What is a CBD Certificate of Analysis and Why is it Important to You?

A COA is a “Certificate of Analysis” and is one of the most important tools you have to determine the quality and purity of a CBD product. It is also the most important tool you have to ensure that you are getting the amount of CBD you are paying for. Our recommendation is that you only buy CBD from companies that have their products 3rd party lab tested.

Why is a COA important? Because the CBD market right now is not regulated. Now, many people have an immediate reaction to regulation. They think it must be bad and they are against regulations! But, remember, regulations are the rules that keep people from selling meat that has gone bad, spinach and other foods with bacterial contamination (like E. coli), and keep your air and water clean. Regulation also keeps drugs that cause serious and perhaps deadly side effects off the market and can keep dangerous products off the market. Regulations also require that the seller provide you the consumer with valid and accurate information about their product—especially about substances that you take into your body or onto your skin. 3rd party testing—and the COAs they produce can protect you on a number of levels—they can tell you that you are buying what you think you are buying and they can tell you that there are no other components of the product that may harm you—now or in the future. These COAs are also a reflection of the company’s commitment to transparency and accuracy in labeling their product—and that the company cares enough about the consumer to make the product as pure as possible.

3rd Party Testing

This is testing by a separate and independent lab with no financial interest in the results. This ensures that you get accurate and reliable information about your CBD product regarding purity, potency (dose or concentration) and whether or not the product is free of pesticides, heavy metals and microbial contamination. 3rd party testing can also give you an understanding of the amounts of total cannabinoids present as well as terpenes and other constituents.

Cannabinoids

The cannabinoids are a class of plant substances with similar chemical structures. Both CBD and THC are cannabinoids. 3rd party testing can let you know not only how much CBD you are getting in the product, it can also let you know how much THC is in the product—and this can be important if your employment depends on drug testing—in this case, you will want to ensure that there is less than 0.3% THC in your product. Also—research in the potential benefits of cannabinoids is in its infancy—some cannabinoids (eg. CBG) may prove to be very useful in the future, and it is worthwhile knowing how much of these other potentially beneficial cannabinoids are included in the product you are interested in.

Terpenes

Terpenes are another class of plant substances that are found in high levels in hemp, other strains of cannabis, evergreen trees and many other plants. Terpenes are believed to protect plants from pests. They may also help keep animals away that might be interested in eating them! Terpenes consist of only carbon and hydrogen atoms while terpenoids (also known as isoprenoids) also contain oxygen and other chemical groups. Terpenes and terpenoids are the substances that give cannabis plants their unique smell. More importantly, research is showing us that the terpenes and terpenoids can have benefits all on their own, separate from the effects of CBD. Myrcene, for example, is associated with the reduction of stress and anxiety and linalool—which can give hemp and other cannabis products a flowery aroma (similar to lavender…because lavender flowers contain linalool!) and may be anti-microbial and act as an antidepressant.

Pesticides and Herbicides

You want to get a “clean” product without any chemical residue. Since CBD is derived from the hemp plant, this means, at a minimum, the plant should be free of any chemicals used during the plant’s growth and harvest period. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the plant has been organically grown, but 3rd party testing indicated that no pesticides or herbicides are present does tell you that the plants were properly processed.

Heavy metals

Heavy metals testing usually includes lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic but can also include chromium, iron, aluminum, copper, cobalt and others. Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic are known toxins—this is why every CBD product should be tested for these.

Residual solvents

A solvent is any substance that is used to dissolve other substances like plant material. There are several steps in the journey from plant to product. The plant must be harvested, dried and the CBD extracted using some form of solvent. There are two main processes for extraction: an ethanol extraction and a CO2 extraction. Some companies use a combination of these two. Other companies, however, may use harsher and more dangerous solvents to extract CBD from the hemp plants. You need to know that there are no solvents remaining, especially if a company uses a solvent such as hexane or benzene! At Elevatd Femme, our products are processed with CO2 extraction with no added solvents.

Microbials

Microbials can include bacteria, viruses and fungi, though for the most part, labs are testing form bacteria and fungi. These can include bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, bacteria found in feces (coliforms), some forms of gram-negative bacteria (eg Pseudomonas and others), anaerobic (can live without oxygen) and aerobic (oxygen-requiring) bacteria. Most labs will also test for aspergillus (a form of fungus) and yeast. This testing is done to confirm that there is no microbial contamination of the product—there are no live bacteria or fungi.

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are produced by fungi and molds and can include aflatoxin, ochratoxin A and ergot alkaloids. You need to be confident that any product you buy does not contain these toxins.

Currently, the CBD industry is not regulated. This lack of regulation means that you, the customer, have to be more proactive in determining the purity and quality of the CBD products that you buy. At Elevatd Femme we are committed to transparency and to serving the customer (you!) and providing a product that provides value and safety.