The cbd market - France (2024)

1.2 The global CBD market is growing fast

The size of the global cannabidiol (***) of **. *% from **** to ****. This expansion of the CBD market can be imagined as a result of the increasing legalization of hemp-based products.

Evolution of the global CBD market World, ****-****, in billion dollars Source: ****

The main growth driver for the sector is the development of regulations to enable its use, particularly for therapeutic purposes, throughout the world.

The main use of CBD worldwide is therapeutic, notably for the treatment of anxiety and depression. It can also be used to relieve the symptoms of cancer patients. This segment is estimated to account for **.*% of the global CBD market in ****. Other uses, such as food or recreational use, are developing. [***]

CBD is produced from marijuana or hemp. The CBD market from marijuana was estimated at $*.* billion in ****. The difference between marijuana and hemp lies mainly in the level of THC they contain. In the United States, and in Europe since ****, hemp must contain no more than *.*% THC. [***]

1.3 The CBD market in France and Europe

In France, the CBD market is highly regulated and only the sale of CBD derived from hemp is authorized. In addition, smoking products (***) were banned and CBD could only be sold in the form of e-liquids, drinks or food before the European Court of Justice's ruling in November ****. The Court ruled that CBD has "no harmful effect on health", so France cannot ban the import and marketing of CBD products from other EU countries. [***]

If the THC content of the plant is below *.*%, the final product sold over the counter must contain no trace of THC.

The regulations were relatively vague in France, and the European Court of Justice ruled that the French decision to ban a CBD electronic cigarette with a THC content of *.*% was illegal. Indeed, by virtue of the free movement of goods in Europe, France could not justify a different regulation from other countries on this point. [***] French law has therefore adapted in recent months, authorizing *.*% as the maximum limit.

The hemp market

In ****, France had **,*** hectares of hemp under cultivation, including *,*** hectares for seed production. The crop is grown by *,*** producers, with average yields of * tonne of hemp seed and * tonnes of straw per hectare.

Seeds, ...

1.4 Interview with Aurélien Delecroix, founder of The Green Leaf Company.

Marine: Welcome to the Niche, the podcast that analyzes the niche market with the entrepreneurs who are shaking things up. I'm Marine and I work at Businesscoot, the start-up that dusts off market research before it starts. Subscribe to our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. And now for today's niche: the CBD market, commonly known as wellness cannabis. And for that, I welcome Aurélien Delecroix, the company's founder and president of the Syndicat professionnel du chanvre.

Marine: Hello Aurélien, thank you very much for accepting our invitation.

Aurélien: It's you we should thank.

Marine: Can you tell us a little about The Green Leaf Company?

Aurélien: The Green Leaf Company is a company I founded at the end of ****, and the idea was to help the French rediscover hemp and try to develop a hemp industry in France.

Marine: What kind of products do you develop?

Aurélien: In order to make this democratization a success, we tried to make it as accessible as possible. In other words, we incorporated it into products that people are already used to eating on a daily basis. So, it could be a cookie, it could be granola in the ...

1.5 Hemp cultivation in France

Although the hemp industry remains small in France, with almost *** employees and only ***** hectares under cultivation in ****, it stands out for the dynamism of its players and their innovative products, which meet society's environmental expectations. What's more, hemp has great potential for the marketing of CBD. The new version of the "règles professionnelles d'exécution de la construction", which will soon authorize the use of hemp concrete in standard techniques, will enable the construction of all types of buildings, including public works. In fact, some of the buildings in the Olympic Village are expected to be constructed using hemp, as recent events have shown. These developments are further proof of the dynamism of the industry's enthusiasts.

The following map shows the distribution of hectares of hemp grown in France's various départements. The majority of departments have less than a thousand hectares,

Aube is the leading department in terms of hemp cultivation, with over *,*** hectares under cultivation. Next comes Marne, with *,*** hectares under cultivation. Finally, there are * other départements with more than a thousand hectares of hemp: Maine-et-Loire with *,***, Seine-et-Marne with *,*** and Vendée with *,*** hectares

2.1 CBD consumer profile

Share of CBD experimentation and consumption by gender France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

In ****, the share of CBD experimentation and consumption in France shows modest differences by gender. Men are slightly more likely to experiment with CBD, with **.*% compared to **.*% for women.

However, year-round CBD consumption is almost equal between the two genders, reaching **. *% for men and **% for women .

This distribution indicates that, although men are more likely to experiment with CBD, regular consumption is relatively evenly distributed between men and women.

Share of CBD experimentation and consumption by age group France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

The graph above shows a clear variation by age group. Young adults, particularly those aged ** to **, show the highest rates of experimentation, with percentages reaching **.*% and **% respectively.

This trend decreases significantly with age, rising to **. *% for **-** year-olds and falling below **% for older age groups.

Similarly, annual CBD consumption is highest among **-** year-olds, at around **-**%, before gradually declining for older age groups, reaching just *% among **-** year-olds. These results indicate a greater openness and adoption of CBD among younger adults, while older generations show a growing reluctance to its use.

Age of first CBD consumption France, ****, % (***) Source: Santé Publique France Data on the age of first CBD consumption in ...

2.2 Consumer habits

Answer to the question "Have you ever heard of CBD?" France, ****, % Source: Santé Publique France A significant majority of the French population has heard of CBD, with **% of respondents claiming to be aware of it . This indicates a growing awareness and relatively wide dissemination of information about CBD in the country. This high level of awareness reflects the growing interest in CBD products and their gradual acceptance in society. However, there are still almost a third of those surveyed(***) who are unfamiliar with CBD, suggesting that there is still potential for greater education and awareness on the subject.

Modes of CBD consumption France, ****, % of total Source: ****

The graph above on CBD consumption patterns in France shows a clear preference for smoked consumption, which accounts for **% of uses. Swallowing CBD, in capsule or gel form, is also popular, accounting for **% of consumption modes.

Vaping, though less common, makes up *% of practices, while other consumption methods account for the remaining *%. These data indicate a diversity in CBD consumption preferences, with a predominance of traditional methods such as smoking and swallowing.

Type of CBD consumed France, ****, % of total consumption Source: ****

The graph concerning the type of CBD consumed in France in **** shows a marked ...

2.3 CBD could benefit from the French craze for cannabis

Are French consumers cannabis regulars? France, ****, in percent Source: ****

CBD consumption appears to be linked to cannabis consumption, either as a complement or a replacement. Indeed **% of CBD consumers used to consume cannabis regularly or occasionally but stopped. **% are still using cannabis, either occasionally or regularly.

**% of CBD users consume or have already consumed cannabis at least occasionally.

Share of French people using cannabis in the year France, ****-****, % (***) Source: OFDT The cannabis-using population in France is sizeable, and therefore represents an opportunity for CBD. Between **** and ****, the proportion of French people consuming cannabis during the year showed a general upward trend, rising from *.*% in **** to a peak of **. *% in ****. This gradual increase illustrates a growing normalization of cannabis consumption in France over nearly three decades. The data show notable increases from **** onwards, with a stabilization around **% in the years **** to ****. In ****, a slight decrease to **.*% is observed, but this remains well above the levels of the ****s and early ****s. This trend reflects increased social acceptance and a potential change in consumer behavior among the French over time.

Number of cannabis users by frequency France, ****, in millions Source : OFDT ** million French people have experimented with cannabis at least once ...

2.4 The growing popularity of CBD in recent years

CBD is becoming increasingly popular, as legislation becomes clearer about it.

Search interest for the term "CBD" France, ****-****, in Google Trends index Source: ****

The growing interest in the term "CBD" in France, as revealed by the Google Trends index from **** to ****, reflects significant momentum around the topic. In ****, the index was relatively low at *, suggesting limited interest in CBD at that time. However, over the years, this interest has increased considerably, rising to ** in ****, and then to ** in ****. This gradual increase can be attributed to a variety of factors, including greater public awareness of CBD products, as well as greater availability of these products on the French market.

The year **** marks a significant increase in the Google Trends index, reaching **, indicating an interest in CBD. This increase could be linked to greater recognition of CBD's potentially beneficial properties in the field of health and wellness, as well as to greater media coverage on the subject.

In ****, interest in CBD in France reached its peak with an index of **, testifying to strong demand and curiosity around this product. This rise may be linked to a growing demand for natural wellness products and alternatives to traditional treatments. However, it is important to ...

3.1 The CBD value chain

The first stage in CBD production is the cultivation of hemp, for which France is the European leader. The CBD must then be transformed into the final product (***). For oils and capsules, CBD must be extracted from the plant. CBD can also be incorporated into foods and beverages. However, since the CJEU ruling, CBD can also be sold in flower and resin form.

The main distribution channels are e-commerce and the small specialist shops that are springing up all over France.

3.2 CBD producers

The players

CBD production in France is complex, as the legislation is still unclear. While it is possible to grow hemp plants with a THC content of less than *.*% and sell finished products containing THC, it is forbidden to use their flowers. These flowers have the highest concentration of CBD. [***]

As a result, many growers have had their merchandise seized, either because they were using plants with a THC concentration of over *.*%, or because they were selling flowers. A number of growers in Brittany were taken into custody to determine whether their production complied with the law. [***]

However, a twist in the legislation took place in November ****, as the European Court of Justice ruled that it was illegal to ban a CBD electronic cigarette with a THC content of no more than *.*%. Indeed, according to the CJEU, France cannot ban products authorized to circulate legally in other European countries, and this therefore paves the way for the marketing of CBD containing traces of THC, which was previously impossible in France.[***] This court decision therefore authorizes the marketing in France of all types of CBD, even flowers.

Sébastien Béguerie and Antonin Cohen-Ahad, two entrepreneurs who were convicted of drug trafficking ...

3.3 CBD sales websites

CBD sales sites have experienced particularly strong growth in recent years. Here, we analyze the traffic of the main websites used by the French.

In terms of traffic in ****, CBD sites appear to be dominated by weedy.fr, ***cbd.fr and lafermeducbd. fr.

Organic traffic for French CBD sales sites France, ****, in thousands of visitors Source: ****

La ferme du CBD leads the way with ***,*** visitors in ****, selling flowers, resins, oils, capsules, e-liquids, candies and more. It is owned by GROW QUALITY SA, a Swiss company.

The second most visited site is ***cbd.fr: products offered on this site include full-spectrum CBD oils, CBD capsules, CBD creams and balms, CBD e-liquids, CBD infusions, CBD candies and capsules, as well as CBD pet products.

Weedy.fr is a brand of the Italian company Nature Verdea SRL. Weedy.fr sells CBD flowers, CBD resin, oils, liquids, crystals, etc., as well as vaporizers. The data obtained by semrush may not correspond to visits actually made, as these are based on part of the searches carried out on the internet. However, the relative ranking of players remains extremely relevant, as the methodology applied for data collection is the same for all.

Justbob. fr came in last, ...

3.4 Physical outlets by city

By the first quarter of ****,in France, there were *,*** stores specializing in the sale of CBD and CBD-derived products, and around *,*** tobacconists selling CBD products. [***] The main ones are Le Lab Paris, Green House CBD shop Paris, and Le Lab du Bonheur.

It's still difficult to open a CBD store in France, and many outlets have been closed because they don't comply with regulations. This was the case of a store in Arras suspected of selling unauthorized medical creams and ointments, as well as " opiate-based products ". The store will now be able to reopen, but only after a *-month closure that was damaging for the owner.[***].

In ****, many shops were closed because they marketed products with THC levels below *.*%, in line with European regulations at the time, but not with French regulations. [***]

3.5 In a booming market, store openings and takeovers are on the increase

Leading CBD retailers (***)

Source: ****

it's worth noting that presence in terms of sales can be very different from a brand's physical presence. These brands may have a strong online presence, targeting younger consumers who are accustomed to online shopping.

Dedicated brand creation and resale

In France, Ho Karan has launched a CBD-based cosmetics business, while Rainbow has launched two brands: Kaya (***). The Green Leaf Company founded by Mr. Delecroix and its Hello Joya brand were resold in **** to the UK's Emmac. Other recent purchases include Canopy Growth's acquisition of Germany's C* in ****. [***] The legalization of CBD on the European market may be seen by players already established in Canada as a step towards the wider liberalization of THC, and is whetting the appetites of companies and investors across the Atlantic.

Global companies present on the European market

Sephora: The LVMH subsidiary launched its first CBD-based brand in ****: Lord Jones. A successful launch followed by other brands such as Saint Jane and Flora + Bast, and a fourth brand was launched in February **** with products now available in Europe. [***] Holland & Barrett: the British health food retailer present in ** countries offers CBD-based oil in selected stores.

Some general retailers want to follow the CBD ...

4.1 The different products available for sale

Distribution of different CBD ranges on specialized websites France, ****, % Source: ****

The graph shows a varied distribution of the different CBD product ranges available on specialized websites in France in ****. It can be seen that the inhaled CBD range is the most widely represented, present on **% of the sites studied, followed by the wellness infusion range at **%. CBD-based cosmetics are also well represented, appearing on **% of sites, while food and veterinary ranges are less common, present on **% and **% of sites respectively.

This diversity reflects retailers' adaptation to different consumer preferences, offering a wide range of products to meet various CBD needs and uses. It should be noted that this distribution of product ranges on websites is broadly in line with the offerings also available in physical stores.

CBD can also be the source of numerous by-products whose consumption is more or less tolerated in France.

CBD oils: using a pipette, the oil is consumed directly by placing it under the tongue or on a sugar cube. CBD concentrations vary from *% to **%. CBD capsules. E-liquids with CBD: to be placed directly in the electronic cigarette. Candies: with different flavors, these products make it easier to take CBD. Various concentrations are available. Vaporizers: vaporize ...

4.2 Product prices

Source: ****

Naturally, the higher the CBD concentration, the higher the price. The most expensive products are the ingestible oils. Products that require the least processing, such as flowers, cost the least. Other quality criteria, such as organic cultivation, can also lead to higher prices.

5.1 The regulatory framework for the sale of CBD

Regulation of hemp cultivation:

According to the decree of December **, **** implementing article R. ****-** of the public health code for cannabis, the following provisions apply. [***]

The cultivation, import, export and industrial and commercial use (***) of Cannabis sativa L. varieties meeting the following criteria are authorized:

THC content less than *.*% ; THC content is determined using the Community method.

The hemp varieties authorized for cultivation are as follows:

Carmagnola C.S. Delta-Llosa Delta-*** Dioïca ** Earlina * FC Epsilon ** Fedora ** Fedora ** Fedrina ** Felina ** Felina ** Ferimon Fibranova Fibrimon ** Fibror ** Finola Futura Futura ** Futura ** Orion ** Santhica ** Santhica ** Santhica ** Uso **

This legal authorization only concerns fibers and seeds, and flowers and leaves are therefore not concerned.

Tetrahydrocannabinols are also classified as narcotics by the decree of February **, ****, which sets out the list of substances classified as narcotics. THC cannot therefore be sold as an end product, and CBD products must not contain any trace of it by law.

European Court of Justice ruling paves the way for easier marketing

In November ****, however, the European Court of Justice ruled that French legislation was contrary to European law. This means that a member state cannot prohibit the sale of CBD "produced in another member state where it is extracted ...

5.2 Marketing constraints

MILDECA points out that products containing CBD remain subject to French legislation on the following points:

Products may not claim therapeutic virtues unless they are authorized as medicines by the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé or the European Commission; Advertisements for these products must not confuse cannabis with CBD or promote cannabis;

There are three cannabediol-containing medicines authorized in France: Sativex, Epidyolex and Marinol. Sativex, used to combat multiple sclerosis, has been authorized since **** but has still not been marketed due to a lack of agreement on sales prices between the authorities and the laboratory that markets it. [***]

Finally, Marinol is, according to Presse-sante, a neurological pain remedy that can also only be obtained thanks to an ATU (***). It is not available in conventional pharmacies, but only in certain hospital pharmacies.

6.1 Segmentation

• Fresh Label - Mag JAG
• Elya - Mag Jag
• weedy.fr
• justbob.fr
• Lafermeducbd.fr
• CBD eau
• Le Lab Paris
• Green House CBD Shop
• Green Leaf HelloJoya
• Naturellement chanvre
• Tilray Brands
• Le Chanvrier Français
• Hemp It
• Overseed
• Chenevia Pharma