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Does CBD Oil Expire?
But does CBD oil expire? Yes, it can go bad. Every consumable product out there has an expiration date. The consumer should pay attention to avoid consuming an expired item.
However, it’s not that bad, unlike many consumable products like milk or bread. CBD oil being shelf-stable, has a longer life span – from 1 to 2 years, staying fresh in the right conditions.
Given the right care and environment, your CBD can last a little longer than the quoted expiry date. Conversely, putting it through some rough conditions can make it go bad a lot before the expiry date.
Is your CBD Oil expired?
If you’re reading this, you probably have some CBD products at your place for a long time. Well, the good news is, you don’t need a medical certificate to determine if your CBD product is expired or not.
Follow these simple steps to know if you can still consume or use your CBD products:
1. Expiration date
The first-ever step in determining the state of your CBD is to check the expiry date.
It may sound common sense, but many people miss out on this simple trick and end up buying or using an expired item. As required by the FDA, all CBD Products display an expiration date label. It’s always good to check this before buying.
If you feel something different with your CBD, it’s time to recheck the expiry date. In case the deadline has passed, it’s time to throw away that bottle and bring in a new set. But if you are still within the deadline, it’s time for the next step.
2. Texture and Color
The second step is to check for noticeable texture and color change. The texture change of your CBD to foggy or murky is due to the compounds’ breaking down. The oil and ingredients have separated, and your CBD is now past its best. However, in one particular case, the murky texture doesn’t mean CBD has gone bad. Refrigerating your CBD over long periods makes the oil texture thicken. Leaving out in room temperature should revert to its original appearance.
A change of color might be due to the breaking of the compounds in the CBD. This is mainly because of too much sunlight or heat exposure. If you notice any color changes in the past few days or weeks, chances are the product has gone bad, and it’s time to say goodbye to it.
3. Smell and Taste
The third and final step of solving this puzzle is to find out whether the smell and taste have changed or not.
On tasting, a bad CBD will make you immediately spit out. Its taste is much worse than any usual stuff or medication. Its flavor is so distasteful and unpleasant that you won’t miss it out. Similarly, the odor of a bad CBD oil is rancid.
You should not use it if you hate the smell and taste of it. However, If you can smell and taste the oil, it’s probably going to be okay for consumption.
That’s it! You finish with all the tests for passing your CBD for use. Your CBD oil is within the expiry date, its color is not murky, and it doesn’t smell and taste rancid. It’s going to work just as it should.
Factors determining CBD oil expiration date
The factors that could alter the quality of your CBD oil are:
1. Extraction method
The first factor determining your purchased CBD’s life span is the extraction method used to transform the leaves and flowers into usable oil.
Without going into a detailed explanation of extraction, you should know manufacturers prefer the CO2 extraction method as the best option available.
The CO2 extraction method makes the Hemp’s chemical integrity remain largely unmodified, maintaining each compound’s stability. This means the shelf life of such a product is more as the compounds take more time to breakdown.
Alternatively, other lower-quality extraction methods will produce a product with less stable compounds and a shorter life span.
2. Extraction date
However, even the best method use for extraction doesn’t mean anything if you keep the product for a long time.
Thus the extraction date becomes an essential factor. Although we as consumers don’t have anything to do about this, it’s the CBD producing companies that should stay vigilant.
3. Production place for base material
We make CBD from Hemp. Hemp being hyperaccumulator may dictate expiry. The Hemp can easily absorb the heavy metal oxide and toxins in the soil.
CBD produced from the Hemp plant grown in low-quality soil will result in low-quality oil. Similarly, the Hemp taken from high-quality ground will produce a better quality product.
The quality of the soil where the plant is grown will determine how early the CBD oil expires.
4. Additional ingredients
The additional ingredients added to the CBD oil can also affect its expiry.
The commonly added ingredients have their expiry dates. For example, if the flavoring added has a shelf life of 1 year, the CBD as a whole will expire at this time as it is the ingredient in the CBD with the shortest life span.
5. Brand transparency
CBD is still unregulated in most parts of the world, which means many nefarious people and websites are selling it. Products from such developers lack quality and originality, leading to very little shelf life.
If you want to makes sure your CBD oil will last longer, check whether the brand provides third-party lab results. Certificate of Analysis (COA) is a thing that all reputable brands will have for sure. (COA) ensures that CBD product is everything it claims to be.
Believe it or not, you can identify how long your CBD will last compared to other products. Just buy your CBD product from a well-recognized brand. Brand transparency is a sign of legitimacy. These brands take pride in a genuine product that customers can trust for a long time.
Consumed an expired CBD Oil?
You don’t need to worry if you have recently consumed an expired CBD because there are no such side effects to consuming an expired CBD.
The consumer has only consumed inactive CBD, as the expired product’s main compounds break down and evaporate, decreasing the product’s potency and efficiency.
How to treat your CBD oil
Some factors contribute to the correct method for correctly storing and preserving your CBD oil.
Paying attention to these will make your CBD fresh for longer, and every time you use it will be like the first time you purchased it.
Good storage equals good CBD.
The most crucial factor is storing your CBD while not in use to preserve and maintain it.
The two main enemies of CBD are light and heat that have to be faced daily. Minimize the exposure and contact with both. High heat and intense light such as sunlight oxidize the oil breaking the compounds present in it. The oil’s beneficial molecules break free and evaporate, decreasing the product’s potency and efficiency.
Ultimately, the ineffective CBD is of no use. So, to get the most out of your CBD, ensure the followings:
- Use a new spoon for each time you use the oil to avoid bacteria entering the bottle.
- Store the CBD in a cold and dark place away from heat and sunlight.
Only buy as much as needed.
The bulk buying of CBD to stockpile the stock and take advantage of deals and offers is a common mistake by many users.
The expired CBD is of no use. You should not ignore the expiry date printed on the CBD container, as many people regularly purchasing multiple bottles at a time will lead to wastage as the expiration date creeps up.
It’s best to buy bottles according to need rather than buying full stocks and wasting both money and CBD.
Verdict
CBD can go bad just as other products like milk and egg do. However, a bad CBD won’t harm you but won’t do any good as well.
The user can quickly determine whether their CBD will deliver what they expect by checking its expiry, viewing the color and texture of oil while looking for a murky appearance, and the last thing the smell or taste of the product. Anyone can recognize a bad CBD if any of these three are not as expected.
Take a little care for Your CBD to get the most out of it. Prevent contamination by using a clean spoon for each time you use it to avoid any decrease in its potency and efficiency. Store the CBD in a cool and dark place away from sunlight and direct heat, as almost every product should be.
Keep in mind these few things, and every time you use your CBD, it will be just as fresh as the first time you bought it.
DISCLAIMER
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics requires this disclaimer. We collected this information from different sources for the benefit of our consumers. The Food and Drug Administration did not evaluate the statements made regarding these products. The effectiveness of these products is not confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not meant to cure, diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. The information presented here is not intended as a substitute for knowledge from health-care practitioners. It is also not meant as an alternative to expertise from health-care practitioners. You should always consult with your doctor and ask about the risk of interactions or complications before using any products.