CBD Oils, Softgels, Gummies, Creams & Salves Review

Testing Methods:

1. Quantification of cannabidiol (CBD), THC and analogs shown in the table below and representing total cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids), by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) using state certified methodologies (State of California and State of Colorado).
   
   CBD, THC and analogs quantified as total cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids).

   Analyte	Abbreviation
   Cannabichromene	CBC
   Cannabidiol	CBD
   Cannabidiolic Acid	CBDa
   Cannabidivarin	CBDV
   Cannabigerol	CBG
   Cannabigerolic Acid	CBGa
   Cannabinol	CBN
   Cannabichromenic Acid	CBCa
   Cannabicyclol	CBL
   Cannabidivarinic Acid	CBVa
   Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol	Δ9-THC
   Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol	Δ8-THC
   Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid	THCa
   Tetrahydrocannabivarin	THCV



2. Quantification of 39 terpenoid compounds** utilizing gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID).
3. Quantitative analysis of lead, cadmium, arsneic and mercury by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for products claiming to contain whole herbs or 250 mg or more of minerals per daily serving.
4. Disintegration of tablets (excluding chewable, sublingual and time-release formulations) was performed using United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <2040> methodology for the disintegration of dietary supplements.

Passing Score:*

1. CBD: Passing theConsumerlab.com quality criteria included the following: CBD: Products claiming cannabidiol (CBD, as defined to include 87.7% of CBDa) and/or other cannabinoids must contain a minimum of 100% of the claimed amount(s) and 1) no more than 135% of the claimed amount(s) in a daily serving providing up to and including 2 mg of CBD and 2) no more than 125% of the claimed amount(s) in a daily serving providing more than 2 mg of CBD. Non pet products having no label claim must contain at least 5 mg of CBD per suggested daily oral serving and at least 1 mg per suggested single topical application.
2. Δ9-THC: The amount of THC (as defined to include 87% of THCa) found must not exceed 5.5% of the amount of CBD found, e.g., no more than 0.55 mg of THC per 10 mg of CBD. (Limit based on THC/CBD ratios calculated from limits in state laws permitting CBD for medical use. The ratio varies by state from about 2% to 18%.)
3. Products claiming terpenoid compounds must contain a minimum of 100% of the claimed amount and not more than 135%.
4. Heavy Metals: Products claiming to contain whole herbs or 250 mg or more of minerals per daily serving must not exceed the following limits:
   Lead:
   • Products marketed for use by children may not exceed the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in dietary supplements of 0.5 mcg per recommended daily serving with an additional allowance of 0.8 mcg if the product contains more than 1,000 mg/day of calcium.
   • Products with a single serving weights of less than 5 grams which are not marketed for use by children, may not exceed the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in dietary supplements of 0.5 mcg per recommended daily serving (based on the state of California's Prop 65 limit for lead in dietary supplements, above which a warning is required regarding reproductive harm, birth defects, or cancer risks) with an additional allowance of 0.4 mcg if containing 250-999 mg/day of elemental calcium, magnesium and potassium, 0.8 mcg if containing 1,000 mg/day of any combination of these minerals. An additional 0.5 mcg is provided if containing 250-999 mg/day of whole herb (not extract) ingredient or 1.0 mcg if containing 1000 mg/day or more of whole herb (not extract). However, total lead allowance will not exceed 2 mcg. per daily serving.
   • Products with single serving weights of 5 grams or more which are not marketed for children may not exceed 2.5 mcg per serving nor 4.0 mcg per daily serving.
   Cadmium:
   • If marketed for use by children, may not exceed 3.0 micrograms of cadmium per recommended daily serving (based on Canada's limit for a child weighing 75 lbs.). If not marketed for use by children, may not exceed 4.1 micrograms of cadmium per recommended daily serving (above which California's Prop 65 law requires a "reproductive harm" warning due to developmental toxicity and male reproductive harm).
   Arsenic:
   • Contain less than 10 micrograms of total arsenic per daily serving (EPA limit and state of New Jersey limits - based on 1 liter of water). Products found to exceed this amount were tested for inorganic arsenic and must not contain more than 2.1 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per daily serving (Canada's limit in natural health products).
   Mercury:
   • May not exceed 2 micrograms of mercury per daily serving (based on EPA limit for mercury in 1 liter of water).
5. If applicable to the product, must meet recommended USP <2040> parameters for disintegration of dietary supplements (excluding capsule, chewable, sublingual and time-release products).
6. Must be in compliance with FDA labeling requirements for dietary supplements notwithstanding the fact that CBD products are currently not considered dietary supplements by the FDA.