Are you thinking of trying CBD, but you don’t know where to start? Have you heard about the benefits of CBD products, but also a few conflicting success stories or warnings?
It’s normal to feel a little confused as you enter the realm of CBD products. Not all hemp-based products are created with the same level of quality, testing, and care, so you need to ensure you’re picking the right types of CBD products for your budget and needs.
That’s why we’ve created this beginner’s guide to CBD products. We understand your doubts and questions, and we want to guide you toward a CBD brand you can trust to be effective and truly beneficial.
Here are the three key steps to take when choosing between different types of CBD products.
What does price have to do with CBD authenticity and quality?
Well, as an owner of a company that manufactures supplements and constantly evaluates quality, cost, ingredients, practices, and efficacy, I can tell you that there is a lot of fake CBD out there. I see CBD products in stores being sold for less than our raw costs of CBD, which tells me it’s extremely low quality (if it’s even real CBD).
Although the ingredients in a product are an expensive part of the COGS (Cost of Goods Sold), there are many factors that contribute to the product’s final price in the marketplace. For instance, the price of a CBD product is heavily influenced by the cost of its:
Considering how many factors go into CBD products’ creation, we should all find it a little disturbing and questionable when we see dirt cheap CBD items in stores. This is where the age-old adage “you get what you pay for” is as true in the CBD industry as it is in any other.
Quality CBD brands (and Wellness Collection CBD Products, specifically) will not be the cheapest you find in the market – but there’s a reason for their prices. Brands like ours hold themselves to the highest quality, ingredient selection, and manufacturing standards. As a result, our costs are higher than many other brands you can find on store shelves.
We know quality matters. That’s why we believe our clientele cares and will pay for the best.
Next, let’s talk about the kind of CBD product you should choose to buy. There are essentially three types of CBD that are commonly manufactured:
To understand these, we first have to recognize what CBD is: a phytocannabinoid. A phytocannabinoid is a compound or component of the cannabis plant.
Scientists have identified around 120 different phytocannabinoids in the hemp plant. You may have heard of a few, including THC (the one that evokes a “high”), CBN (known for its sleep benefits), or CBG (recognized for its gut health benefits).
Those 120 phytocannabinoids (and more we haven’t even properly identified) in the hemp plant have a natural synergetic effect on each other. This well-known phenomenon, called the “Entourage Effect,” means the phytocannabinoids are the most effective when kept and administered together.
In other words, each phytocannabinoid is more effective and beneficial when kept in its original state, combined with all the other phytocannabinoids. Now that you understand that, let’s dive into the three main types of CBD and their pros and cons.
Isolate CBD is when only the CBD is extracted from the hemp plant and added into a delivery method. The CBD extract could be sprayed on a gummy, included in a lotion, put into a carrier oil (to make a tincture), added to food, or encapsulated.
This is the cheapest way to manufacture CBD – and the products aren’t as effective. We lovingly nickname this kind of CBD product as “drug store CBD” since its commonly found at drug stores, gas stations, and similar locations.
Many low-quality CBD isolate brands are clever at hiding their production methods on their websites. They wordsmith their marketing materials to glorify isolate CBD and make it sound effective, but in reality, it’s a cheaper version of much better CBD products out there.
If you cannot find on a brand’s website that they offer either full or broad-spectrum CBD, they likely sell isolate CBD products. Don’t be fooled – you should know exactly what you’re paying for and how effective the product will be.
Opposite of isolate CBD are two very closely related types of CBD: broad-spectrum CBD and full-spectrum CBD.
Unlike isolate, both of these types of CBD keep the full phytocannabinoid profile from the cannabis plant in the final product. This leads to the highly recognized synergistic benefits of using the entire phytocannabinoid profile.
The big difference between these two inclusive types of CBD is that broad-spectrum CBD removes the phytocannabinoid THC, while full-spectrum CBD has THC in it (but only at 0.3%). This number is based on the maximum THC allowed by law (federally within the United States).
Although the “Entourage Effect” would suggest full-spectrum CBD (with THC) is more effective than broad-spectrum CBD (without THC), it’s not as straightforward as you would think.
Currently, there are no studies or quality research that indicate 0.3% THC is more effective than 0.0% THC in CBD products. However, companies are not legally allowed to keep THC at the same level in which they are naturally found in hemp plants (outside of marijuana dispensaries in the few states where they are legal).
This means that even if a person is fine with ingesting THC and isn’t worried about feeling “high,” there is still no significant proof that suggests 0.3% THC adds quantifiable benefits to the other 119 cannabinoids profile, leading to a greater Entourage Effect than the 119 cannabinoids alone.
So, which is actually better: broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD?
It’s a great question, and the answer boils down to a personal choice based on your preferences and desired benefits of using CBD products.
Some reasons you may want to avoid full-spectrum are as follows:
We don’t want to diminish the benefits of THC being utilized with CBD, but all the medical evidence suggests a higher percentage of THC would be required for marked effects. If you are interested in the studied benefits of THC in higher amounts, consider buying from a dispensary (medical or recreational) if you live in a state where it is legal to do so. You can often find products with 50% THC and 50% CBD.
If you are at all concerned with THC being in your product, or if your stance is a hard no on using THC products, then the answer is easy: broad-spectrum CBD is the best option.
You will find many quality brands that sell both broad and full-spectrum CBD. All of our Wellness Collection CBD products are broad-spectrum CBD. We feel that if THC is desired, it should be in higher amounts than .3% and would advise our clientele to go to a dispensary to find such levels.
Otherwise, broad-spectrum CBD products offer the highest quality, highest efficacy, and most useful type of CBD on the market.
But, how do you know a broad-spectrum CBD product really contains zero THC? That’s a fair question. This is why third-party lab testing and certification are of utmost importance.
We are living in a new, relatively unregulated market for CBD. Unfortunately, this means that label claims may not actually state the ingredients of a product.
The truth is that THC (trace amounts) can still be present in products that say they are “0.0% THC” Additionally, the levels of CBD on the label may be higher or lower than they are stated to be, which can result in issues with consistent serving sizes of CBD and the effects on users.
For a brief period of time, the FDA was a little busy with a pandemic, politics, vaccines, and all the other craziness going on in the world. This created a ripe time and perfect storm for snake oil salesmen to rear their ugly heads.
Unscrupulous individuals and entities are coming out of the shadows with very misleading and slick marketing campaigns. They tout and sell inexpensive CBD products to lure in unsuspecting consumers, but they aren’t clear about what’s actually in their products.
They know their CBD will not truly work or produce the desired effects in their clientele. They’re not looking to create repeat sales, build a long-term business/brand, or actually help those who need it.
Instead, they are looking to swindle a one-time buy from innocent buyers and move on to the next. Wash, rinse, repeat.
“A quality brand that is looking to do the right thing has its clientele’s health goals in mind and is interested in building a reputable name and products.”
Cassie Sobelton
A high-quality CBD brand will make decisions that enhance its clients’ experiences. This means choosing the right:
Wellness Collection keeps all this in my mind, but our team realizes the proof is in the pudding – should we say the testing? Third-party lab testing, to be precise.
The Wellness Collection’s Third-Party CBD Testing
The process for testing Wellness Collection CBD products is extensive. We start by testing the raw ingredients to ensure they are exactly what the ingredient vendor tells us they are.
This is done before the manufacturing process even begins. Only the purest ingredients make it into our products’ manufacturing phase, so our clients can always trust they know exactly what’s in Wellness Collection CBD products.
We then manufacture our products in the highest quality ways possible, and that’s an entire blog post in itself. After, we send every batch of products out for third-party lab testing. Many brands only test every 5 or every 10 batches, if they test at all. However, we want to actually ensure (and triple-check) that what we say is in the product is actually in the product.
Next, we create and apply a QR code to every bottle or jar of CBD products that can be scanned by the consumer to verify that specific batch’s testing certification and its certificate of analysis. Not only do we verify the levels of phytocannabinoids (like THC and CBD), but we also ensure the lack of pesticides, herbicides, and other foreign elements that could have entered during the manufacturing process.
Although contamination is unlikely, it is possible. If anything contaminates a product, it is rejected. Only the purest of products pass inspection and land in our inventory. We take our safeguards and testing procedures extremely seriously.
This adds a substantial dollar amount to our OPEX, but we strongly believe that during these times of little regulation, our thoroughness will be key a differentiator and is of the utmost importance. We don’t mess around with quality, manufacturing, or ingredient selection.
Our founder, Cassie Sobelton, has a background in manufacturing operations, healthcare operations, nutrition, and health coaching. This results in an unparalleled understanding of how each part of production affects the whole product.
Cassie is a true advocate for healthy and holistic living, preventive lifestyles, and clean food/ingredients. She prides herself on both her integrity and attention to detail. She promises a quality product, experience, and above all else, transparency so you can make an informed decision about what you put in your body and on your skin.
Cassie has a background in manufacturing operations, healthcare operations, nutrition, and health coaching. This results in an unparalleled understanding of how each part of production affects the whole product. Cassie is a true advocate for healthy and holistic living, preventive lifestyles, and clean food/ingredients
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In an era where personal wellness is becoming a priority for people, hemp CBD supplements have emerged as trusted allies in their care routines. As
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