How To: Read A CBD Certificate of Analysis

Here at azWHOLEistic a lot of customers come in asking about the purity of the CBD they’re purchasing from various stores. A lot of people are buying CBD online and they’re not getting any results, or they’re suspecting that perhaps the material isn’t as strong as it says on the bottle. In just three months, we’ve had dozens of people come in with a bottle in their hand that says pure CBD, but when we look at the label, it doesn’t show the ingredients. This is a red flag.

One of the things you’ll find here at azWHOLEistic is a book filled with certificates of analysis for many of the products that we carry. In this article we want to discuss the following:

• How to read a CBD Certificate of Analysis
• What to look for on a CBD Certificate of Analysis
• How to protect yourself when purchasing online

After reading this article, you will know exactly how to find out what’s in that bottle of CBD you bought from Joe’s Vape Shop down the road. (Disclaimer: if your name is Joe and you own a vape shop…we just made that name up, sorry. Moving on…) You will know if you are getting the amount of CBD you’re paying for on the label. Additionally, THC free on the label doesn’t always mean NO THC in the bottle. For anyone randomly drug tested at work, you must be sure there is no detectable THC in the bottle.

The Certificate

There are actually two pages that come with a certificate of analysis. The first page is basically a summary of the report. It will typically show the sample number, the batch number, the strain or the company’s brand label, the date the report was created, the sample size, and the lab technician’s signature with a date. So, of course these could potentially be fabricated, but someone would have to go through a lot of time and energy to do this, and again you can always call the lab and ask for a confirmation of the sample number or the batch number because they are kept on file at the lab.

Page two of the certificate is a more complete report. It will have a breakdown of all the different cannabinoids: CBD, THC, THCa, CBC, CBDVa etc. All of these are other cannabinoids present in the plant, so there may be more than just CBD in the material being tested, especially if it is a Full Spectrum hemp oil (Learn more about Full Spectrum HERE). The important thing is making sure that you’ve got all the lab contact information in case you ever want to contact them.

A Good Example of a Bad Sample

In this example, a customer came into the store saying she had 1,000 milligrams of CBD oil in a 30 milliliter bottle from XXX. (We won’t name the brand, it isn’t the point of this article, but if you were paying attention earlier, you’ll be able to find it on the lab test…) Anyways, she was not getting the results she was used to from her typical dose, and was looking to increase it. Knowing what we know, we suggested having it tested, and the results are below.

The lab results reported back, that the 30 milliliter bottle that claimed as per the label to have 1,000 mg of CBD in fact only had 666.383 mg. Essentially the customer was cutting her dose almost in half without even knowing it, because the bottle contained about half of the CBD listed on the label. What’s worse, is the bottle contained over 18 mg of THC. Nowhere on the label does it state that it contains THC. Additionally, it had a front label only. No back label with any detailed information such as suspension, potency or nutritional guidelines.

This is something that is becoming fairly common and we want to make sure that people understand that you have the option to ask for a certificate of analysis at any store that you buy from. If they don’t have it, you don’t know what you’re getting. Check the certificate of analysis. Check the date at the bottom, and make sure it’s not outdated. Make sure you are getting exactly what you paid for. The reports are pretty easy to read, and anyone can ask for it at any retail store they are purchasing CBD.

Purchasing CBD Online

Be careful if you are buying CBD online. As we’ve discussed in many of our videos in the past, you want to make sure that you’ve got three ways to verify who you are purchasing from. #1. make sure there is a URL (website address) for the company, and not just an advertisement on the side of a web page somewhere. #2. make sure there’s a phone number going to the same company as the website. Make sure you speak to a person, and not an automated system. When you speak to a person, have that person email you something from that company confirming the price of the product, what it is and what’s in it. If you can match the URL with a phone number with a person with an email coming back to you…that’s a legitimate company. If you can’t get a return phone call or an email from somebody at the same URL or Email address that you’re looking to do business with, then it should raise a red flag, and is most likely a scam, so be careful!

With our online ordering system, you will place your order on our website. You will then receive a confirmation email from azWHOLEistic with your order, pricing and product information. Your payment information is NEVER kept on our servers for any reason.

Protect your body, and your wallet through these steps and you’ll get the quality you’re looking for.

Below you will find a few of our Plant Health Broad Spectrum CBD Oils. OUR Certificates are visible if you mouse over the product, and can be enlarged by clicking on them.