The CBD industry is experiencing tremendous growth, and unfortunately, it’s common to find fake or knock-off versions of CBD oils on the market. While pure CBD oils can provide powerful therapeutic benefits, like anxiety relief, pain reduction, and natural sleep aid, fake CBD oils can make you sick and have a negative impact on your health. Sadly, stories of harmful fake CBD oil seem to be popping up more frequently in the news. If you want to experience the natural health benefits of CBD oil, it’s important to know how to identify a product of high quality and purity standards. This guide will help provide you with the 6 tips to avoid purchasing fake CBD oil.
1. Look for the word “Pure” or “Full Spectrum” and a milligram amount
Looking for the word “Pure” or “Full Spectrum” may seem obvious, but the first step in identifying a true CBD oil is to read the label or product description to see if it contains actual CBD. When comparing companies that sell CBD oil, looking for terms such as
-Made with Pure CBD
-Made with Pure Hemp Extract
-Certified Pure CBD
-Pure Cannabidiol
-Full Spectrum Hemp Oil
-Certified Full Spectrum CBD
will help to distinguish whether or not the oil you are purchasing contains actual CBD.
Now, assuming the CBD oil does contain CBD, whether Pure or Full Spectrum, it should also clearly state the milligram amount of CBD in the container. This number represents the potency of the actual CBD extract in a product, which determines the power of effects from natural CBD you will feel. If you cannot find a milligram amount, consider this a huge red flag.
2. Research the company’s reviews
Online reviews hold a lot of power in today’s world, and they can serve as an essential tool in determining if a business and their product are actually a reputable CBD company, or not. Every company should have product reviews on either their website, social media pages, yelp, and even google. Look for testimonials of how the CBD product has worked for others, and what their experience was like interacting with the brand. It’s a good idea to be wary if you cannot find any reviews, or if you see many negative reviews, about the product the company is selling.
3. Verification with a third-party lab
This one is huge. Transparency is crucial in the CBD industry, and reputable companies will verify the quality and potency of their products through third-party lab test results, or COA’s (certification of authenticity.) Partnering with a third-party lab is arguably the best (and only) way a CBD brand can confirm its claims about what is in the products are 100% true. These lab results should be easily accessible to you online or upon request. If CBD oil is not tested through a third-party lab, it can be difficult to have complete confidence in its contents and purity.
Keep in mind third-party lab testing can be costly and time-consuming. If a brand invests resources in verifying its CBD Oil quality standards with a lab test, that’s a good sign that purity and transparency are high priorities. We at Natural Stress Solutions will proudly provide lab tests upon request.
4. Identify where the CBD oil is sourced AND how it’s made
It can be helpful to know where the CBD oil is sourced from. CBD can be derived from Marijuana or Hemp, and can be sourced from farms all around the world. Information about the cultivation of where a brand’s plants come from, should be transparent; as the quality of CBD oil largely depends on the quality of the plant it is sourced from. All of the CBD used in Natural Stress Solutions’ oil is cultivated from USA grown Hemp farms in Kentucky and Colorado.
Once you know where the CBD is sourced from, go a step further and find out how and where the CBD oil is made. Ask questions like:
-Does this brand manufacture products in-house?
-What is their extraction process like?
-Do they outsource to a third-party for product formulation, production or shipping?
-Are there industry experts formulating this brand’s CBD oil?
5. Explore any legal summaries available
Legality information in the CBD industry can sometimes seem blurred, as more states are adopting new laws regarding recreational and medicinal use of Cannabis products. It’s not uncommon for established CBD brands to provide detailed information about the legality of their specific products. For example, full-spectrum CBD oil contains trace amounts of THC, so it has more legal restrictions compared to isolate CBD. However isolate CBD oil, which does not contain any THC, is currently federally legal. Do your research on the legality of a CBD oil brand’s products and understand the laws in your state. Consider it a bonus if a brand works with a legal team.
6. Locate contact information.
It’s essential to have a contact resource should you have any questions about a brand’s CBD oil. Find out how you can get in touch with the CBD brand, whether it be by email, phone, chat or social media. Promoting transparency, a quality CBD brand will also encourage open communication with its customers.
Bottom line – purity and transparency are highly significant when it comes to choosing a quality CBD oil. Generally, the more information available to you, the more you can trust a CBD brand. Doing your research about your CBD oil can mean the difference between a positive transformation of your health and a trip to the ER.
Read our previous blog: What is Decarboxylation, and Why is it Important? by clicking here.
