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Skin applications
Eight places on the face, the cannabinoids that turn up in the lab work for each, and how far that work has gotten. This is cosmetic education. You can buy the isolates today; the finished formulas are still in development.
Oilier T-zone
In vitro
CBCCBGTHCV
Fine lines
Early human
CBG
Tight, dry cheeks
Preclinical
CBGACBG
Redness
Early human
CBGACBG
Psoriasis
Thin evidence
CBGVCBGA
Thinning hair
Thin evidence
CBDV
Puff under the eye
Preclinical
CBNCBGA
Shine
In vitro
THCVCBC
Map
T-zone and jaw
CBCCBGTHCV
CBC, CBG and THCV recur in in-vitro work on sebocytes and on keratinocyte inflammatory signalling — the two threads that matter to an oilier T-zone. That is bench data on cells, not a topical trial, and none of it licenses an acne claim. Read it as a reason to formulate carefully, not as an outcome.
Not
None of these isolates is approved for acne, and a cosmetic cannot claim to treat it. Comedones and cysts are a dermatologist’s territory.
Evidence
Click a step to filter the pins
In vitro
T-zone and jaw
CBCCBGTHCV
CBC, CBG and THCV recur in in-vitro work on sebocytes and on keratinocyte inflammatory signalling — the two threads that matter to an oilier T-zone. That is bench data on cells, not a topical trial, and none of it licenses an acne claim. Read it as a reason to formulate carefully, not as an outcome.
Not
None of these isolates is approved for acne, and a cosmetic cannot claim to treat it. Comedones and cysts are a dermatologist’s territory.
Early human
Crow’s feet and smile lines
CBG
The only human topical data on the map sits here: a small CBG serum study that challenged the barrier, then tracked erythema and how the skin felt. The signal was about comfort and recovery, not about line depth. It is the most useful human data we have and it is still small.
Not
CBG is not a retinoid, does not stimulate collagen in any human evidence we can cite, and does nothing to muscle. No anti-wrinkle claim.
Preclinical
Cheeks
CBGACBG
CBG and CBGA turn up in barrier-related lab work — expression of barrier proteins and lipid-synthesis markers in keratinocyte models. They are not humectants and they do not hold water. Hydration on a cheek is still glycerin, occlusion and lipids; the cannabinoid is a research-stage addition to that base, not a replacement for it.
Not
No anti-aging, no “repair” claim. A cosmetic moisturizes; it does not restructure the barrier.
Early human
Central face
CBGACBG
CBG has been applied after a deliberate barrier challenge with redness tracked afterwards — a small human study, appearance endpoints only. CBGA sits beside it on mechanistic grounds. This is the strongest thread on the map and it is still a cosmetic conversation about how skin looks and feels after stress.
Not
Rosacea, lupus, perioral dermatitis and any persistent facial erythema are diagnoses. We make no claim on them and neither should a label.
Thin evidence
Hairline / temples
CBGVCBGA
CBGV and CBGA appear in a handful of inflammatory-skin papers, which is the only reason they sit at the hairline. The human evidence is thin and none of it is on plaques. A cosmetic can help scale look and feel more comfortable at the margins; it cannot treat psoriasis and we do not suggest it can.
Not
Plaque psoriasis is a medical condition. No clearing, no reduction, no severity claim.
Thin evidence
Hairline / part
CBDV
CBDV is on the map because brands ask about it for scalp products, not because there is evidence. We have no human data that any cannabinoid grows hair, and a cosmetic cannot claim to. What a scalp leave-on can honestly do is condition the skin it sits on.
Not
Not a hair-growth product. No density, shedding or regrowth claims.
Preclinical
Under-eye / midface
CBNCBGA
Peri-orbital puffiness is fluid, sodium, sleep and allergy before it is anything a cosmetic can touch. CBN is discussed in the literature for itch far more than for swelling; CBGA is listed as its precursor family. Neither is a decongestant and neither drains an eye bag.
Not
Not allergy care, not lymphatic drainage, not a workup for medical oedema.
In vitro
Chin and nose
THCVCBC
THCV and CBC recur in in-vitro sebocyte work, which is why they sit at the chin and nose. It is early, it is cells in a dish, and it does not flatten shine the way a retinoid or a clay does. In a formula they belong beside proven oil-control ingredients, not instead of them.
Not
No sebum-reduction percentage, no pore-size claim, no “oil-free skin” promise.
How to read the map
Every pin carries an evidence label. The labels describe how far the research has gone, from cell work to human observation, and even the strongest label is still a cosmetic one. We describe how skin looks and feels; nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat or prevent a condition, and a product label built on this page should not do so either.
Bench notes
Chemistry a formulator can act on today, independent of any efficacy question.
01
Every isolate on this page dissolves in oils and esters, not water. Load it in the oil phase or a solubilizer; it will crash out of an aqueous gel.
02
CBGA converts to CBG with heat. Cold-process anything that carries an acid form and confirm the finished molecule by assay.
03
Cannabinoids oxidize with light and air — CBN is itself an oxidation product of THC. Opaque, airless packaging and an antioxidant system are the baseline.
04
COA on the raw material describes what went in. Stability and assay on the finished product describe what a client puts on their face.
CBG and CBGa isolates are available today with a COA and SDS for each lot. Meliora, the finished line, is still in the lab. See the isolates.
In motion
The compounds
Seven cannabinoids, each with what the lab work shows and what it does not.
01
Cannabigerol · C21H32O2 · CAS 25654-31-3
The most-studied of the group on skin, and still lightly studied. One small topical serum study tracked erythema and reported comfort after a barrier challenge; the rest is keratinocyte and sebocyte work. Neutral, lipophilic, stable in an oil phase, and available today as a ≥99.9% isolate.
Not Not approved for acne, rosacea or wrinkles. No collagen claim.
02
Cannabigerolic acid · C22H32O4 · CAS 25555-57-1
The acid precursor of CBG. Rich in mechanism papers, almost absent from isolated human skin work. It decarboxylates to CBG with heat, so it belongs in cold-processed formulas and stability testing should confirm which molecule survives in the jar.
Not Not a proven skin actives claim. Assay the finished product, not the raw material.
03
Cannabichromene · C21H30O2 · CAS 20675-51-8
Recurs in in-vitro models of oilier and inflamed skin, usually alongside CBG and THCV. Supplied as a viscous oil rather than a crystal, which makes it the easiest of the group to incorporate at low load in an ester phase.
Not Not a mattifier. No sebum-percentage claim.
04
Tetrahydrocannabivarin · C19H26O2 · CAS 31262-37-0
On the map for sebocyte biology in the lab, nothing more. Its consumer reputation belongs to a different conversation and has no place on a face-care label. Destination law applies when you buy the isolate.
Not Not a mattifying drug and not an appetite or weight claim.
05
Cannabinol · C21H26O2 · CAS 521-35-7
An oxidation product of THC, discussed in the literature for itch far more than for peri-orbital swelling. On this page it is a research mention at the under-eye pin; the sleep story lives on a different product and a different page.
Not Not a sleep drop and not an under-eye drug.
06
Cannabidivarin · C19H26O2 · CAS 24274-48-4
Listed at the hairline because scalp brands keep asking. There is no human evidence that it, or any cannabinoid, grows hair. What a leave-on can honestly do is condition the scalp it sits on.
Not Not a hair-growth product.
07
Cannabigerovarin · C19H28O2 · CAS 55824-11-8
The thinnest entry on this map: a research mention in inflammatory-skin papers, placed at the hairline for that reason only. Plaques belong with a dermatologist.
Not Not a psoriasis therapy.
Beyond the face
THCVCBDV
It is not a dermatological condition, so it has no pin. THCV and CBDV appear in unrelated research and formulators sometimes ask about them in the same breath. They are listed here so you do not have to hunt — without an efficacy claim of any kind.
Most of the work behind these pins is bench science on cells. One thread is a small topical study on people. None of it is a medicine, and this page is written for the professionals who have to formulate, evaluate and label honestly.
No. CBG, CBC and THCV appear in in-vitro sebocyte and keratinocyte work. Nothing on this page is approved for acne, and a cosmetic cannot claim to treat it.
In vitro is cells or skin models in a dish. Preclinical is animal or ex-vivo tissue. Early human is a small topical study on people, usually without a long follow-up. Thin means literature mentions only. None of the three steps is a clinical claim.
No. Those are medical diagnoses and belong with a clinician. The map places compounds where the lab work sits; it does not describe a condition on your client.
Same compounds, different considerations: post-inflammatory marks last longer on deeper skin, erythema is harder to read, and the literature describes a more reactive barrier. The vehicle and the assessment method change; the molecule does not.
They are lipophilic crystals or oils. Dissolve them in the oil or ester phase, keep processing below 60 °C, and cold-process CBGA. Confirm the molecule in the finished product by assay, not by what went in.
No. Shea is the carrier. The cannabinoids are the molecules dissolved in it.
It is not a dermatological condition. THCV and CBDV are listed below without an efficacy claim because formulators ask.
Not yet. Meliora is still in the lab. The isolates are what you can ask about now, with a COA and SDS per lot.
This page is cosmetic education from Peregrine Biopharma. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and a diagnosed skin condition belongs with a clinician.
