In journalism and media industry for more than twenty years, worked for a number of media companies. Business editing, research and PR specialist. Covering industry and science news for Ilesol Pharmaceuticals.
CBG Enters Cosing List, but All Minor Cannabinoids Are in the Same Group as THC
Last month, the European Commission added cannabigerol (CBG) to its cosmetic ingredient database Cosing. The European producers can now safely use it as an ingredient in cosmetic products.
CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, and its chemical acidic precursor CBGA is a cannabinoid from which all other cannabinoids are biosynthesized, so CBG is sometimes referred to as the “mother” or the “stem cell” of cannabinoids. Cannabigerol has an intraocular pressure-lowering effect, regulates serotonin levels, improves learning and memory, inhibits chronic and inflammatory pain, and reduces tumor progression. Also, CBG prolongs the effect of anandamide, the only cannabinoid produced by the human body, popularly called a hormone of bliss. In cosmetics, the combined antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of CBG are very interesting to the producers.
Among the rest, CBG down-regulates the expression of K10 keratin and the enzyme TGase5 in human skin, and several pieces of research confirmed its efficiency in the treatment of dry skin syndrome.
Apart from the new entry for CBD in February, this is the most important change for the cosmetic producers in the European Union. Until then, only the use of synthetic CBD was allowed in the Union.
This information can be regarded as highly positive in terms of the EU regulation development by broadening the spectrum of cannabinoids available as ingredients for the producers, but there is a down point to this issue.
New categorization
In its Cosing database, The European Commission has a new categorization. The entry for THC has been erased, and there is a new entry for all the cannabinoids except CBD and CBG. The regulation provision for all the cannabinoids rules that these shall be prohibited from use in cosmetic products if prepared from a substance controlled in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. That eliminates all the cosmetic ingredients derived from THC but all the other cannabinoids, like CBC or CBN, are in the same ingredient group.
“All the minor cannabinoids can be seen as restricted with this rescheduling,” said Sasha Bajilo, the founder of Ilesol Pharmaceuticals. “Now, the only nonrestricted cannabinoids are CBD and CBG. There has been much effort to lift the restrictions on cannabinoids on Cosing list and we are welcoming the fact that CBD and CBG are not restricted anymore. That is a great step forward. However, all the other cannabinoids are now in the group with THC,” he pointed out.