Fake CBD – How to Avoid It

Dexter Kash 27th May 2020

Cannabidiol (CBD) has become a product for the modern age. It allows users to seek increased health and wellness. However, there is a dark side to the CBD industry: fake CBD. Malignant manufacturers advertise counterfeit CBD oil as the real deal to profit off of this blossoming industry. They claim that their products can “prevent any disease” or sell things that don’t contain any real CBD oil at all.

So how do you avoid being scammed? You must learn:

The importance of lab tests.
The difference between hemp extract and hemp seed oil.
Why hemp-derived CBD is the highest quality CBD.
How to spot suspicious advertising practices.

The popularity of CBD has skyrocketed in recent years. Because of this, the market is brimming with a variety of products. With so much out there, it’s crucial to understand the difference between real and fake CBD so that you can get the most from your CBD treatment.

Lab Tests

Third-party lab tests are a big deal to trustworthy CBD manufacturers. They allow users to see what’s actually in their products, including harmful contaminants like heavy metals. The key here is “third-party.”

Credible manufacturers send their products to be tested by an independent – or “third-party” – laboratory. These labs test CBD products for potency, quality, and chemical composition. Additionally, these labs do not profit from the CBD industry and have no ties to the quality of a specific product or brand, meaning the results are the results, plain and simple.

And CBD lab tests can tell you a lot about a product:

How much CBD is in a product.
Where that CBD comes from.
What binding agents are in a product.
What contaminants are in a product, if any.

It’s vital to examine lab tests so that you can see, firsthand, the quality of your CBD products. Additionally, if a manufacturer does not openly advertise their lab results or makes it difficult for you to access their lab results, they’re likely hiding something. Manufacturers who are reluctant to share their third-party lab testing with consumers should be avoided.

Accurate CBD Quantity

*Counterfeit CBD oil might not contain any CBD at all*

Perhaps most importantly, lab tests can tell you the precise amount of CBD contained within a product. Sellers of fake CBD will often claim their products contain a high amount of “high quality CBD,” when in reality, their products contain no real CBD oil at all.

Obviously, you want your CBD products to actually contain CBD oil. Otherwise, you’re only taking snake oil, wasting your time and money on an ineffective product.

Hemp-Derived CBD: The Source You Can Trust

*CBD lab tests let you know if you have real, hemp-derived CBD*

Third-party lab tests also allow you to see where your CBD comes from. One of the biggest draws of CBD treatment is that you can receive homeopathic and therapeutic benefits without intoxicating side effects. This is why all trustworthy CBD products derive from hemp extract: hemp contains high concentrations of CBD and only minuscule, non-intoxicating amounts of THC, the cannabinoid commonly associated with marijuana.

However, many counterfeit CBD oil manufacturers may actually sell you a CBD product derived from marijuana instead of hemp. These products sometimes deliver the advertised amount of CBD but also contain high amounts of THC, causing you to feel high after ingestion.

What Are Binding Agents?

*Hemp seed oil is a binding agent, NOT a CBD-infused hemp extract*

Cannabinoids generally bind to endocannabinoid receptors, but CBD does not. Instead, CBD molecules interact with these receptors in a way that scientists have yet to fully understand. Because of this, high quality CBD products are infused with binding agents that allow the CBD molecules to successfully interact with the appropriate receptors within your body.

Safe and popular binding agents include fractionated coconut oil (MCT) and hemp seed oil. However, fake CBD oil often contains only hemp seed oil. Sometimes, counterfeit CBD oil manufacturers will attempt to confuse consumers by selling a tincture of just hemp seed oil, hoping consumers don’t understand the difference between hemp seed oil and hemp extract.

Hemp seed oil does not contain CBD and is only used as a binding agent. If a product’s ingredients list only states hemp seed oil and not hemp extract, throw it away. It does not contain CBD.

Luckily, lab tests can tell you which binding agents were used in your real CBD oil. If a product contains hemp seed oil, make sure it also includes a clearly-stated concentration of CBD in the lab results.

Fake CBD Often Contains Contaminants

*Fake CBD may contain contaminants that are detrimental to your health*

Contaminants are commonly-occurring abnormalities created through manufacturing processes. When talking about CBD products, it’s vital that you’re products do not contain the following contaminants:

Heavy Metals
Pesticides
Herbicides
Residual Solvents

These contaminants are created through typical manufacturing processes, but when it comes to reliable CBD products, they’re removed before packaging and sale. However, counterfeit CBD oil manufacturers don’t generally care about your health and safety. Using appropriate manufacturing techniques can be costly, so contaminants are commonly found in the finished fake CBD product as a result of cost cutting.

Lab tests will tell you the exact concentrations of remaining contaminants in your product. Real CBD oil containing hemp-derived CBD should not contain these contaminants, mainly because they are detrimental to your health.

For example, ingesting heavy metals can lead to bioaccumulation, when an excess of chemicals builds up within your body. Over time, bioaccumulation of heavy metals can lead to poisoning and toxicity. Symptoms include:

Confusion
Numbness
Nausea
Vomiting
Lightheadedness
Fainting

Because fake CBD products contain contaminants like heavy metals, they should be avoided. You do not want counterfeit CBD oil to compromise your health and wellness, especially when you think you’re taking real CBD oil, a product meant to offer wellness benefits.

How to Spot Suspicious Advertising

*If someone tells you their CBD can prevent any disease, it's probably fake*

Lab tests are vital when determining if what you are taking is high quality CBD. These tests highlight the difference between hemp extract and hemp seed oil, show us why hemp-derived CBD is ideal for CBD treatment, and let us know if our CBD products contain unhealthy contaminants. However, lab tests aren’t the only way to spot fake CBD products. Another way: suspicious advertising.

CBD use cannot prevent any disease. This is a common tactic used by sketchy manufacturers: lying. Counterfeit CBD oil sellers just want to take your money, doing so by any means necessary. And because the CBD industry is still young, it isn’t easy to know what to believe. These untrustworthy CBD manufacturers will also advertise in ways that are illegal, according to the FDA.

These untrustworthy sellers will tell you, “CBD can prevent any disease” or “CBD can cure your chronic ailments.” In reality, CBD promotes health and wellness but has not been proven to cure or prevent any disease.

CBD users should look out for these shady advertising practices as they are a surefire way to separate the real and dependable from the fake and despicable.

CBD Choice: Real CBD Oil

CBD Choice, where only real CBD oil makes the cut

At CBD Choice, we care about your health and wellness. This is why we offer a carefully-chosen catalog of CBD brands we trust. All of our products are third-party lab tested prior to sale. Plus, we only offer hemp-derived CBD: nothing you get from us will ever cause intoxicating side effects, guaranteed.

With so much fake CBD on the market, you need a supplier you can trust. We’ve done the vetting for you, so you don’t have to worry about what’s out there. Instead, you can find a CBD brand you love and know that we’ve spent countless hours making sure they offer only the highest quality CBD.