As an avid consumer of hemp extract products, you might occasionally find yourself asking: What are the differences between the best full-spectrum CBD oil and the rest? Or, how can I make an informed decision to buy the best full-spectrum CBD oil?
But before we can answer those, let’s first take a quick look at what full spectrum actually means. CBD, or cannabidiol, is just one of a symphony of cannabinoids that can be extracted from hemp. Scientists have found that these plant compounds—CBD, CBC, CBG, CBN, terpenes, flavonoids, and more—tend to have a better effect on the body when they work together rather than alone. With all these wonderful plant compounds, it’s ideal to harness as much of nature’s goodness as possible. A “full-spectrum” hemp extract is one that contains a variety of cannabinoids and plant compounds.
If you’re interested in learning more about the basics of CBD, the “Entourage Effect,” and what it means to be full spectrum, these links will take you to some key posts on our blog to help you understand easily.
So, back to your question: “What are the factors that can help me determine what is the best full-spectrum CBD oil?” For us, everything starts (and ends) with quality control.
Quality Control
We grow our hemp the best way we know how, with quality and care in every step. Our quality standards extend from field to final product. Why? Because quality starts from the ground up.
Soil
This begins with diligent testing of the soil before a field is ever even commissioned. Healthy soil grows healthy plants. The soil where we take root is tested and shown to be clear of dangerous levels of heavy metals and other contaminants prior to planting. We are dedicated to doing things the right way—our growing practices are natural and sustainable—to support the earth and environment as much as we support our plants and products.
For more on how we test and care for our soil (and why it matters), visit us here.
Water
Next up is water. At the end of the day, we can do all the soil testing we want, but if we don’t also ensure a clean water supply, this will impact the quality of our harvested hemp plants as well.
As part of our full-farm assessment before planting, we test the water supply and perform irrigation checks to ensure the integrity of our plants. This helps guard against microbes and other contaminants. Combined, soil and water sampling are crucially important to our hemp production process, which is why we pay each special care.
Plants
Lastly, there are the hemp plants themselves. We use Charlotte’s Web ™ proprietary hemp genetics to ensure our products come from the most consistent material possible. From there, plants are tended to and cultivated on American family farms using sustainable farming methods.
We extract using only the highest quality parts of the plants, not discarded scraps of stem parts from other industries. By ensuring the quality and integrity of our raw materials, we can help ensure delivery of high-quality hemp extract products from start to finish.
To us, Charlotte’s Web is more than a name; it’s a promise. We live and breathe quality to ensure our products are the best they can possibly be. From cultivation to final product formulation, our commitment to providing reliable products for consumers translates into everything we do.
By the time a customer receives a Charlotte’s Web product, it has been tested more than 20 times from cultivation through manufacturing. As a company, we make sure that all our products are fully traceable, and we oversee production and delivery from beginning to end—from seed to bottle to you.
Consistency
In addition to unwavering quality testing, consistency is the next key differentiator that separates the best full-spectrum CBD oil from the rest.
What impacts consistency and why does it matter? For starters, the phytochemical profiles of the hemp plants being grown. CBD manufacturers who don’t grow their own hemp are forced to purchase their plants out on the open market. This often means a more random assortment of hemp varieties and variable compounds, which translates into a less consistent profile of hemp compounds and the end products can vary significantly from batch to batch.
At Charlotte’s Web, our hemp extracts are expertly developed to have a rich phytochemical profile using a consistent hemp strain. We supply our farmers with this proprietary variety to help ensure consistent phytocannabinoid profiles in the plants and the final product. Throughout the flowering cycle, we test our plants frequently, so they are harvested when their phytochemical profiles meet our standards.
Once a specific combination of cannabinoids and other plant compounds is established, you want to depend on it from bottle to bottle. Individual phytocannabinoids provide specific benefits, so if the phytochemical profile varies wildly from batch to batch then it’s more difficult to reap the benefits of a CBD wellness routine consistently, even if all other things (like how much you take, and time of day) remain the same.
It is our hope that those who enjoy our unique blend always find what they are looking for most in their wellness routines: consistent results. You can learn more about our commitment to quality and consistency here.
U.S. Hemp Authority Certified
Our extremely high standards for quality and trust and our dedication to transparency have earned Charlotte's Web the official stamp of approval from the U.S. Hemp Authority™.
The U.S. Hemp Authority is an initiative to set quality standards for the hemp industry. An effort funded by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, industry-leading firms, top-tier testing labs, and quality assessors have developed comprehensive guidance for growers and processors of hemp. Companies are granted license to use the U.S. Hemp Authority's Certified Seal of Approval by meeting these stringent self-regulatory standards, as well as a third-party audit.
Receiving a stamp of approval from the U.S. Hemp Authority is another factor that sets the best full-spectrum CBD oil apart from the rest. This quality seal, which can be seen on all our products, places an emphasis on high standards, best practices, and self-regulation.
The National Animal Supplement Council
Our CBD for dogs line of products has earned the approval of the NASC as well. The NASC is a non-profit group dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of companion animals throughout the country. Their quality seal enables consumers to make safe and empowered purchasing decisions when shopping for their pets.
The seal is awarded only to manufacturers and suppliers that have successfully passed an NASC facility audit and comply with rigorous quality standards, including strict labeling requirements, real-time adverse event reporting, and random product testing by an independent lab.
As the only full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD brand to comply with both the NASC Quality Seal Program and the US Hemp Authority Certification Program as of this writing, we are further demonstrating to consumers why Charlotte’s Web is called The World's Most Trusted Hemp Extract ™.
Certificates of Analysis
Another differentiator among high-quality hemp extract manufacturers is a publicly available Certificate of Analysis, or COA. Transparency in terms of quality and consistency goes a long way in helping companies build trust, and the availability of COAs serves to help facilitate that relatively easily.
For consumers, Charlotte’s Web offers a COA for cannabinoid potency to support our label information. All of our manufacturing processes and facilities are third-party verified for compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
When you open a COA, you will find a lot of information about what went into the product. This includes cannabinoids, detailing exactly how much of each are present in a given product, as well as test results for elements such as microbials, residual solvents, heavy metals, and chemical pesticides.
For more on how to read a CBD Certificate of Analysis, refer to our short blog post here.
In Summary
So, what is the difference between the best full-spectrum CBD oil out there and the rest? An undying commitment to quality and consistency, paired with a high level of transparency to instill trust.
Charlotte’s Web pioneered the CBD industry by creating reliable, high-quality and trustworthy CBD products. From tinctures to topicals, capsules to gummies, our passion for excellence translates into everything we do. It doesn’t make our work easier, but it makes our products better.
We are known for our quality and trust because we still uphold the values that helped us pioneer the CBD industry: making quality products with unwavering consistency so that we may improve lives, naturally. We are simply nature’s stewards, dedicated to bettering the Earth and the people living upon it.