CBD spa treatments and retail have enormous revenue potential for your business. Recent research has estimated that the CBD market could grow to $19.5 billion by 2025, which is a huge increase from initial projections.

We’ve been following the CBD trend, which has actually been a point of interest for a long time. Distributers and manufacturers have been pushing the FDA for concrete regulations on CBD for years.

With the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill, the industry is ready to embrace this new trend on a larger scale. But what exactly is CBD? And, now that it’s all over the news, how should you go about marketing these products to clients?

Hemp, CBD, and Marijuana—What’s the Difference?

The new coverage of CBD can sometimes make it hard to differentiate what sets hemp, CBD, and marijuana apart from one another, and it’s no question that your clients will want you to know the answer.

While hemp and marijuana are both derived from the cannabis family of plants, they have very distinct differences. Cannabis is full of cannabinoids, which include compounds like THC and cannabidiol. THC is what produces the mind-altering effects of marijuana, while cannabidiol is what we call CBD (which doesn’t have psychoactive properties).

An essential difference between hemp and marijuana is the level of THC included. Hemp has very small amounts of THC, which is why it’s often used for industry purposes. CBD is derived directly from the hemp plant, so it carries over this lack of THC. CBD can contain 0.3% or less of THC in the U.S. For comparison, marijuana THC levels typically range from 10-30%. These low levels also mean that using CBD products won’t throw up any red flags during a drug screening.

While hemp oil is often used like other carrier oils due to its high amounts of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, CBD oil contains much more of the benefits that you’ll find in the actual cannabis plant.

What is CBD?

CBD tends to contain the same beneficial compounds that are found in cannabis without the high levels of THC. It’s combined with a variety of products to help transfer those benefits into the body. With the rising focus on CBD in the media, both you and your clients have probably started to see CBD everywhere—including department stores, retailers, and even gas stations.

However, there are differences between certain CBD products, and this info is essential when choosing what types of products you should carry for your business.

There are three types of CBD spa products that you’ll come across:

• Full Spectrum
  • Contains all cannabinoids, including trace amounts of THC in low concentrations (up to 0.3%), resulting in very minimal psychoactive stimulation
• Isolate
  • Purified CBD in its raw form that has been extracted from the plant and isolated from other cannabinoids without any trace of THC. Isolates contain only one key benefit, while full and broad are more synergistic
• Broad Spectrum
  • A little bit of both worlds. It’s full spectrum, without any THC. It offers the entourage benefits associated with full spectrum CBD, without any chances for THC to be ingested into the body

As you can see, the concentrated amount of CBD will alter the effects of the products. When choosing CBD options for your spa, make sure to find out if it’s a full, broad, or isolate so that you can cater to a specific client’s needs.

Marketing CBD

With CBD being an incredibly popular ingredient in the industry and having such a complicated relationship with marijuana, it’s no wonder why marketing it can seem so difficult. While the future of CBD in personal care is looking better, there are still a lot of questions about how it should be advertised or viewed in the industry.

Here are some things we recommend when adding CBD to your menu or retail options:

• Be clear about the differences between hemp, marijuana, and CBD.

  • Some of your clients are going to have trouble understanding what sets these things apart, and it may make them hesitant to explore CBD. They’ll want to know if they’re going to experience mind-altering effects, or if CBD use will show up on a drug test. Giving them this information should help them feel a bit more confident in trying it out.

• Take advantage of what clients already know.

  • Many of your clients have heard a lot about CBD and its benefits, and are eager to try it out. This makes it a lot easier on your technicians, as they don’t have to over explain what these products are and why they’re beneficial. Sometimes it’s better to let the products speak for themselves.

• Try to carry both professional and retail options.

  • UCo offers a wide variety of professional and retail CBD options. Pure-ssage offers a broad spectrum CBD complex that can be used in the treatment room and sent home with guests as a gift with service.

However you decide to do it, fitting CBD products into your spa services is essential. There hasn’t been this much buzz about a certain type of product in a long time, and you don’t want to miss out on the returns from this coverage.