A new sheriff is coming to town. On Feb. 26, Sephora's CBD standards were unveiled, creating a groundbreaking change amongst CBD's Wild West — and making Sephora the first national prestige retailer to debut strict, transparent sourcing and testing guidelines for the buzzy ingredient. But to do so, Sephora called on the help of Prima, a beauty and lifestyle brand that exclusively launched at the retailer on the same day.
Christopher Gavigan, Prima's founder and CEO, just so happened to be close with Cindy Deily — Sephora's vice president of Skincare Merchandising. "As we know, Cindy is a pivotal champion of the 'Clean at Sephora' creation and principles. And just about a year ago, Cindy and I reconnected after Prima’s education-first platform launch," Gavigan tells TZR over email. "This new CBD Standard reflects a (needed) elevated shift for the industry, as Sephora takes a strong leadership role to meticulously curate their CBD offering and demonstrate the standards of safety and transparency that are so needed in this space."
So, what exactly are Sephora's new CBD standards? Gavigan breaks it down into five words — "quality, purity, sourcing, testing, and transparency" — but there are technical standards, too. Products will exclusively feature full- or broad-spectrum CBD sourced from hemp grown in the United States; all CBD will be tested a minimum of three times; a Certificate of Analysis verifying CBD content must be ready at any time if requested; and all CBD products must meet the retailer's Clean at Sephora standards, as well.
Pause. It's time to look into the difference between full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD — because yes, there is one, and you should know it if the ingredient's on your shopping list. "Full-spectrum hemp extract contains a variety of beneficial plant compounds — terpenes, polyphenols, sterols, flavonoids, fatty acids, and the major and minor cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG, CBN, as well as small amounts of THC," explains Laurel Angelica Myers, Prima's co-founder and chief operating officer. "Broad-spectrum hemp extract retains those powerful plant complexes, but removes the trace amounts of THC."
Better yet, the new CBD standards bring more information to each Sephora.com product description — so what better way to celebrate the addition than by perusing the website? Below, a few CBD products available at the retailer.
Readers should note that the regulations and data surrounding CBD are still developing. As such, the information contained in this post should not be construed as medical or legal advice. Always consult with your doctor before trying any substance or supplement.
