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Sales (United States)
Jun 2025 to May 2026
Category Rank (United States)
Sales (Canda)
Jun 2025 to May 2026
Category Rank (Canada)
Overview
Topicals break every rule the rest of the market follows. They are the only cannabis category where women outspend men, at 51% of dollars, the mirror image of Concentrates at 73% male. They are also the only category where Baby Boomers are the largest cohort, at 34%, while Gen Z all but ignores them. This is cannabis as wellness, bought for pain relief and recovery rather than a high, often by consumers who touch no other category. Topicals are under 1% of total sales and slowly declining, but they reach an older, female, health-focused audience that Vapor Pens and Pre-Rolls never will. Mary’s Medicinals and Papa & Barkley lead the way.
Topicals carry the highest average item price in cannabis, about $31 across Headset’s US markets over the past year. These are lotions, balms, and creams sold in larger wellness-style packaging and bought for localized relief rather than a high, so shoppers tend to judge them on effect and size rather than price per milligram of THC.
Topical prices rose about 4% year over year, one of the few categories moving up rather than down. With an older, wellness-focused, largely female buyer who shops on results, Topicals have proven far less exposed to the price compression reshaping smoked formats like Flower and Vapor Pens.
How much does a cannabis topical cost?
Topicals average about $31 per item across Headset’s US markets, the highest average price of any cannabis category, reflecting larger wellness packaging.
Do THC creams and balms get you high?
Standard topicals are applied to the skin for localized relief and do not produce a psychoactive high, because the cannabinoids generally do not reach the bloodstream. Transdermal patches are the exception.
Who buys cannabis topicals?
Topicals are the only cannabis category where women outspend men, and Baby Boomers are the largest buying group, a profile unlike any other format.
