Hemp Seed Oil vs. Hemp Oil vs. CBD Hemp Extract Oil: Is There a Difference?
Almost 70 percent of CBD hemp extracts sold online are mislabeled, creating an industry full of false information and confusion. The growing number of mislabeled remedies are a result of the many companies that are white labeling their products without developing and maintaining a commitment to consistency.
Most brands in the cannabis industry are re-selling products distributed by a manufacturer, then placing their own branding on the remedies. This strategy is perfectly fine and legal, but oftentimes these companies don’t do their due diligence in examining the COA (Certificate of Analysis) from the manufacturer. Instead of ensuring there’s CBD in their products, companies take the manufacturer’s word.
Brands that formulate their own products also showcase the same behavior. Without knowing what to look for and how to test for CBD, most companies formulate products inconsistently, leading to an increasing amount of mislabeling in the industry and confusion around whether or not a product is even hemp oil, hemp seed oil, or CBD hemp extract oil.
The pitfalls of mislabeled hemp oil, hemp seed oil, and CBD hemp extract oil
If you search for hemp oil on Amazon, the platform will pull up a number of hemp oil products labeled “cannabis sativa, 500 milligrams.” While it may seem like you’ve found what you’re looking for, it’s anything but what you ordered. Typically, the number of milligrams is the weight per serving, meaning the CBD hemp extract oil you thought you ordered contains zero CBD.
However, some brands are afraid to hint at the CBD in their products and prefer to mislabel their remedies by referencing them as hemp oil or hemp extract without any CBD. But the FDA highly discourages companies from simply calling their products hemp extracts because that language does not accurately indicate whether their products contain CBD, putting many consumers in danger.
As an industry standard, it’s essential that each hemp seed oil, hemp oil, and CBD hemp extract oil is labeled accurately. For products that contain CBD, they need to be marked accordingly: “CBD hemp extract” or “CBD extracted from hemp.” For products free of CBD, the labels should also be labeled appropriately: “Industrial hemp” or “American grown hemp.” These clear labels allow the consumer to know what they’re consuming, enabling companies to avoid any adverse reaction that could potentially become a liability.
Understanding hemp seed oil, hemp oil, and CBD hemp extract oil
Until the CBD market experiences more regulation, mislabeled products will continue to flood the industry. However, consumers should know how to differentiate between hemp seed oil, hemp oil, and CBD hemp extract oil so that they purchase the best products for their health.
Despite the various terms and contradictions on the internet, there are three ways to view hemp seed oil, hemp oil, and CBD hemp extract oil:
- Hemp seed oil is produced from the seeds of hemp itself. It contains various nutrients, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, making it great for digestion.
- Though some refer to hemp extract as hemp oil, hemp oil is actually the same as hemp seed oil. The two terms — hemp seed oil and hemp oil — are synonymous.
- CBD hemp extract oil is produced mainly from the hemp flower, but the whole plant can help produce the remedy. CBD hemp extracts also contain various phytonutrients.
The number of cannabinoids in hemp seed oil (i.e., hemp oil) and CBD hemp extract oil is also a key differentiator. Hemp seed oil isn’t a CBD-rich medicinal supplement. In fact, hemp seed oil doesn’t contain any cannabinoids at all. It is, however, very nutritious. As mentioned before, hemp seeds contain various nutrients, and it’s a great superfood for digestion. In some cases, hemp seeds even help regulate healthy levels in blood sugar and cholesterol.
CBD hemp extracts, on the other hand, contain a number of cannabinoids depending on the type of product you buy. If you purchase a full-spectrum hemp extract, for example, your remedy will include nutrients from the whole hemp plant. Full-spectrum hemp extracts contain many phytocannabinoids such as CBD, CBG, CBC, trace amounts of THC and more.
Deciphering between hemp seed oil (i.e., hemp oil) and CBD hemp extract oil
Consumers should take additional steps to determine whether they’re purchasing hemp seed oil (i.e., hemp oil) or CBD hemp extract oil. There are four specific strategies that consumers can implement:
- Analyze the COA for each specific product you are considering, and examine the batch number to see if it’s cohesive.
- Check several of the companies’ COAs to ensure data isn’t being repurposed and used for each product.
- Call the agency that tested the manufacturer or company’s products to guarantee the company did, in fact, get their products tested and is accurately labeling their remedies.
- Consider the cost of the product. Extracting, testing, and creating quality CBD hemp extract is expensive. If the product you’re considering is exceptionally cheap, you have to wonder how much CBD is in it.
Source: Kat’s Naturals Blog
