CBG: The Ultimate Natural Compound for Skin Care

You’ve probably heard that CBD — the most abundant cannabinoid found in the hemp plant, is good for our skin, but there’s one cannabinoid that is even better.

CBG, or cannabigerol, is one of the many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. In the early stages of a hemp plant’s life, the acidic version of CBG, which is called CBGA, the young hemp plant is abundant in CBGA. But as it grows up, by getting exposed to sunlight and heat, more common cannabinoids such as CBD, or in this case, CBDA are more present in its biological composure. While research on CBG is still in its early stages, there is some evidence to suggest that it may have a vast amount of potential benefits, including benefits for the skin, mainly due to its anti-inflammatory properties. When you apply CBG topically to your skin, it can act like a soothing balm. It helps calm any redness or irritation, kind of like applying aloe vera to a sunburn. But CBG also has powerful antioxidant properties. These properties are like shields that protect your skin from oxidative stress, the damage caused by those troublemaker free radicals.

For those of us living in places with lots of pollution, our skin faces a higher risk of getting bombarded by these free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that like to steal electrons from other molecules. This “stealing” creates a chain reaction, damaging healthy molecules in the process. Free radicals can be caused by things like pollution, UV rays from the sun, or even some of the detoxification processes happening naturally in your body. CBG — in whatever method of ingestion, steps in like a guardian, fending off these skin troublemakers; in the process, it helps your skin stay healthy.

But how does CBG work for skincare, scientifically?

What’s fascinating is that your skin’s well-being is intricately linked to your body’s endocannabinoid system, a master regulator of all other massive biological systems, overseeing everything from oil production to collagen formation and pigmentation control. This remarkable system is like the conductor of a symphony, ensuring harmony and balance in your skin, mood, appetite, and overall well-being.

Diving deeper, CBD and CBG each have their unique molecular compositions, leading them to interact with your endocannabinoid receptors in distinct ways, producing different effects. Imagine the endocannabinoid system, and its receptors akin to a beautifully choreographed dance, with each cannabinoid playing its own unique role. We can produce endocannabinoids naturally through essential fatty acids, but when one piece steps out of rhythm, these phytocannabinoids that we get from the cannabis plant and are non-psychotropic (they don’t get you high) step in and help us get back in homeostasis (wellness).

Why is CBG so expensive? How do I purchase CBG?

Typically when the hemp plant is ready to be harvested, CBD outnumbers CBG by a staggering 25 to 1 ratio. Making CBG a rare compound that yields no more than one percent of the chemical composure of the hemp plant. With limited availability, one bottle of full-spectrum CBG concentrate needs several hundreds of hemp plants to be produced. Making CBG extract so expensive.

Some CBG serums can cost up to $250 for a 30ml (1oz) bottle.

However, at Green Drop Health, organic high-quality hemp plants are sourced, tested against pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxins and extracted to be a full spectrum CBG extract that founder & CEO Max Gutcarr claims to be the “most effective option in the market — biologically effective and cost-effective starting at $95 for a 1000mg bottle”

It’s also very important to notice labels, while hemp seed oil is rich in nutrients it doesn’t contain any phytocannabinoids like CBG or even CBD. Making it unable to deliver the benefits both for wellness and skincare of these compounds. You also have to make sure the extract you buy is full spectrum, or else it will not provide the entourage effect — a synergy created when all the phytocannabinoids present in the cannabis plant work together like an orchestra.

Of course, if you don’t want to get high, make sure the label says it contains less than 1% of THC, the psychotropic cannabinoid.

Last but not least, CBG doesn’t have any negative side effects but is important to contact your doctor when consuming CBG during pregnancy, while it’s likely that you could use it in combined therapy with other medications, make sure your medical advisor approves, and tells you more about the endocannabinoid system. While endocannabinology is an emerging science, there is much preliminary evidence backed by scientific, peer-reviewed research studies about the effects of CBG and other cannabinoids.