MGC cannabis skin care gets the OK in Canada

30-May-2016 - Last updated on 31-May-2016 at 15:06 GMT

That country’s national public health department and regulatory body, Health Canada, has just approved MGC’s anti-aging cosmetics for sale.

The MGC Pharma skin care collection is made with medical-grade cannabis. And the idea is nothing new. Several years back, marijuana industry pioneers were predicting that “the future of medical marijuana is cream.” In fact that’s the title of an item Dana Larsen ran in the Vancouver Sun.

He believed (in early 2013) that “in a world where marijuana medicines were fully legalized and integrated into society…that these topical marijuana products would be more widely used than any other.” And Larsen went on to note that “because of their safety, ease of use and wide range of applications, cannabis creams would be in every medicine cabinet across Canada.”

Today Australia-based MGC is selling its skin care products in the States. And as laws continue to change around the region, the company also sees a big opportunity in Canada.

Benefits and uses

The company works with cannabidiol or CBD, which is, according to the MGC Phara site, “a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits, but does not have the Psychoactivity of THC.”

The ingredient is “considered to have a wider scope of medical applications than [THC],” notes the site. And several of the applications have good potential in the skin care and personal care industries.

While cannabis derivatives are more often used in skin care that addresses eczema and psoriasis, the MGC collection is focused on anti-aging. The products currently for sale in the US include a day cream, a mask, a brightening facial cream, an eye serum, and an SPF 30 sun care product.

Bumper crop

As the international market grows, research advances, and supplies go up, cannabis-derived ingredients will be ever more common in skin care and personal care.

This week in the US, The West Virginia Department of Agriculture distributed hemp seeds to local farmers. As the plants grow, the department will conduct tests to be certain that the THC level is within the legal limit (0.3% as set by the federal government).

Meanwhile, regional stakeholders are hopeful that the crop can be used commercially for textiles, building materials, paper, plastics, and cosmetics.