Ordering CBD oil along with your other Amazon purchases may seem convenient. However, buying CBD oil on Amazon has been heavily criticized for being ineffective. This may be due to the CBD oils on Amazon actually being made from hemp seed oils, which does not contain any THC. It seems consumers are confusing Amazon seller’s marketing with the marketing of real CBD oil.
Simply put, buying CBD products on Amazon is a risk because almost anyone can sell things on Amazon. There is no way of telling if the products have been tested and produced legally, or if they are black market or fake CBD products.
Hemp Oil vs. Hemp Seed Oil vs. CBD Oil: What’s The Difference?
Hemp Oil
Hemp oil can really be any of the oils as it is freely allowed to be marketed this way. If you’re looking at a label that says “hemp oil” it is usually safe to assume that the oil is just simple hemp seed oil. However, if the bottle says “full-spectrum” on it as well, then it is supposed to be an unaltered pure extract from hemp. Usually, though, it’s fake marketing.
Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed oil is a hemp-derived oil that is being sold as a food product or dietary supplement. This oil contains beneficial fatty acids but does not contain any cannabinoids. Do not buy hemp seed oil if you want to buy CBD oil; you will not get the same CBD benefits that you might be looking for.
A good rule of thumb is if the bottle shows anything higher than 7500mg then it is probably hemp seed oil. Additionally, if the price seems too good to be true, then it is probably hemp seed oil.
CBD Oil
Oil from hemp starts with different materials- the mature high CBD hemp bud. CBD isolate oil contains only CBD and hast the least chance of drug test failure, but full-spectrum CBD oil will contain other cannabinoids as well. Scientists have also recently figured out how to extract all of the THC from full-spectrum oil to create broad-spectrum oil. Broad-spectrum CBD oil contains all of the natural cannabinoids as a full-spectrum but is THC-free.
How Sellers List CBD Oil on Amazon
Amazon’s terms for sellers do not allow the sale of CBD oil, so if you search for “CBD Oil” on Amazon, you will get many “hemp extracts.” This labeling terminology is confusing for consumers but is being more widely adopted by legitimate CBD oils because of the regulatory environment around CBD.
Many low-quality CBD products have made their way onto Amazon with this workaround. It is important to be aware that these products might even be well-rated because of the ease of paying or trading free products to people for positive reviews. Sketchy sellers are all over on Amazon and know how to take advantage of the platform to make their products appear trustworthy.
We Analyzed Four of the “Best” CBD Oils on Amazon, And…
Buying legitimate CBD products on Amazon will cost as much or more than ordering directly from a CBD company online, and you will never really know if they are legitimate unless you pay to have the product tested. Some people have paid to find out how products actually test out and found that most do not contain the amount of CBD they claim.
The best CBD oils on Amazon take time to research and find and are still a significant buying risk. Real CBD oil companies don’t sell their products on Amazon. They have their own company websites, and each batch of product has test results from third-party labs with validated test methods for detecting cannabinoids. A good rule of thumb is to ensure any company selling your CBD oil has third party laboratory testing.
So Are Amazon “Hemp Oils” Any Good?
While Amazon prohibits the sale of real CBD, there may some CBD products on Amazon that are real. However, finding them and knowing which ones actually contain the amount of CBD they claim is next to impossible.
Amazon CBD oils are not worth the risk when real CBD products can be purchased from manufacturer websites and often offer free shipping. While these “real” CBD products will cost more, you will get the product you expect at the price it actually costs.
Final Thoughts: Amazon Hemp Oil vs. Real CBD Oil
There are many concerns for the CBD oil Amazon is selling. Unknown product origin, safety, and quality can be very dangerous. Hemp readily takes up heavy metals and contaminants from the environment. The hemp plant is extracted and concentrated to make CBD oil. This means that pesticides and environmental contaminants become concentrated as well. Even trace residues can end up at unsafe concentrations in the final product.
The lack of actual CBD content is also a concerning issue. Consumers may try CBD oil from Amazon out of convenience and curiosity. If they have an unpleasant experience, they may assume it doesn’t work. The problem is that the product doesn’t contain the amount of CBD the label claims, which could be inconvenient for someone wanting to take CBD for pain relief. This can deter people from trying other CBD products that could greatly benefit them.
Fake CBD oils on Amazon are not going anywhere soon. There is so much potential profit in the CBD market that bad actors will go to extensive lengths to make money from the trend. Unfortunately, buyers of CBD products need to do some detective work when buying products.
Buy Real CBD Oil
The first thing to check on a CBD product is that it comes from hemp flower and not hemp seed. Hemp seed oil or hemp seed extract does not contain useful levels of CBD. While hemp seed products offer great nutritional benefits, they will not offer benefits like pain or anxiety symptom relief. Next, follow the tips below to evaluate a product’s quality.
How to make sure you are buying real CBD Oil:
- Each product should have lab test results for cannabinoid content, pesticides, and microbial contaminants.
- The CBD testing lab should have validated test methods and preferably have accreditation.
- Make sure that test results published online correspond to separate batch IDs.
- CBD Isolate should be 99.9% pure CBD. Full-spectrum CBD will contain other cannabinoids.
- It is nice to find bargains, but lower than standard prices may be a red flag. Check for a reason the price is so low.
