Adobe Stock Woman shopping for CBD on Amazon.
Buying CBD on Amazon? You might be. Or you might just be buying hemp seed oil, which does not contain CBD, but has been labeled to look like it does.
Or you might be buying a product labeled “1000 mg,” which actually contains a mystery amount of CBD, which probably isn’t zero but definitely isn’t 1000 mg.
This doesn’t mean you can’t buy legitimate lab-tested CBD on Amazon. You absolutely can. You just have to do your homework.
We’ve done this research for you, by personally contacting dozens of companies. And we’ve compiled a list of the best third-party lab-tested CBD products on Amazon.
Other Amazon sellers’ communications ranged from nonexistent to downright bizarre. Some promised to send lab results which never materialized. Others stopped responding, after being asked a few basic questions.
One company representative, when pressed for details about some perplexing lab data, admitted that they’d never understood the lab results themselves.
But transparent, conscientious CBD companies do exist. Some can be found on Amazon.
But you can’t just type “CBD” into your Amazon search bar. If you do, you’ll get a ton of results — many of which contain little to no actual CBD.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a cannabinoid found in the stalks and leaves of the hemp plant. Hemp seed oil, however, is an ingredient that has been widely sold in grocery stores for decades. It does not contain CBD.
That hasn’t stopped thousands of Amazon customers from writing reviews about the nonexistent “CBD” in hemp seed oil.
Since they continue writing “CBD” in the product reviews, those products appear in your CBD search results.
If you order them, and you write a review, and you write “CBD” in your review, you’ll be helping this product rank in search results for CBD. Another Amazon customer will reasonably believe this product contains CBD. The cycle continues.
Other sellers use the words “Zero THC CBD” in their product name. You could interpret this two ways: It’s a CBD product with zero THC; or, alternatively, it’s a product with zero THC *and* zero CBD.
It’s usually the latter. (It’s hemp seed oil, which contains neither cannabinoid.) But because “CBD” is used in the product name, it appears in your search results, as if it’s a CBD product.
It’s almost impossible to tell the real CBD products from the fakes. The legitimate CBD companies struggle to distinguish themselves because even they can’t use the term “CBD” in their product descriptions.
Amazon’s Terms of Service still prohibit the sale of CBD. So even legitimate CBD companies can’t advertise CBD on Amazon.
These companies often resort to speaking in code. “Full spectrum hemp extract,” they call it. (Or “full spectrum hemp oil.” Or “whole plant hemp oil.”)
But here’s where things get even more confusing. Many companies selling “full spectrum hemp extract” can also seem dodgy.
Some declined to send lab results. Some of them did send lab results, but upon further analysis, it became clear that they were using misleading marketing practices.
For example, almost all of these companies list milligrams on their packaging. You’ll find bottles of whole plant hemp oil capsules with “3000MG” in giant letters across the bottle.
You might assume this means the bottle contains 3000MG of CBD. It’s a logical assumption: you searched for CBD, after all.
But according to emails from several of these companies, the milligrams on their label do not reflect CBD content. They reflect the “full spectrum hemp extract” itself. The CBD is a small portion of this extract.
When asked to explain their exaggerated milligram listing on their labels, the companies tout the benefits of full-spectrum plant extracts themselves.
“We do not isolate just one of the phyto-compounds, such as CBD,” one seller employee explained. “There are more than 145 phyto-compounds, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids in hemp oil.”
This is technically true. But it also means that the CBD in their products (if any exists) is just one of over 145 compounds included in the “1000mg” listed on their bottle.
But their explanation appears, at first glance, very convincing and scientific. Because most experts do recommend full-spectrum CBD, as opposed to CBD isolate.
Unless you need to pass a drug test. In this case, you’ll want to stick to CBD isolate, because it’s devoid of other cannabinoids like THC. (But beware: Experts warn that some low-quality CBD isolate can sometimes retain traces of THC. So if you’ve got an upcoming drug test on your schedule, you’ll definitely want to see lab results for any CBD isolate you use.)
Emerging research on cannabinoids points to a phenomenon dubbed “the entourage effect.” This principle suggests that cannabinoids like CBD work best in combination with other cannabinoids (like THC, CBN, and CBG). That’s why, for maximum efficacy, you want full-spectrum hemp oil.
Full spectrum hemp extract contains other compounds, aside from cannabinoids, called terpenes. Terpenes are the molecules that impart flavor and aroma. They’re found in cannabis as well as other plants, like pine trees and citrus fruits.
Some researchers theorize that terpenes play a role in how different cannabis strains affect us — and they might increase the bioavailability of CBD, too. Terpenes might be another key to unlocking the entourage effect.
Some CBD producers test for terpenes along with cannabinoids and residual solvents. (We’ve included this information in our Shopping Guide to buying CBD on Amazon.)
The neurochemical pathways in our bodies that absorb and transmit cannabinoids aren’t fully understood. But the evidence for the entourage effect has convinced many shoppers to seek out full-spectrum hemp extract. And some companies are capitalizing on that trend.
Because full-spectrum CBD products do include milligrams on their labels. But on Amazon, nobody can say milligrams of what.
You might be wondering why Amazon does not allow companies to advertise CBD on their platform.
Many people believe that CBD is legal. You can find it sold in stores like Bed Bath & Beyond; Even Walgreens and CVS plan to carry CBD products. Most CBD companies boldly announce that CBD is “legal in all 50 states.”
That’s not exactly true. But despite the legal gray area, the CBD industry has exploded in recent years, as manufacturers have started adding the cannabinoid to everything from mascara to lattes.
And last December, the 2018 Farm Bill did legalize industrial hemp. But it also placed CBD under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Here’s the problem: last year, the FDA approved cannabis-derived CBD in a medication. (The drug, called Epidiolex, treats rare severe seizure disorders.) This marked the first time cannabis-derived cannabinoid had received FDA approval. It also technically made CBD a drug, in the eyes of federal regulators, who are unlikely to approve any “drug” as a food ingredient, nutritional supplement, or cosmetic ingredient.
In other words, the FDA could crack down the CBD smoothies and capsules flying off shelves around the country. In fact, they’ve already started.
Since the 2018 Farm Bill gave the FDA the power to regulate CBD, the agency has already sent cease-and-desist letters to several businesses selling CBD-infused beverages and foods.
Last week, the FDA convened its first panel on CBD. Officials expressed concern about the cannabinoid’s safety. The price of CBD stocks dropped immediately.
But you can still buy CBD on Amazon — for now. If you want to see whether full-spectrum CBD can help you, check out our guide to finding lab-tested CBD on Amazon. Click on any of the products included in our guide for a detailed analysis of their lab results.
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