CBD brand Dragon Hemp is entering body care. 

The brand, which employs traditional Chinese herbs and cannabinoids, has garnered traction through its apothecary that sells tinctures, healing balms and gummies. Now Dragon Hemp is introducing a nature-inspired line of CBD- and essential oil-infused body care. 

The road, called Liniments in reference to a medical ointment or topical, includes the Hydrating Creme, $90; the Body Oil, $90, and the Body Lotion, $75. While body care was at all times on the horizon for founder Kevin Menard, true inspiration struck when he was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 prostate cancer shortly after opening the Dragon Hemp apothecary in Sag Harbor, N.Y., last May. 

“It was crazy here. I opened the shop. I also had this diagnosis,” he said. “I used to be going through treatments. I used to be seeing patients. I used to be running the shop. It was only a whirlwind.” 

By the tip of that summer, Menard and his husband were searching for a respite and headed to the Amangiri resort in Canyon Point, Utah. During hikes, Menard discovered the desert sage bushes, which were used to create essential oils for the resort’s spa. 

“The general experience of being there within the desert with these oils caring for yourself with the meditation and the hikes and recommuning with nature, I felt amazing and I used to be inspired,” Menard said. “I used to be like, ‘I would like to create a line with full-spectrum CBD that blends essential oils.…I would like to create a line for people [where] the aromatics of those natural landscapes that they go to seek out healing resonate for them.”

Subsequently, each product within the range is available in 4 nature-inspired scents: Ocean, Mountain, Desert and Forest. To create the blends, Menard worked with Body Bliss, a Sedona, Ariz.-based aromatherapy company that also created the essential oils for Amangiri. The essential oils within the formula promote mood-boosting advantages through aromatherapy, while the CBD works to scale back inflammation within the skin. 

While Menard has seen the CBD industry decelerate, he believes there continues to be significant potential. 

“CBD is in a really interesting place. It was super white hot for some time and everybody was stepping into it,” he said. “Then there was this big contraction in 2019 and that was as a result of Facebook, Instagram, Amazon just shutting down any product that had CBD.” 

In line with Menard, several beauty brands entered the space but struggled as a result of merchant processor shutdowns — many merchant processors don’t allow the sales of CBD-based products, he explained. Nonetheless, he expects CBD to stay popular as a result of its efficacy. 

“The CBD market continues to be going strong. It’s evolving. It’s not going away. It’s not as cool because it was,” he said. “However the thing with CBD, it’s super effective.” 

The road is predicted to amass $250,000 in first-year retail sales, in response to industry sources. With this the brand expects body care to perform similarly to its bestselling gummies or to outpace them as the biggest segment. 

To start out, the road can be available on the apothecary and direct-to-consumer. The brand is negotiating with several spas and resorts, as well.