CBD oil has become one of the most ‘talked about’ niche products over the last half decade with sales in CBD online becoming one of the bigger benefiters of online sales since the Coronavirus pandemic started. With many people having to stay at home alone for much extended periods, the likelihood of anxious moments seemed to cause a spike in the use of CBD products, with many across the UK hoping to give them some everyday balance during this drastic change in our lives.
One of the biggest issues people come across though and in particular for newbies to wanting to try CBD, is the confusion between the types of products that are extracted from hemp. For some unknowing people it is possible that one can fall into the trap of purchasing a hemp-based products that isn’t CBD oil. With many sellers intentionally marketing their product as CBD oil, despite the fact it is hemp seed oil. (Watch out for scammers on Amazon in particular!)
What is Hemp Seed Oil?
There is CBD oil from hemp, and then there is hemp seed oil, which are not to be confused but do still come from the same plant! According to some online sources, the benefits of hemp seed oil is not all that different to some of the claimed benefits of CBD oil. While being rich in Omega 3-6 & 9 fatty acids, hemp seed oil is as it sounds, it is extracted from the seeds of the hemp plant using a cold press method of the seeds. Where Hemp seed oil is from the seeds, stalks & stems, it generally contains very little CBD. The part that is rich in cannabinoids is generally the flower. Hemp seed oil is also rich in vitamins and minerals and is said to support healthier skin. While hemp seed oil has been used for centuries for a number of different purposes, it generally contains very little or no CBD at all, making it cheaper.
What to look for to avoid Hemp seed oil
One of the biggest issues with sellers that are intentionally looking to confuse the customer is that when a product is marketed as CBD oil and is actually hemp seed oil, they will charge CBD oil prices. Genuine CBD oil is a specialised product that requires complex extraction, scientific analysis, and rigorous laboratory testing. Don't be sold cheap fake CBD Oils! CBD oil is more expensive than hemp seed oil, and has active ingredients sought after by our community and those who know its benefits.
When looking to buy CBD online in the UK, to ensure you don’t fall into the Hemp Seed Oil trap there are a number of things to look for which will help you. Up until recently there was very little regulation into the industry which meant many sellers could get away with selling poor or misleading products. So below is a short list of what anyone interested in CBD oil online should keep an eye out for if they aren’t sure.
- Publicly available 3rd party lab reports correlated to the product available online on the sellers website.
- Generally, Avoid Amazon for purchasing your CBD oil online. While there are now some legitimate brands there, it is worth being cautious and to double check the brand with their website.
- Read the ingredients list carefully to it specifies Cannabidiol (CBD) as an ingredient.
- When buying CBD online UK, watch out for products that claim extremely high “MG” amount in a container, they will often go into the 10’s of thousands, if it appears too good to be true, it likely is. While these high strength products seem ridiculously good value for money, you must remember there is a high chance that there is actually little to no CBD in the product
- Avoid products that make direct health claims such as ‘CBD for anxiety,' 'CBD for stress,’ and 'CBD for sleep'. Unless these claims are supported by MHRA (medicines and health regulatory agency in the UK) these products are likely misleading.
- Dr Watson CBD oils, CBD chocolate, CBD Gummies, and CBD Vape contain CBD in various strengths. Dr Watson solutions also contain a wide array of vitamins and co-enzymes to support your active lifestyle, rest, recovery, day and night routine. Specifically formulated and certified by PhD research scientist Dr R Watson for our community.
So How Can you Trust the industry as a whole?
Up until recently it has been quite hard to do so, with the remarkably little amount of regulation (up until recently) it has allowed a number of products & brands pop up made by the “cowboys” of the industry that are there to jump on the train and make a quick buck. There was little rule as to what was required on the labelling, the manufacturing processes, the raw material suppliers, and the inaccuracy of the labelling has all been called into question over the past few years. Even on BBC program ‘Trust Me I’m a Doctor’ a number of brands were called out for their CBD content being nowhere to what was being advertised on the packaging.
Looking Forward to changing trust in the industry
However, back in 2019 a call for regulation in the industry has meant all brands in the European market must submit complete dossiers to the relative agencies by the end of February 2021 in order to be allowed to stay on the Market. Dr Watson CBD completed their dossier and submitted it in time for the agencies to evaluate. Some of the components we needed to show to the agencies were Suppliers manufacturing, CBD consistency, manufacturing processes, ingredient stability and toxicology work to ensure safety to name a few. While many brands are expected to submit applications, less than half are expected to pass by the required standards. It is expected that local authorities will be tasked with removing products from shelves if they are not to have their dossiers validated.
The good thing is, when you buy CBD oil online with Dr Watson CBD in the UK & Europe, you can feel confident that Dr Watson is ensuring they are doing all they can to provide only the highest quality CBD products for consumers.
So, while the CBD industry is still in its early stages in respect to being a consumer and medical product, it is fast changing and growing to ensure that products on the market are safe for the public to consume. While the UK is still many years behind the US & Canada it is still slowly making strides in the right direction.
Since CBD started becoming a more well-known product circa 2015 it has grown incredibly fast. While it has taken 6 – 7 years to get some sort of consistency and regulation implemented in the UK. In the later stages of 2021, the brands you see remaining on the market are expected to be some of the most trustworthy that are out there in the UK & EU.