Canadian entrepreneur launches skincare company made with cannabis root

The entrepreneur, biochemist, and mother of three appeared on the first season of the TV show Dragon's Den, where she raised a $200,000 investment in shares from Jim Treliving and Jennifer Wood.

Grant started her company after looking for a natural way to treat her son's eczema. She found that flaxseed oil was effective but didn't taste very good. So, Grant launched CenaBal Gourmet Organics Inc. with a product line that utilized the benefits of flaxseed without the bitter taste.

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Now, Grant is developing another business that employs natural ingredients. Empyri is an e-commerce skincare company that began operating in October with three products: a cleanser, a toner, and a daily moisturizer. All products are infused with the cannabis plant root that is often overlooked.

About 18 months ago, Grant began researching cannabis and looking for active ingredients in parts of the plant, such as stems, roots, and non-viable seeds, that do not meet the plant's definition under the Federal Cannabis Act.

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She had already developed a skincare product line that she has been using for the past eight years, so she tweaked the formulations and added cannabis extracts.

“I saw the potential of combining the unregulated parts of a cannabis plant, the parts that are therapeutic, from hemp seed oil to different plant extracts, and learned that cannabis roots have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years therapeutically,” Grant told The GrowthOp. "I started learning about all these anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and therapeutic parts of the plant and incorporated them into a skincare line."

According to research published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, cannabis roots have been used in traditional medicine to treat everything from inflammation and arthritis to gout, fever, and sexually transmitted diseases, among other conditions.

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Although it does not contain THC or CBD, Grant says cannabis roots are rich in triterpenoids and monoterpenes that are purported to bring a variety of health benefits. Friedelin, in particular, is a triterpenoid that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, says Grant, adding that she found it in concentrations of up to 23% in some cannabis roots.

Carvone, a monoterpene, is found in even higher concentrations, up to nearly 80% in some cannabis plants, and has demonstrated antiviral, decongestant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Freed from the restrictions of the Cannabis Act, Grant can purchase and process cannabis roots, which she sources from Ontario farmers, and sell her products in the regular brick-and-mortar consumer market. She can also promote and package, and build an audience, without the same government restrictions that other cannabis companies face.

“I saw the potential of combining the unregulated parts of a cannabis plant, the parts that are therapeutic, from hemp seed oil to different plant extracts, and learned that cannabis roots have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years therapeutically.”

The plan is to eventually develop wellness products from all parts of the plant, including those that fall under recreational use regulations.

For now, Empyri is selling three products tailored for women and has five other products in development. Grant also has plans for a men's line as well as a cannabis tea line in 2021. But she doesn't stop there. “My goal in the next 18 months to two years is to launch an adult cannabis use line,” she reveals.

As part of this next step, the company hopes to eradicate some of the stigmas still surrounding the plant, focusing on the scientific and therapeutic elements of cannabis. "It's a tough battle. We are heavily investing in education, writing blogs, and making videos to try to educate consumers about the safety and efficacy of these products and, eventually, the medical benefits of recreational and medicinal cannabis,” Grant adds.

Source: Sam Riches/The GrowthOp