With a proliferation of CBD products on the market from several hundred CBD brands, Life Spark CBD – one of the UK’s few suppliers of fully organic CBD – has launched a free comparison guide to help retailers and consumers fully evaluate the quality of CBD products they are considering buying or are currently using.
Most retailers and consumers don’t understand what they are actually purchasing when it comes to CBD. The CBD industry is young and unregulated where quality, purity, and potency of available CBD products on the market varies widely, and labelling can be deceiving.
The Centre for Medical Cannabis tested 30 high street CBD products in 20191. One High Street pharmacy product had zero CBD and retailed for £90, and 11 had less than 50% of their stated CBD content. 8 products had solvent and heavy metal contamination, and one product had a dangerous level of ethanol in it and 13 had illegal levels of THC in them.
Prior to starting the business, the future founders tried six products and only two were effective. This became the primary reason for launching Life Spark CBD. Another example of the confusion when purchasing CBD is a customer of an e-commerce company who believed she purchased 2,000mg of CBD, a strong concentration, only to discover it was ‘2,000mg CBD Oil from whole plant extract’, not actual CBD. A high price was paid for relatively little CBD.
Meanwhile, according to some sources, consumers still report buying CBD at brick-and-mortar channels, with up to 50% saying they purchase online.
Estelle Keeber, the founder of Immortal Monkey and CBD consumer, shares her insights: ‘As a consumer it was difficult to understand the actual levels of CBD in an oil. I had tried different oils and had found that they had no benefits for me at all. A lot of people feel dupped. What worked for me, was to contact a seller, ask questions and understand what it is you are taking.
‘I have now found an amazing brand that has worked incredibly well in easing my migraines and insomnia. Not only that but I totally understand what it is that Im using. Always do your research and seek recommendations.’
Stacey Pritchard, co-founder of Planthaya, comments: ‘I started out as CBD retailer , i some many CBD products and brands and it became super apparent how confusing CBD was not only for the end consumer but even for me as a retailer. How was I meant to guide my customers when I couldn’t even make sense of half of the products we were trying to sell. One brand was 1000mg yet each 1ml only had 10mg in, and another says 2000mg yet gives no guidance on mg per ml.
‘That is where the idea for my brand came from I decided to create a range that was easy to choose and simple to use. I think so many more people will benefit from CBD if they have the guidance to know how to understand what they are buying.’
The CBD Comparison Guide from Life Spark CBD helps people compare strength, price and quality using 19 different characteristics found within CBD products, from whether it’s derived from industrial hemp or specially bred hemp, organically grown, to the carrier oil used and the taste.
