PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE CBD OIL + RETINOL - BEST ANTI-AGING SERUM, BEST RETINOL FACE OIL
PAULA’S CHOICE | CBD OIL + RETINOL
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, CBD Skincare and the Best CBD Serums for Face from Paula's Choice, Balm Labs, Josie Maran & More! You can catch the full piece here.
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About two years ago now, I started to really pay attention to the budding CBD (cannabidiol) market.
At the time, CBD wasn’t exactly legal in the US. It was closely (and irrationally!) linked to marijuana, the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant also referred to as THC — you know, the stuff that gets you high.
It was around the time that I started working on a new brand in the copywriting side of my career.
The brand, High Falls Extracts, was created by a tiny, niche company from a small town in Upstate New York called High Falls. They were growing, extracting, and distilling their own cannabidiol — and producing their own branded CBD-infused products.
The whole introduction of CBD is a fascinating frontier in health and health care — a new natural solution for treating sleeplessness, minor aches and pains, and even anxiety.
The company from High Falls, New York had sought out the creative agency where I work (and where I went last week!) for help with refining their brand messaging, product packaging and market strategy. The creative team and I began by renaming the brand High Falls Hemp.
We then crafted new brand positioning and mission statements — and spent the better part of a year re-naming and re-designing all of their products.
And just around the time that High Falls Hemp came to life with their New York born and bred oral CBD tinctures, the market for CBD skin care began to blossom. Suddenly, the shelves at Sephora were lined with CBD face oils, face moisturizers with CBD, anti-aging serums with CBD, and more — all from brands that were savvy enough to see it all coming.
Over the last 18 months, established brands like Paula’s Choice, Herbivore, and Josie Maran began to offer CBD facial skin care.
Last spring, the beauty gurus at Allure published an article titled, The 17 Best CBD Skin-Care Products to Try Right Now.
Right at the top of Allure’s list? The Herbivore Botanicals Emerald CBD + Adaptogens Deep Moisture Glow Oil — which I reviewed on my blog here.
Beyond the established brands, new entrants founded entirely around CBD products emerged — among them Saint Jane Beauty, Balm Labs and relative newcomer, Prima.
Seriously, what’s the deal with CBD in skincare?
Of course, for the answer, I have to turn to the trusted experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, as I so often do. I wanted to see what they have to say about CBD in facial skincare — and whether or not all the hype is real.
According to the Paula’s Choice Research Team:
“Cannabidiol has been shown to offer numerous benefits related to calming skin. Skin has specific receptor sites for cannabinoids (referred to as its endocannabinoid system). It seems CBD can “talk” to these receptor sites on skin, sending unique signals to stop firing the wrong messages, which in turn leads to healthier, better-looking skin. This benefit makes cannabidiol an intriguing ingredient for interrupting the progression of damage within skin’s uppermost layers that can lead to visible problems; however, more research needs to be done to gain a greater understanding of how CBD works on skin.
Research has also shown, though isn’t entirely clear on how this works, that CBD seems to visibly reduce oily skin. It’s also a very good antioxidant, on par with vitamins C and E.”
For more, there’s a fantastic article about CBD in skin care in the Skincare Advice section on the Paula’s Choice website titled, CBD Oil's Benefits for Skin: Can it Help With Acne, Anti-Aging, & Other Skin Issues?
With that, let’s take a look at some of the CBD-infused products that have impressed me most in the last few months…
Paula’s Choice | CBD Oil + Retinol
I first reviewed the Paula’s Choice CBD Oil + Retinol in a fun blog article I wrote at the outset of the pandemic titled, Three of the Best Facial Skincare Products I Want with Me in the Skinpocalypse!
In the shower one morning in early April, I was imagining what I would do if I suddenly had to grab Orpheus and a few skin care products and leave — as so many of my fellow New Yorkers had done to escape the coming scourge. (Most of them still haven’t returned!)
I referred to this imaginary circumstance as the Skinpocalypse. Naturally, I’d need a moisturizer of some kind and wanted one that also had anti-aging, soothing and reparative properties. Something super versatile. So, Paula’s newish CBD Oil + Retinol seemed like the perfect option.
The CBD Oil + Retinol is a 98% natural formula that the team at Paula’s Choice says “targets multiple triggers of aging.”
It’s formulated with 150mg of Cannabidiol and a 0.5% concentration of Retinol — just enough to get the job done gently, without irritation.
It’s such a fascinating facial oil. The interesting thing is that the legit level of CBD in the formula actually helps to calm and defend against potential irritation — as alluded to earlier. I think it’s kind of brilliant to pair the two potent actives in one treatment and I love that Paula and the team thought of it first. I have yet to come across anything that comes close.
About the power pair that are Retinol and CBD:
“CBD and retinol complement one another to help prevent and repair visible signs of aging. CBD works by telling key surface cells to stop firing signals that lead to stressed, compromised skin — the underlying cause of aging. At the same time, retinol uniquely communicates with skin, telling it to look younger, smoother and more refined.”
The CBD Oil + Retinol has a medium weight oil texture. It’s not a dry oil, at one end of the spectrum, and not a rich, heavy facial oil on the other. It’s somewhere in between.
I love using it in my PM routine and generally incorporate it twice or even thrice weekly — never experiencing any irritation whatsoever.
In addition to both Cannabidiol and Retinol, the formula contains numerous nourishing non-fragrant plant oils. In fact, the very first ingredient, likely 60-70% of the formula is Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil.
Also known as Hemp Oil, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil is rated among the best actives for the skin by the PC team. It’s rich in the omega fatty acids that skin needs to replenish itself and to strengthen the skin barrier against trans-epidermal water loss. This facial oil with CBD is also packed with phospholipids, plant sterols, amino acids and antioxidant vitamin E. Ingredients two and three are Meadowfoam Seed Oil and bio-compatible Squalane.
Paula’s CBD Oil + Retinol is seriously good, pro-skin health stuff. Plus, a little goes a long way — enough to last a solid 3-4 months with nearly daily use.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula’s Choice CBD Oil + Retinol for $54 here.
The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice CBD Oil + Retinol:
emo, Squalane (Plant-Derived Emollient/Skin-Replenishing) sii|emo 0 1, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Skin-Replenishing) emo, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) emo|perf 0 3, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) so|emo, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Seed Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) emo, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil (Flax/Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) emo|perf, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) emo 0 0, Cannabidiol (Skin-Restoring) aox, Retinol (Skin-Restoring) 
cci, Centella Asiatica Extract (Skin-Soothing) so|aox|h|surf, Lupinus Albus Seed Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant And Omega Plant Oil), Tocopherol (Vitamin E/Antioxidant) aox 0-3 0-3, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E/Antioxidant) aox 0 0, Water (Aqua) solvThe Ingredient List of the Skin Dope 100mg CBD Recovery Face Moisturizer:
Water/Aqua/Eau**, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride**, Triethylhexanoin, Glycerin**, Solanum Tuberosum (Potato) Pulp Extract**, Diisooctyl Succinate, Squalane**, Beeswax/Cera Alba/Cire d'abeille**, C12-16 Alcohols, C14-22 Alcohols, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes**, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables**, Palmitic Acid**, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter**, Isopentyldiol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrogenated Lecithin**, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil**, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water**, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil**, Hydrolyzed Furcellaran**, Cannabis Sativa (Hempseed) Seed Oil, Phenethyl Alcohol, Biosaccharide Gum-4**, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice**, Ethylhexylglycerin, Symphytum.
The Ingredient List of the Balm Labs Clear Balm Serum Hydrator:
Water (Aqua), Squalane, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Lecithin, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Phenoxyethanol, Yeast Extract, Soy Amino Acids, Cannabidiol, Caprylyl Glycol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid.
