For the last few months, I have been pleading with friends and strangers alike to stop dousing their faces in astringent and harsh skincare products. It’s almost like some sort of hysteria overtook the population during this most recent leg of COVID19 in which everyone decided the solution to all epidermal and existential issues was to layer on vitamin C, retinol, and all acids until their skin was completely raw.
Contrary to popular belief, with the right product, your skin can be nourished and soothed while simultaneously reaping anti-aging and complexion-boosting benefits. It’s a relatively rare product type (for now), but I found my personal hero in Saint Jane Beauty’s CBD and retinol-infused Sacred Sleep Overnight Repair Cream.
Saint Jane Beauty is a burgeoning clean beauty brand that champions the underrated skincare benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), an ingredient that is usually better known for its relaxing properties via oral intake. Like the rest of its products, Sacred Sleep harnesses the power of CBD, but takes things up a notch by combining it with retinol.
Dr. Rachel Nazarian, board-certified dermatologist explains that topically, “CBD has multiple uses in improving inflammatory conditions like eczema, and even improving wound-healing, itch, and pain.” CBD has yet to become a household skincare ingredient the way say vitamin C has, but Dr. Nazarian says she expects this to change as people learn about its benefits, thereby creating more demand.
The other star ingredient in this formula is retinol, which needs no introduction, but as a refresher, it’s a vitamin A derivative known for anti-aging benefits, increasing collagen production, minimizing wrinkles, and more. Despite its laundry list of positives, however, it’s also a strong ingredient Dr. Nazarian says can cause irritation, dryness, and inflammation.
“Products combining these two ingredients can be useful as multitasking powerhouses — the addition of CBD may potentially improve other inflammatory conditions, while the retinol focuses on the anti-aging aspect, streamlining the overall skincare regimen,” Dr. Nazarian says.
I’ve come to think of Saint Jane Beauty’s Sacred Sleep as being a two-part product — the first is the CBD that gently cocoons my face with protection, and the second is the retinol, which packs a potent yet nonirritating anti-aging punch. The benefits I experience while using Sacred Sleep are similarly two-part. The first benefit is immediate: It’s the way my nearly always sensitive and inflamed skin feels like it’s been soothed and coddled in the morning, gone is the redness and irritated skin. The second benefit is the long-term, although truth be told, I started seeing these benefits 10 days in (these are the benefits I assume are in large part thanks to retinol).
My complexion is more even, texture is smoother, pores are less congested, and my skin looks more plump and bouncy. As someone with sensitive, temperamental skin, it has been a delight to have a retinol product that not only works, but I can use daily, instead of cautiously peppering it in throughout the week.
One happy Sephora reviewer quipped that this overnight product is “better (and cheaper) than Botox!” Other five-star reviewers are similarly in awe, with one remarking, “This is the only product I can use that is gentle enough for my sensitive skin, yet potent enough to enjoy the benefits of the retinol.”
