Everyone loves a good Amazon haul. Still, most people are uncertain about the grey area surrounding Amazon and CBD products. We’re here to shine some light on the situation and clear up some common misconceptions and mistakes made when shopping for CBD on Amazon. Perhaps most of the confusion stems from the fact that CBD is a new concept to Amazon.
In past times, Amazon had a strict no CBD policy (still the case in all other regions except the U.K.). However, with CBD sales set to climb into the billions shortly, it’s not surprising Amazon chose to dip their toe in the CBD pond. Let’s explore how this all came about, but more importantly, how you can shop for CBD online like a pro with no regrets.
The Pilot Program
As mentioned above, Amazon used to have a strict policy forbidding the sale of CBD. You’re probably thinking back to all those times you saw CBD on Amazon — we’ll get to that in a bit. So, Amazon decided to give cannabinoids a try, inviting 10 companies (including yours truly) to be part of their introductory pilot program, and most of the products you’ll see at this time are CBD topicals. Of course, Amazon wanted to create CBD availability with companies known for market-leading quality and countless positive reviews.
Let’s look a little more in-depth at the process one should follow when shopping for CBD on Amazon UK.
Look at the Ingredients
When you’re shopping for CBD on Amazon, the first thing you want to do is look at the ingredients. Although there are only 10 approved CBD vendors on Amazon UK, you will see more. And so, there is a wide variety of hemp oil in their marketplace, but with one distinct difference — the main ingredient.
Some of the fake CBD you’ll run across has hemp seed oil listed as the main ingredient. Hemp seed oil and CBD oil differ, based on where they come from in the hemp plant and how they function. Hemp seed oil comes exclusively from hemp seeds, but CBD oil comes from leaves, flowers, and stems — where all of the cannabinoid content lives.
Hemp seed oil, since it comes from hemp seeds, has no therapeutic benefits when compared to the effects of CBD oil. Hemp seed oil makes a great hair and skin-nourishing ingredient, but if you’re looking for CBD effects, you’ll be extremely disappointed you wasted your time and hard-earned money.
Outrageous Concentrations
Outrageous hemp concentrations are something else to keep an eye on. For example, let’s say you see a hemp product with a ridiculously high concentration around 60,000mg of CBD. This is a huge red flag, as most reputable companies won’t have concentrations in the five-digit range.
Keep this in mind when you’re shopping. Our CBD Oil Tinctures are available in concentrations ranging from 500 to 1500mg. Concentrations in this range are generally the real hemp oils you want to stick with, after checking that the main ingredient is cannabidiol, of course.
Research the Company
So, you’ve found a hemp oil that hits both of the marks discussed above — it’s cannabidiol and it’s within a reasonable range of concentration. Now, it’s time to conduct your own research. You want to see where the company sources their hemp, how they extract the oil from the hemp plants, and if they conduct third-party lab testing on all of their products.
Where the hemp comes from is more important than most people realise. This has a lot to do with the fact that hemp functions as a bioaccumulator. This means that the hemp plant absorbs everything in the surrounding soil — good and bad.
There are a few extraction methods used in the hemp industry, but the CO2 extraction method reigns supreme since it provides the purest oil, free of chemical residues. You also want to make sure you can find third-party lab results, also known as a certificate of analysis (COA) when you’re making your decision.
The COA serves as your quality snapshot. When you look at this report, you can see the total concentration of cannabinoids, terpenes, as well as any toxins, chemicals, or heavy metals that shouldn’t be there. Lab reports may have their own section on a company’s site, but sometimes you’ll find these reports right on the product page.
Positive Consumer Reviews
Last, but certainly not least, you want to see what other people have to say about the product you’re thinking about purchasing. You mainly want to see how many people think the product is effective and would purchase it again.
Checking product reviews has become commonplace these days, with a whopping 93% of consumers stating that consumer reviews play a big role in purchasing decisions.
Sure, it’s not the “end-all-be-all,” but it’s nice to see what others have to say about a product before you buy it — especially if it’s fake CBD with no benefits!
Shopping With Confidence
Once you learn how to spot some of these red flags, shopping for CBD online (no matter the site) becomes second nature, because you know what to look for.
Furthermore, when you take the time to check out the specifics, you feel even more confident knowing you picked out the best hemp oil possible all on your own!
Ready to shop for CBD with confidence?
Check out our Hemp Oil Collection today!
