someone holds a glass bottle with golden liquid inside, as they take of the cap.

How to Avoid Fake or Poor Quality CBD Oils

If there’s one thing that can make or break our ability to have a successful CBD experience, it’s quality. In a perfect world, every company that produces CBD oil adheres to the same strict standards of quality and is very transparent about their products in order to build trust with their customers. But sadly, not all CBD oil products are created equal. This means that consumers must be educated enough about the hemp industry to know how to select the best product for their needs and goals. It’s all too common for people to come across low-quality or even fake CBD oil, which is why we decided to create a guide to avoiding these types of products altogether.

A lab technician holds a glass tube

What Goes into Making a Legitimate High-Quality CBD Oil

Making high-quality and effective CBD oil requires a lot more effort than one may think. It begins with organic industrial hemp, as organic plant material is free of the toxic chemicals used in conventional farming. Then, the hemp must be extracted using an advanced method that doesn’t introduce impurities into the product or degrade the compounds that users desire. The final product must be formulated with safe ingredients and have the right CBD oil potency level to be capable of producing noticeable effects.

Why Fake and Poor-Quality CBD Oils Exist

The unfortunate reality is that a decent amount of CBD oil for sale simply isn’t going to give you the effects you’re looking for, either because the quality is very low or because the product is downright fake. The reason why these products exist is because the hemp market is not yet fully regulated, so companies can get away with using poor or illegitimate methods to produce their products while still being able to put them onto the market alongside high-quality choices. Whether you buy CBD oil online or in person, there are certain factors to look for so that you can avoid purchasing a product that won’t do anything for you.

How to Ensure the Quality and Legitimacy of a CBD Oil

Let’s talk about how to buy CBD oil online or in a store in a way that will leave you with the best-quality option available. Here are the things to look for when choosing a product in order to ensure that you’re getting top-of-the-line hemp.

#1: A Company Website

You should always look for a company website before buying from a particular brand. A company website acts as the link between consumer and manufacturer. It acts as a space that provides consumers with the ability to purchase online, and also offers information about the way in which the product is manufactured. If a company does not have a website, this is suspicious.
A little shopping cart with bottles of CBD oil and a hemp leaf inside

#2: Third-Party Testing

All CBD products should undergo third-party testing that is performed by an unbiased and registered laboratory facility. This is how the hemp industry regulates itself, as each batch of hemp extract is sent off to be tested for quality and purity, with the resulting lab reports being made available to customers. Basically, if a company doesn’t have lab reports available, you should stay away.

#3: Proper Milligram Strength

When you go to buy CBD, you should pay attention to the milligram strength. This refers to the number of milligrams of pure CBD in the product and determines how potent each dose is. Some companies make their products so low in potency that the products won’t actually give you any of the effects that hemp is capable of. If a CBD oil contains less than 250 milligrams per 30ml bottle, its potency level is extremely low.

#4: The Ideal Extraction Method

Another important factor is the manner in which the hemp was extracted. The extraction process can make a huge difference, as it plays a large role in the purity level and stability of the product. Certain extraction methods rely on solvents which can hurt the potency level and add unnecessary toxins into the extracts, while others can destabilize the compounds in a way that greatly shortens their shelf life. As a rule of thumb, the Co2 extraction method is the way to go when it comes to CBD oil.

#5: Legality

The legality of CBD states that cannabidiol-based products must come from the hemp plant and must contain a maximum of 0.3% THC. If a company does not adhere to these laws, then you must avoid the company completely.

#6: A Customer Service Contact

Any legitimate company will happily make their customer service contacts easily available either on the packaging of the product or on its website. A company that does not offer customer service should be avoided.

#7: Informative Packaging

Companies are required to provide some basic information on their packaging. All CBD oils should have a list of ingredients, the milligram strength, and the dosage amount. Companies that do not have this information may be illegitimate.
Someone pulls a bottle of CBD oil toward them from their nightstand. A caption reads "lullabye in a bottle"

Does Full-Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum CBD Matter?

Some people wonder if full-spectrum CBD oil is higher in quality than broad spectrum CBD oil, or vice-versa. They are simply two options that CBD enthusiasts can choose from, with full-spectrum offering the whole array of hemp compounds, and broad spectrum acting as a THC-free alternative. We prefer the full spectrum blends as it is the closest to the original plant make up.

Don’t Get Tricked into Buying a Sub-Standard CBD Product

While it’s unfortunate that fake and cheaply made CBD oils exist, the good news is that it’s fairly easy to know whether or not what you’re getting is the real deal and fully capable of providing you with your desired results. Using the information above, you’ll be able to know with confidence that you are buying the best CBD oil to meet both your standards and your needs.