Demetrix talks rare cannabinoid ingredient and future of CBG in cosmetics

Tell me a little bit about what you guys are launching and showcasing today. 

A couple of weeks ago we announced that we successfully got into commercial-scale of our first product, which is Arete-G cannabinoid. Our research shows it’s a strong anti-inflammatory for skin targets, as well as provides antimicrobial activity, and it can help to reduce redness. 

What a lot of people don't know is that the cannabis plant produces over 100 unique cannabinoids. We only know about a handful of them because the others are just such low concentrations, we can't access them and isolate them from the plant. 

With Demetrix technology we can actually produce any of the cannabinoids no matter how rare it is, and the land at high purity in an isolated form. Then we perform research to identify the unique properties of those cannabinoids and how they can apply to skin health. 

What does this mean for cosmetics more broadly?

These are interesting times in the cosmetics industry. There are a lot of macro trends going on about wanting natural ingredients, products that are efficacious, a clean label and the products have to be produced in a sustainable manner. 

The nice thing about cannabinoids, and Demetrix cannabinoids specifically, is that we have this pool of over 100 unique bioactives that research has never touched. We know that they provide beneficial properties, we know that they're safe to use, but we’ve just never had access to them before. 

These are bioactives that are showing promise for skin health and with Demetrix fermentation technology we can produce them in a much more sustainable way than you can with plant extraction.

What's the next step for this kind of development?

We are really just at the tip of the iceberg with this pool of compounds and we're continuing to do foundational research to characterize each 100 of these rare cannabinoids. 

What else is important for cosmetics professionals to know about your product?

The most important thing is that it's 100% THC-free, so regulatory issues are completely minimized and in some areas nonexistent. This is also a highly pure product, 98% pure or more. We have shown that it is safe to use on skin and eyes, it's not an irritant whatsoever.

We've shown that it does have efficacious results as an anti-inflammatory, an anti-redness and as an antimicrobial. 

With Evonik’s horsepower and knowledge of how to properly formulate this product and create the optimal formulation solution for skin care, we're really going to have a superstar product to bring to the market.