The meteoric rise of CBD wellness shows no signs of slowing down, as more brands find more ways to infuse just about everything, from chocolate bars to eyebrow gel, with cannabidiol. It’s hard to believe many gaps remain in the market, but the founder of Lady A, Alexandra Dunhill, identified one.
London-based Dunhill first encountered CBD in 2017 while on a trip to the United States. There, she became fascinated by the possibilities of the ingredient but quickly realised that there were two recurring limitations in the products she was finding. First, very few were made by women and designed to suit their specific needs. Secondly, most listed a slew of supposed certifications and beneficial properties but without providing much explanation of why these were important or what they meant.
Seeking to rectify those issues, Lady A’s products are specifically designed to optimise the feminine health benefits of CBD, from hormone regulation to cramp relief. The range includes balms, tinctures, vapes, capsules and, particularly high on our list of favourites, patches that provide 24 hours of steadily released pain relief.
For Dunhill, who is a descendent of Alfred Dunhill, the British tailoring icon, packaging design was key to the success of the brand. To help, she called on the expertise of London’s NB Studio, which created distinctive white and gold bottles and marbled boxes.
Lady A notes on its website that ‘the complex nature of [the cannabis] plant… has led to misleading branding across the CBD industry with many often labelling products incorrectly as “pure” or “Pharma grade” CBD’.
It’s true that this is a problem within the industry, which despite, or perhaps because of, its ever-growing popularity, continues to benefit from lax government regulations and marketing loopholes. It must be said that there are brands – such as Lady A, Muri Lelu, and Standard Dose – which work hard to ensure their formulations are transparent and of the highest quality.
It will be interesting how the CBD landscape changes in the coming years, as regulatory bodies eventually catch on to the promises and questionable certifications many CBD brands use to promote their products. Whatever happens, we have high hopes that Lady A will continue to offer innovative solutions in a saturated market.
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