How Do I Know My CBD Oil is Real?

One of the most common questions in our CBD Oil Users Group on Facebook is “how can I tell if my CBD oil is real?” We’re here to help by giving you tips to verify that your bottle of CBD oil actually contains CBD.

Before we discuss how to know if your product contains CBD, here are the two primary ways that consumers end up with products that they think contain CBD but actually don’t.

(1) Buying hemp seed oil instead of CBD oil. Most products that are labelled “hemp oil” or “hemp seed oil” don’t contain any CBD. Pure hemp seed oil has nutritional benefits and makes a great salad dressing but it isn’t real CBD oil.

(2) Fake CBD oil products. There are unscrupulous individuals looking to scam people by selling bottles that have been refilled or re-labelled to look like an authentic CBD product from a reputable brand. This is especially a risk if you purchased a product from someone who messaged you on social media or a third party seller on an online marketplace such as eBay, Groupon or Craigslist.

If you haven’t yet purchased a product, the best way to get a product that you’ll know contains CBD is to purchase it online from the official website of a reputable brand. Most reputable brands also sell their products in local retail stores for those who want to buy locally.

If you’ve already purchased a product, here are some tips on what to look for to determine if it contains CBD.

The Product Label

The product label is usually the first indication as to whether it contains CBD or not. Real CBD products will typically have CBD, cannabidiol or cannabinoids listed as an ingredient and tell you how many milligrams of CBD are in the product.

Terms such as “CBD Rich” and “Extra Virgin Cold-Pressed” are red flags that the product doesn’t contain any CBD. If you see these terms, be sure to check third party lab reports as discussed below.

Does the label look like it was printed on a home printer? Poor quality labels can indicate that you purchased a fake product.

Third Party Lab Reports

Looking at a third party lab report for your product is the best way to know that it contains CBD. All reputable brands make these lab reports readily available to consumers on their website or via email. If the company doesn’t have third party lab reports, that’s a major red flag that it’s not real CBD oil.

The “cannabinoid profile” section of the lab report will tell you exactly how much CBD and other cannabinoids are in the product. The lab reports will also help you verify that a hemp-derived CBD product described as full spectrum actually contains trace amounts of THC.

We’ve also heard reports of fake third party lab reports. So if you have any doubts about a lab report’s validity, you call the testing lab to verify it. Some of the major testing labs are also now putting QR codes on their reports that you can scan with your smartphone to check that it’s legitimate.

Batch or QR Codes

Reputable CBD brands are increasingly putting a batch code or QR code on each of its products. These codes allow consumers to access third party lab reports for that specific product rather than relying on a generic lab report that may be outdated.

Don’t always assume that a product contains CBD because it has a QR code on it. There have been reports of unscrupulous companies putting “broken” QR codes on their products. So it’s always a good idea to actually scan each code using your smartphone to ensure that it takes you to the third party lab report.

Price and Bottle Size

If your bottle was extremely cheap or is larger than 2 ounces (60 milliliters), then that is a red flag that it may not be the real thing.

The price of CBD oil varies significantly by brand, but the lowest prices are in the range of $0.03-$0.04 per milligram of CBD. So a one ounce (30 milliliter) bottle of CBD oil with 1,000 milligrams of CBD will cost you at least $30-40.

Hemp seed oil that contains no CBD is much less expensive and comes in larger sizes. An 8 ounce bottle of hemp seed oil sells for around $7.

Summary – How Do I Know My CBD Oil is Real?

It’s relatively easy to tell if your CBD oil is real and actually contains CBD if you follow the tips outlined above. Knowing the terminology, reading the label and only buying products from CBD brands that provide third party lab reports will help you ensure that you’ve purchased the real deal.