| SAN FRANCISCO – The Emerald Cup is the most important and influential cannabis contest in the world, similar to the Wine Spectator awards for the winemaking industry — the reason Rolling Stone calls it “the Academy Awards of the cannabis industry.” Led by childhood friends Bridget May and Kim Howard in San Francisco, Green Bee Botanicals was the first brand to bring cannabis skincare to California dispensaries, followed by Kiskanu, Proof, Papa & Barkley and now others.  Green Bee Botanicals’ Renewing Face Serum won 1st place at the 2021 Emerald Cup Awards, the world-renowned “Academy Awards of Cannabis.” Photo by Pamela Palma While the mainstream CBD skincare market is saturated, “whole plant” cannabis skincare is still an emerging market. Whole plant and “full-spectrum” cannabis skincare is typically made with both THC and CBD plus lesser-known cannabinoids like CBG, terpenes, flavonoids and other beneficial cannabis plant components to maximize effectiveness through what is known as “the entourage effect.” Scientific research has proven that THC, CBD and other cannabis plant compounds are “potent antioxidants,” and the Harvard School of Public Health conforms that antioxidants “work best in combination with other nutrients, plant chemicals, and even other antioxidants.” This is Green Bee’s second Emerald Cup award, winning silver for its Brightening Eye Cream at the previous Emerald Cup. These awards place Green Bee on the map as a leader alongside the most storied, successful brands in the industry. As LA Weekly’s Jimi Devine writes, “Even placing in [The Emerald Cup] is a career-defining achievement.” “Cannabis is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory properties, and, most importantly, it binds with our skin’s natural endocannabinoid action — the secret to why cannabis is such an effective skincare ingredient,” says Green Bee Botanicals founder, Bridget May. A botanist and analytical chemist, May is Green Bee’s in-house formulator. Traditionally held live at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds, this year due to the pandemic the Emerald Cup Awards were broadcast on Social Club TV to its 150 million viewers, and featured musical performances by Ziggy Marley, Michael Franti and Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, as well as appearances by Chelsea Handler, B Real and Winona LaDuke. | 
