When it comes to knowing what you’re putting in your body, it’s important to understand what goes into the products you’re purchasing. Ingredient lists can be complicated, full of technical language and can require a fair bit of research to truly understand. Unfortunately, the world of CBD isn’t much different. Between the ambiguous language and complicated chemical jargon, it can be difficult to assess what’s actually in the products you are consuming.

Here at LoFi, we believe that knowledge is empowering. Having a greater understanding of what you’re buying and consuming can enable you to make your best decisions. Because of this, we wanted to take a moment to break down some of the key information about CBD oil, how it’s made, and what ingredients are typically contained within a bottle. This way, you can be better equipped to know what you’re consuming and what products you want to spend money on.

So what kinds of ingredients are found within a bottle of CBD oil? As you may have guessed, it’s not very complicated.

How CBD Oil is Made

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid found within the oily resin of the cannabis plant. For the most part, this resin is located in the plant’s flowering buds and serves to protect it from things like insects and heat. However, cannabis resin is also filled with compounds (terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids) that interact with our own bodies. The most well known of these compounds are CBD and THC.

In order to produce a bottle of CBD oil, the CBD first has to be extracted. The first stage of extraction produces something referred to as CBD crude extract, which is typically thick, dark, and unrefined. The makeup of this compound can vary depending on the kind of extraction method being used. Types of extraction techniques include C02, alcohol extraction, and hydrocarbon.

• C02 extraction uses high pressure carbon dioxide and extremely low temperatures in order to isolate and maintain the quality of the oil. This method requires expensive equipment but ensures the oil is safe from contaminants and remains potent.
• Alcohol extraction uses high-grade grain alcohol to create a CBD extract. However, this method destroys any plant waxes that may be present in the extracted compound, which may be useful for the creation of particular products.
• Hydrocarbon extraction uses solvents like butane, hexane, or propane in the extraction process. However, if these solvents aren’t completely cleansed from the CBD oil extract, they could be harmful upon consumption.

After the first round of extraction, the oil is further refined in a process called winterization which removes unwanted compounds like waxes and fats. From here, the refined crude or winterized crude can be further refined into a Distillate or Isolate, each with their own distinct profiles. Within the context of LoFi, we make Full Spectrum CBD products using Winterized Crude extract. Since this is a larger topic, we’ve spoken more about these terms and the refinement process here.

A List of Ingredients

Once the process is complete, the CBD extract is then mixed with a carrier oil and (sometimes) other ingredients. This is when the product becomes recognizable as what we commonly refer to as CBD oil. From here, the oil is ready to be shipped out to your local cannabis retailers.

When it comes to an ingredients list, however, Canada has firm rules. The federal Cannabis Act states that CBD (and other cannabis extracts) can only contain four ingredients: active cannabinoids, carrier substances (like oils), flavouring agents, and product stabilizers (like preservatives). This means that the number and type of ingredients contained within a bottle of CBD oil are generally simpler than what might be assumed.
Typically, a standard 30ml bottle of CBD weighs about 28.5g. This means that a bottle of CBD oil with 1000mg of CBD would be more than 95% carrier oil. This surprises a lot of people, but we think it’s an important detail to keep in mind when shopping for CBD.

Within the context of Lofi, our 1500mg CBD oil is about 5% CBD. For this product, we use Winterized Crude CBD oil (full Spectrum), which is about 65% pure CBD. The remainder of the content is made up of supporting cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Thankfully, because we’ve been able to source high-quality hemp that tastes good enough on its own (though we may be a little biased), we don’t feel the need to add any additional flavouring agents. For the rest of the 95%, we use a high quality MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) carrier oil, sustainably produced using coconut and palm from Indonesia and Malaysia.

TL;DR

Despite extraction and production methods that may seem complicated, CBD oil remains a very simple product with few ingredients. Under Canadian law, a bottle of CBD oil can only contain active cannabinoids, carrier substances, flavouring agents, and stabilizers. In the case of our LoFi CBD Oil | 1500, it’s a simple blend of Full Spectrum CBD extract and sustainably sourced MCT oil.