, vitamin C and other complexion boosters, this luxurious feeling oil protects and hydrates in one fell swoop.
Dr Bronner 18-in-1 Hemp Rose Pure-Castile Soap, £7.69 for 473ml
Offering a wide range of uses, this vegan liquid soap is one of those staples that every bathroom shelf and kitchen sink could benefit from having. With a refreshingly minimal ingredients list that teams hemp oil with coconut oil, olive oil and jojoba oil (among others), it’s a body and clothes wash, conditioning hair rinse and all-purpose cleaner to make it a multitasker of the very highest order.
Votary Super Seed Facial Oil, £70 for 50ml
With an impressive 21 plant oils in its make up, very dry skin types in particular will reap the greatest rewards from this nourishing oil. A favourite of GTG’s Art Editor, Sarah McGinnis, it’s a heavyweight where hydration’s concerned, but it also works brilliantly under makeup as a moisturising base. Conditioning but calming, it aids both recovery and rehydration in equal measure.