The Trouble With CBD Labels

Shopping for CBD oil can be confusing. Without labeling standards, it’s hard to know what you’re purchasing.

In 2020, the FDA tested 147 CBD products. 102 of the 147 products declared a specific amount of CBD. Fewer than half of the 102 labeled products contained within 20% of the labelled amount.

As a consumer, how can you ensure that you're getting the right amount of CBD?

Look at the Label

Start with reading the label. You may notice that some CBD products state a quantity in milligrams on the front of the label. It’s natural to think that refers to the amount of CBD in the product, but that’s not always the case. 

Let’s look at this bottle of Royal CBD (pictured below). You’ll notice the label states “500 mg” on the front. “500 mg”of what? Inspecting the supplement facts does not help either. The panel states there is 17 mg of full spectrum hemp oil extract in each dropper but makes no specific mention of CBD. 

 

In comparison, look at the label of Sunsoil’s cinnamon drops. The label clearly states the amount of CBD in the entire bottle, as well as the serving. Looking at the supplement facts, the amount of CBD per serving is clearly mentioned and confirms what’s on the front of the bottle. 

 

So, where do you look next?

Review the Supplement Facts

Let’s take a deeper look at the Supplement Facts panel of another CBD product.

On the Charlotte’s Web product below, you will notice words like “total phytocannabinoids” or “cannabinoids.” What you don’t find is CBD.

CBD is a cannabinoid, but it’s one of several that would be in a broad- or full-spectrum product. We cannot tell from the Supplement Facts panel how much CBD is in the product. A consumer would need to review the COA, if available, to get that information. 

 

Check the Lab Results

Many companies have what’s known as a COA or Certificate of Analysis. This is published by a third-party lab after they put the product through a variety of tests. One of the primary results of this test lets you know how much cannabinoids, including CBD, are in the product.

First, ensure that the brand of CBD oil that you are purchasing shares its lab results. Without lab results, you will not know how much CBD is truly in the product.

Many brands publish COA’s on their websites, but sometimes you need a product batch number (which should be printed on the bottle) to see them.

Checking back in with Royal CBD, upon visiting their website, they mention “lab-tested for quality and safety.” But, upon further investigation, the COAs for their oil cannot be found, leaving us with no way to understand how much CBD is in each bottle or serving. 

In contrast, finding the COA of Sunsoil’s cinnamon drops is simple. The lab results are easily searchable by batch number or browsing the product list. A link to them is also on each product page. On the report it’s easy to verify that the amount of CBD on the label matches what is in the actual product. 

 

CBD oil is expensive. As a consumer, you should be able to easily confirm that the product you are purchasing contains the expected amount of CBD.

At Sunsoil, we believe that this should be easy to do. All Sunsoil products have the CBD per serving on the front label, as well as on the Supplement Facts panel. Plus, those labeled quantities can be verified by our easily-accessible lab results.