What should users know about CBD oils, tinctures, or edibles before they buy them? Below, we’ll show you how to read a CBD product label like a pro to understand the details and safety of the product.
Batch & Lot Numbers
Perhaps the most important aspects of a label on a CBD product are the batch and lot numbers. In most states where CBD is legal, these elements are legal requirements. These numbers tell users where the CBD came from and ensure accountability in the industry.
Using the batch and lot number, customers can see where the CBD product came from and even look up things like third-party lab testing results. If you don’t see a batch or lot number prominently displayed on the CBD label, that could be a sign the seller is hiding something about the product.
Third-Party Lab Testing
Many CBD cultivators don’t have the equipment or ability to test their products. Therefore, they send them to third-party labs with the skill and equipment to perform HPLC CBD potency testing and other analytical methods.
When CBD products undergo third-party testing, the seller can publish the product’s safety and quality results to show potential users that they are safe for use. If you can’t find batch or lot numbers and third-party testing results, that’s a worrying sign for the CBD product.
Manufacturing & Expiration Date
Like any other food or nutritional product packaged and sold on store shelves, CBD must have a manufacturing and expiration date. CBD can expire like any other product, and users obviously don’t want to purchase or consume an expired product.
Before you use any CBD product, double-check the manufacturing and expiration date on the label. If you can’t find it, don’t buy the product. Most CBD products expire within one to two years, and any CBD product taken orally (tinctures, edibles) is good within two months of its manufacturing date.
CBD Oil Source
You can also find the source and type of CBD on a CBD label if you know what to look for. If you want to look like a pro reading a CBD product label, you’ll find it has a title of either a full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or CBD isolate.
This label tells users the type of CBD used in the product and whether it contains other compounds from the cannabis plant and how much. Full-spectrum CBD contains all the natural compounds in cannabis (including THC), broad-spectrum contains only traces of other cannabinoids (no THC), and CBD isolate has no other cannabinoids.
Next time you’re purchasing a CBD product, check the label for this information, and you’ll be able to confirm the safety and legitimacy of the product.
