Many people do not realize that the makeup and personal care products they apply to their face and body are petroleum based. To understand why mineral oil is far from ideal as a health and beauty aid, we must first understand that all life on earth is essentially comprised of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Live plants and other organisms are based on living carbon. Life that existed millions of years ago is fossilized or ‘dead’ carbon. When we use cosmetics containing mineral oil we are basically trying to revitalize our living bodies with dead material. This doesn’t make sense. Only oils from living plants -live carbon sources- contain regenerative properties. So why is mineral oil in so many products? In a word: price. Aside from being a colorless, odorless carrier oil, its main advantage is that few other vegetable oils can compete economically. In the end, we as consumers are offered a remarkable lineup of cosmetics that have about as much benefit to the health our bodies as a box of Twinkies.

Hemp seed oil, on the other hand, has been found to be highly nutritious, essential hair and skin aid for promoting growth and slowing the aging process. Hemp has excellent healing and moisturizing properties for healing skin ailments and is used often to help people who suffer from eczema and psoriasis. In the plant kingdom, hemp contains the highest amount of the essential fatty acids (EFA’s) critical for our bodies’ health and clinically proven to have biochemical and therapeutic effects when topically applied.

Hemp seed oil's health benefits and unique versatility provide many advantages as an ingredient in personal care products. More than 75% of the fatty acids in hemp seed oil are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), known for their excellent emollient and lubricating properties. Hemp seed oil also has the lowest amount of saturated fatty acids, at 8%.

Clinical studies have shown PUFAs, specifically Omega-6 Linoleic Acid (LA) and Omega-6 Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), when applied externally, can alleviate or even remedy skin problems such as dryness, atopic eczema and psoriasis. These tests have shown specifically that the effects of dry skin; scaling or cracking that can be caused by essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency can be reversed by skin care products containing Omega-6 fatty acids, thus reducing the potential of Trans epidermal Water Loss (TEWL). The proven anti-inflammatory properties of LA and GLA can further aid in the healing of minor skin irritation and disease. Hemp seed oil softens, soothes and promotes flexibility by working between surface cells, helping to lubricate, reduce flaking and revive the skin's intercellular lipids. Today, a range of personal care products containing hemp seed oil are available including body lotion, face and hand creams, lip care, make-up, hair care, liquid and bar soaps, shower gels, shaving products, massage oil, sun care and baby care.

While other oils such as flax, evening primrose, borage, sunflower and jojoba contain EFA's or gamma-linolenic acid, hemp seed oil has major advantages in that it is the only high EFA oil that contains both. Further, hemp seed oil contains what is considered to be an ideal ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids- 3:1, perfectly matching the needs of the human body, and the skin soaks it in readily as a result.

Although the cosmetic industry claims generic use of unsaturated or essential fatty acids as beneficial to the skin, only the EFA linoleic acid and its metabolite gamma-linolenic acid have clinically proven biochemical and therapeutic effects on the skin. Hemp seed oil contains 50%-60% linoleic acid and is the only high EFA oil that also contains GLA. Because its EFA profile so closely resembles the skin's natural lipids, hemp seed oil instantly counteracts the effects of degreasing and dehydration, conditions that produce dry skin. Its ability to quickly moisturize and condition the skin, make hemp seed oil a choice ingredient for today's performance skin care market.

The skin acts as a barrier to protect the body from excessive water loss and from penetration by foreign substances and pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. The optimal state of the skin is characterized by a balanced ratio of skin lipids to skin moisture. The health of skin depends largely on moisture retention provided by the stratum corneum, the outer layer of the epidermis. The weakening or failure of this natural barrier can be caused by sun, dry air, harsh soaps, free radical damage or the slowdown of cell metabolism with aging. The result is changes to the lipid composition of the epidermis and reduced moisture retention capability. Lipids are composed of fat-like substances including sterols, free fatty acids and ceramides. Chemically speaking, ceramides are a class of substances that contain different polyunsaturated fatty acids that make up about 18% of the upper lipophylic layers of the stratum corneum. Ceramide 1, found in the Omega-6 linoleic acid, is of critical importance to the moisture control of the skin. Due to its superior EFA profile which closely resembles the skin's natural lipids, hemp seed oil, when topically applied, replenishes skin with these essential components, thus increasing moisture retention.

Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, have become an increasingly important class of cosmetic raw materials from a standpoint of both performance and consumer appeal. The proteins used in personal care products have traditionally been derived from collagen or keratin. Recently, however, there has been an increasing demand for proteins that are vegetable derived. Whole hemp seed contains about 23% protein. Hemp seed protein contains all nine (out of 20) essential amino acids and features a high content of the two sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine, usually under-represented in vegetable proteins.