The First-Ever Clinical Study on the Benefits of CBG for Human Skin
Plot twist: CBG might be even better for skincare and treatment of skin conditions than CBD!
So far, cannabidiol (CBD) is the most studied cannabinoid. Both in vitro and topical application in vivo have demonstrated its antioxidant, anti-acne, anti-bacterial, and anti-aging properties. Due to all these beneficial effects, CBD is being massively used in cosmetics.
So far, there were no studies on the benefits of cannabigerol (CBG) for the skin despite claims that it can:
Act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent;
Modulate differentiation in keratinocytes;
Increases lipogenesis in sebocytes.
CBG is a minor cannabinoid — it’s only found at levels lower than 1% (dry weight). It’s non-psychotropic and the direct precursor to CBD, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabichromene (CBC).
Photo by Enecta Cannabis extracts on Unsplash
The Benefits of CBG for Human Skin — Part I
Due to its low content, it’s quite challenging and expensive to extract and purify CBG from cannabis.
For this reason, a novel yeast fermentation technology platform was used to produce CBG to be used in this study. This is a cheaper, faster, and more sustainable way to produce minor cannabinoids than plant-based production.
3D human skin equivalents were used in this study where gene microarray analysis was conducted. For comparison, CBD’s action was also evaluated for the same parameters and under the same conditions.
Human dermal fibroblasts and normal human epidermal keratinocytes were exposed to inflammatory inducers that trigger oxidative stress and cytokine production.
[Note: cytokine is produced and released by immune cells and other cell types and promotes inflammation. This signaling molecule is key in the regulation of inflammatory reactions.]
Key Takeaways — Part I
Both CBD and CBG acted as stronger antioxidant agents than vitamin C. And both had anti-inflammatory effects against several inflammation inducers.
Moreover, “CBG outperforms CBD, selectively targeting collagen, elastin and other key skin health and hydration genes.”
It was concluded that “CBG possesses a broad range of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin-protecting properties to help slow inflammation, aging, and boost skin barrier function.”
The Benefits of CBG for Human Skin — Part II
In the second part of this study, 0.1% CBG serum and placebo were applied topically for two weeks to 20 subjects who had suffered sodium lauryl sulfate-induced irritation.
Key Takeaways — Part II
Those treated with the CBG serum had a statistically relevant reduction in inflammation and redness and improvement in skin barrier compared to placebo.
“Altogether, CBG’s broad range of in vitro and clinical skin health-promoting activities demonstrates its strong potential as a safe, effective ingredient for topical use and suggests there are areas where it may be more effective than CBD.”
The Benefits of CBG for Human Skin — Part III
Roughly a month later, another study on CBG came out. They set out to explore CBG’s metabolites and their binding, inhibition, and regulation mechanisms.
Key Takeaways — Part III
This second study corroborated CBG’s anti-inflammatory properties mentioned in the previous study.
“We have also shown that CBG along with its metabolites are bioactive and can reduce inflammation. This finding will move cannabis research one step forward in discovering CBG based anti-inflammatory drugs.”