A Q&A with Dr. Jenelle Kim, co-founder of JBK Wellness Lab.

CBD IO: What’s your background? How did you get in the contract manufacturing of cosmetics?

Jenelle Kim: I am a doctor of Traditional Oriental Medicine and I come from a long lineage of herbologists. I’m also the guardian of my lineage’s Bi Bong, or “secret formulas,” which have been handed down for centuries from one generation to the next. I devote myself to speaking and educating around the world on the topics of herbal medicine and formulation.

I have been formulating products in the beauty and wellness industry for nearly 20 years, including personal care, dietary supplements, pain topicals,
and nutraceuticals. 

My husband and partner, Craig Nandoo, and I are the founders of JBK Wellness Labs. What started as a small five-person team in a laboratory in San Diego, has now grown into a team of 25+ employees, and the company is ranked No. 538 in the top 1,000 growth companies based on Inc. 5000’s 2020 rankings; as well as the 14th fastest growing manufacturer in the U.S.

We started in a small facility in San Diego manufacturing for a brand we took to market. As the brand grew, so did our facility. Slowly, other brands started reaching out to us to inquire if we could manufacture natural products containing our herbal formulas for them; in 2012 we transitioned from the brand side of things to contract manufacturing exclusively. It’s been an incredible journey in which we have had the opportunity to formulate and manufacture for more than a hundred brands.

Growth has been organic and steady, and JBK has grown in concert with its client base. Our customers are carried on the shelves of Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Whole Foods Market, Urban Outfitters, CVS, Kroger, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, multinational direct-selling companies, and other locations.

The business model is unique in that the products produced by JBK contain natural proprietary herbal formulas, which have been handed down from generation-to-generation and are only available from JBK. Therefore, our clients are able to have truly special products that set them apart from everyone else on the market, and the products cannot be duplicated by other manufacturers.

Craig and I built a strong all-natural herbal manufacturing lab. After many years of hard work and breaking common molds that spanned all beauty/wellness industries, I now travel the world educating on herbal medicine.

CBD IO: Why CBD? What are the benefits of putting it in skin care products and other topical formulas?

Kim: CBD oil is filled with antioxidants, such as vitamins A, D and E, and contains high levels of essential fatty acids, all of which provide powerful properties for enhancing skin health and youthfulness. CBD also has anti-inflammatory properties that soothe, calm, and hydrate skin, while helping to prevent damage.

CBD IO: What formulation issues must be addressed in order to make a successful CBD-based skin care product?

Kim: Make sure that your products are all-natural, pure, and manufactured according to cGMP guidelines (which ensures that what you see on the label is actually what you are putting on your body). Remember, your skin is your largest organ and the products that you put on your body will affect your internal health, in addition to speeding up the aging process of your skin cells. A balanced and complete formula (as explained above) will always be the most effective because a proper formulation of precise ingredient blends will give more potent results.

When formulating with CBD, the format being used–isolate, full spectrum, broad spectrum–can all have an effect on the finished product, including color, odor, and texture. The higher the concentration of the oil, the easier it tends to be in formulation, but potentially at the expense of other key compounds in the lower percentage oils, such as terpenes, chlorophyll, and other minor cannabinoids.

CBD IO: What makes your formulas different from other products on the market? Where are they available, who is the target customer?

Kim: We know ingredients and formulation; it is our specialty. From the most well-known anti-aging ingredients to the most unique botanicals from the Amazon, we understand plant medicine.

We focus on creating all-natural, integrative beauty and wellness products that are formulated with the highest quality ingredients–from the East and West, and from ancient healing traditions to the cutting-edge ingredients of today–synergistically combined for the most effective results. JBK produces products that contain natural, proprietary herbal formulas, which have been handed down from generation to generation and are only available from JBK.

Each formulation works to get to the root of the health of your skin and body by way of proper formulations consisting of synergistically combined ingredients. This means that they are balanced, which is most important when it comes to finding a good product.

You can have the best ingredients in the world but if your skin and body do not accept them and take in the good properties, then the ingredients are not effective. Due to the balanced nature of our formulations, which utilize all-natural, organic, and wild-crafted ingredients, any skin and body type readily accepts the products; and our products get to the bottom of each individual condition by harmonizing what is out of balance in the body at that given time.

CBD IO: How can JBK Wellness Labs help a customer produce an efficacious CBD-based formula?

Kim: When a customer is looking to develop a CBD-based product, they are typically looking to create a product that will be healing. Health and wellness are in our DNA. It is the reason we entered this industry almost 20 years ago.

CBD has numerous beneficial properties by itself, however, where we specialize is combining CBD with our proprietary herbal formulas, which enables us to direct CBD to specific conditions, such as anti-aging and anti-acne in skin care, sleep support and digestion in dietary supplements, or pain relief and skin issues in other topical products.

Additionally, we are able to combine these formulas with cutting edge ingredients, as necessary. Essentially, the types of formulas and differentiation we can create is endless.

Having been consumer brand owners ourselves, we understand the complexities on the brand side, which helps us understand the perspective of the brand owner. We want to understand how, to whom, where, and why the product will be marketed, so that we can build a product with those perspectives in mind. 

Honestly, when my phone rang (back in 2012, when CBD was still unknown to the general public) and I was asked to create formulations using CBD, I hung up.

This is due to the fact that I was not certain of the intention that this potential client had for incorporating cannabis into its products. I was very aware of the healing benefits of cannabis, which has been part of Chinese medicine for 4,000 years; the properties that were known then are the same today.

I was simply not interested in working with individuals who potentially wanted to utilize this herbal ingredient for reasons that were outside of the powerful benefits that it contained. I quickly realized that I was incorrect and this company, who is one of the pioneers of the industry, had very good intentions of utilizing the beneficial properties of the herb as they were intended through history.

At this point I committed to doing everything possible to educate the world on the proper usage of this herbal ingredient–in the same way that I dedicated myself to spreading understanding of Traditional Oriental Medicine and how it can be integrated into our lives to help achieve our most optimal condition–mind and body.

CBD IO: What’s next for CBD?

Kim: As research continues to evolve, we see benefits of other cannabinoids, such as cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabichromene (CBC), for example. We have already begun developing formulas with some of these additional cannabinoids and are seeing phenomenal results.

Consumers are also becoming aware of the “entourage” effect, whereby the compounds in hemp extract–cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes, etc.–work together to provide enhanced benefits.

What we are seeing, and what we have known in traditional medicine for centuries, is that we can create an even greater “entourage effect” by combining hemp with other herbs and botanicals. This is where JBK specializes, and we are constantly looking to build on this understanding.

We are working with some truly incredible and very renowned people and companies to bring CBD and other cannabinoids, as well as herbal medicine as a whole, into the mainstream world.

Right now, we are in a spectacular moment in time where I clearly see the minds of so many expanding and wanting to integrate the brilliant medical systems of both the East and West. This has always been my wish, as it is my belief that the best doctor/practitioner will always utilize whatever possible to make sure their patient is truly taken care of.

I see our world heading to a state where people are truly educated and aware of their minds and bodies, and are therefore able to know what is best for them. Nothing is more empowering than this, because nothing is more important than our health. We only have one mind and body in this life.

CBD IO: Is CBD a fad or is it here to stay and why?

Kim: As far as we can see, CBD is here to stay. Its popularity has spread rapidly, and when people find something that truly helps them, it won’t just go away. Because of prohibitive cannabis laws, researchers have not had free reign to study it; so new discoveries will continue to happen in the years ahead, not only for CBD, but for other compounds in the cannabis plant. It truly is an exciting time, and we foresee a lifetime
of demand. 

CBD IO: What’s next for skin care? What’s on the horizon in terms of new formulation technology, production, or raw materials that excites you?

Kim: There are always opportunities for new and exciting products when it comes to formulation! We see so much more consumer attention moving to the power of natural raw ingredients versus synthetic chemicals, which ruled skin care for generations. I strongly believe in the wisdom of ingredients that are rooted in traditional medicines while also allowing room for integrating cutting edge ingredients and technology.

In particular, we are creating powerful formulas for amazing companies that utilize critical cannabinoids, in addition to CBD, such as CBG and CBN. I am also very happy to be seeing the healing powers of mushrooms starting to rise significantly.

Mushrooms have been used for their potent beauty and health benefits for centuries and are a staple in Traditional Oriental Medicine. They have been some of the most powerful anti-aging ingredients available for the skin. Over thousands of years, mushrooms have shown to have incredible benefits, including skin-brightening, hydrating, antioxidant, anti-collagenase (stimulate collagen synthesis by dermal fibroblasts), anti-elastase (skin elasticity), anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.

CBD IO: What impact is the pandemic having on contract manufacturing and overall beauty trends?

Kim: Brands with a large e-commerce component have remained somewhat steady, but when stores shut for months, it certainly affected the greater beauty industry. However, we have seen the beauty and wellness industry start to tick up in recent months.

As stores have begun to open up with social distancing, we have seen life come back to the beauty market again. Spas are slowly reopening as well. Some brands used the change in the market conditions as a chance to work on new product initiatives. On the R&D front, this has been one of the busiest times in our history.

JBK also pivoted to meeting the demand for hand sanitizer, since it was in extremely short supply, especially in the government and healthcare sectors in the early months of the pandemic. We were fortunate to be positioned to help meet this demand. We have seen the industry normalize somewhat, and are back to manufacturing incredible formulas for outstanding companies and continuing to share the healing power of herbs, and hemp, with the world.