Why is everyone raving about this CBD skincare range? We asked Elixinol’s Head of Cosmetics, Clair Rose

Clair Rose has worked in the beauty industry for decades, working with well known brands and luxury retailers. We asked her about the latest trend in skincare, CBD, and how it works in Elixinol’s new skincare line with other natural ingredients.

When it comes to skincare, no one knows it better than Elixinol’s head of cosmetics Clair Rose. She’s been in the beauty industry for over 22 years, working with bestselling brands and all the high street retailers.

Clair became passionate about skincare from an early age, having struggled with troublesome skin most of her life. She is a self-confessed skincare obsessive and truly pours her heart into each product she helps create.

She was asked to join the Elixinol team a year ago, a company that’s specialised in CBD for over 20 years, to head up their skin care division and has spent the last year working with CBD experts to create Elixinol Skin – a vegan and sustainable CBD-infused skincare range. 

Here, we ask Clair about CBD – what it is exactly and what makes it so effective – and how Elixinol’s new range has such transformative results on problematic skin.

How did the Elixinol skincare range come about? What were the aims for it?

Elixinol is a Global CBD company with over 25 years heritage and experience and the CBD experts in capsules and Tinctures. Being a market leader, they knew that CBD skincare was the “next big thing” and so they set out to create a range of natural, premium skincare products – complete with all of the benefits of CBD. The aim is to create a skincare range with CBD that people will try, love and share how it revolutionises their previous regimes.

CBD products can come in varying qualities, how much CBD does Elixinol Skin contain and why is that important?

Elixinol skin contains cold-pressed, CO2-extracted CBD. This means it’s the purest CBD available packed with all the best bits and leaving behind the nasties. Depending on the size of the product we have the appropriate amount of CBD. For example our Cleansing Balm is 100 ml and contains 100 mg of CBD. This is the right amount the skin needs. Any more and it would likely be a waste, as the skin only absorbs what it needs.

Explain to me the difference between CBD and THC?

We get asked this all the time! When I told friends I was working on a CBD skincare range I got: “What, a skincare that makes you high?!”. THC is the part of the cannabis plant that gives you the “high,” which so many wrongly associate with CBD. During our extraction process we remove the THC so we get all the benefits of the plant with none of the psychoactive side effects. We even have independent labs certify that our products are within the legal limits of THC allowance – not something we see happening with many CBD companies in the industry, unfortunately.

How did you become involved?

I’ve worked in the Beauty industry in the UK for over 22 years. Last October I was asked to meet the Elixinol team in Spain to give them some independent and expert advice on their new skincare range. I gave them my honest feedback and told them of the improvements they could make. I was then asked to get on a train to Madrid, go to the factory and make those improvements! This was a total delight to be able to sit with a formulation chemist and start from scratch with a blank page. 

Having free reign meant that we could pick and choose every detailed ingredient as well as ensuring everything was vegan, natural and cruelty-free. We then took it a step further to ensure all products are paraben, sulphate-free, gender neutral and all packaging is recyclable. As a skincare fanatic I wanted to create a range that customers would associate as being calming and soothing, so we used ingredients like chamomile and aloe vera that the customer would recognise and feel “safe” using. 

But I also wanted the products to actually “do something”, so we added peptides, which are clinically proven to help with lines, wrinkles and firmness. Then, of course, the mighty CBD ingredient. We are extremely limited in what we can say about CBD (due to regulations) but I would urge people to do their own research to see the benefits of CBD on the skin! I’m so proud of what we have created.

Talk me through the range, what each is for and how they work?

The range consists of 8 products which create a full skincare regime. All products are suitable for all skin types. 

• Cleansing Balm is a gentle buttery like texture that you massage into damp skin. It removes makeup and cleans the skin. It feels soft and silky. This product is 100 ml and contains 100 mg of CBD. It has soothing chamomile and aloe vera to soothe and hydrate the skin.
• Skin Tonic is a toner which is 96.25% natural origin ingredients, contains vitamin C, arnica and grapefruit – all ingredients commonly known to hydrate and give the skin a glow.
• Rejuvenating Serum is a light, milky fluid and the first of our products with a peptide. Use this under your moisturiser for added hydration and boosted skin. It is made of 97.25% natural origin ingredients and contains white tea and rosehip oil, which are known anti-ageing ingredients along with the peptide and CBD.
• Day Cream is a light souffle texture and has a lovely lemony fragrance to refresh and awaken in the morning. It contains chamomile and aloe vera as well as 50 mg of CBD. It also contains an olive extract which is 10 times more effective than Vitamin E and 100 times more effective than Vitamin C, for truly boosted skin. This is made of 98% natural origin ingredients and is a lovely hydrating cream to use in the morning.
• Night Cream is a rich, velvety texture and is fragranced with lavender oil to relax you before sleep. It contains Rosehip and white tea as well as 50 mg of CBD. This also contains a peptide clinically proven to increase the skin’s production of hyaluronic acid, which could lead to fuller firmer skin. This is made of 98.75% natural origin ingredients.
• Eye Contour is a handy, rollerball eye cream. It’s targeted to attack fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. The metal rollerball applicator gives a cooling and soothing sensation to the skin making you feel more awake. And again, it boasts high natural origin ingredients at 96.2%.
• Miracle Oil is a powerhouse of six essential oils. You can use the oil all over the face, body and hair. I love to use it on “non-video calling” days! I can just sit with a face covered in oil which is super hydrating and nourishing to the skin. The oil is 99.95% natural origin ingredients and is made from: jojoba, avocado, arnica, chamomile, rosehip and geranium oil with 75mg of CBD. It’s great on knees and elbows; add a few drops to your body lotion or to your bath for a total spa experience. You can also use the oil in the hair, adding a few drops to wet or dry hair to keep it smooth, sleek and hydrated.
• Face Mask is my indulgent product. It is made from 96.6% ingredients of natural origin. There are four sachets of the face mask in each pack. It’s a mud mask that is designed to calm, soothe and hydrate the skin. I use one mask every Friday night so that my skin is glowing for the weekend. Each mask contains 15mg of CBD.

So your mom loves the range too? Tell me about her rave review!

Over the last 22 years, I have given my mum some of the top skincare in the world only to find out she would use it on her birthday and at Christmas. Fortunately, she has been blessed with good skin but it can get dry as the seasons change. In September, she asked me if I could recommend anything for her skin (yes, mum, I just created a skincare line I’ve been talking about all year!). 

I gave her a pot of our Day Cream but didn’t really expect anything. Three days later, I received a call from her saying, “Wow! My skin feels amazing! Where can I write a review? It’s the best thing I’ve ever tried.” She’s my mum, so she’s supposed to love the things I do but, seriously, this is one hard-to-please skincare customer. I’m pleased to report she’s not saving the rest to use at Christmas but has managed to use it nearly every day.

The Miracle Oil has been a huge hit, tell me why you think it’s so popular.

Facial oils, in general, have become really popular in recent years with consumers wanting that extra boost to the skin. Our oil is a beautiful blend that’s not tacky and heavy on the skin. The fact that you can use our oil all over the face, body and hair is an added bonus, as we all want that little bit more from our products now too. The reason I added geranium oil was for its beautiful, soft floral fragrance without being overtly feminine. It’s a luxury product but with so many benefits and its beautiful texture, it’s worth the splurge and I knew it would be the best seller.

Tell me in your own words about the farmers you work with and the benefits of having such close ties with the source product?

Elixinol only works with suppliers that source organic hemp and have a fully traceable supply chain. We take that extremely seriously. The benefit is being able to provide the highest quality of CBD and hemp products. While it is a more stringent process than some others may undergo, it makes sure our customers can put our products in or on their bodies with confidence that they have been checked, tested and independently verified. 

What are the benefits you have noticed from using Elixinol Skin?

As a teenager I had really bad cystic acne; I literally looked like a pepperoni pizza! I worked hard on my skincare regime and became obsessed with ingredients. I still have to work on my skin now even in my early forties as I find new challenges with redness and signs of ageing. I’ve been using all the lab samples since last October and I’ve noticed a reduction in my redness around the nose and cheek area as well as an overall smoother texture to my skin.

What other natural ingredients are included in the skincare range and why?

There is a common thread of natural familiar ingredients throughout the entire range which include chamomile, aloe vera, white tea and rosehip oil. These are ingredients known by everyone and their benefits. It was important that we stick to our heritage and brand values by only using the best natural ingredients to create our skincare range.

Have you got a favourite product from the range?

That’s like asking me to choose a favourite child! I love them all, seriously, I do. I wouldn’t have agreed and approved them to be made if I didn’t see, touch and feel the benefits of each product. Some went back to the drawing board a few times before I approved a final version. Yes, I’m picky, but I wanted everything to be as perfect as possible before being released.

Elixinol’s CBD-infused range, including its much-hailed miracle oil, is now finally available in Ireland, exclusively at Boots.

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