Yes, CBD is Worth the Expense - What Goes Into the Price?
When it comes to CBD products, there are trade-offs between cost and quality. If you wonder why CBD oil is so expensive, the answer is quite simple—when done right, the entire process from growing, to harvesting, and extracting, is costly and time-consuming. As a result, high-quality CBD products will carry a higher price tag than some of the items you’ll find on drug store shelves. In fact, if a CBD product has a “cheap” asking price, it’s a sign that important corners have been cut.
Let's dive a little deeper into what you are paying for and the importance of the process behind the products you choose, ultimately making the cost of CBD “worth it.”
Why is CBD oil so expensive?
CBD Extraction Process
Creating high-quality CBD products requires careful monitoring of the extraction process ensuring that the outcome is pure, potent, and free of contaminants. CBD extraction involves removing cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds from the hemp plant, producing a concentrated form of CBD. This extraction process is labor-intensive, causing quality to coincide with cost.
The Importance of Organic Growing Practices
From pesticides to heavy metals and residual solvents, a host of dangerous compounds can be included in low-quality, non-organic CBD products. High-quality CBD is worth the cost due to the organically grown hemp and top-of-the-line extraction processes used. Organically grown USA hemp does not contain industrial solvents, genetic engineering, synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. Utilizing sustainable farming methods results in higher quality CBD, but this production method is more costly for obvious reasons. Cheaper CBD products are often made from hemp grown using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, leading to lower-quality contaminated CBD.
Careful handling of the hemp impacts the quality of the CBD
From start to finish of the CBD creation process, there are a host of critical stages to create high-quality CBD oil, causing the end products to be more expensive. Quality CBD is not mass-produced, with expert detail focused on every single step of the growing, harvesting, and extraction processes. Before the extraction process can begin, hemp plants are harvested, dried, and ground into a fine powder. This time-consuming procedure requires attention to detail in order to ensure the plant material is properly prepared for extraction. Once CBD has been extracted, it must be processed further to remove any remaining plant material, impurities, or unwanted compounds. This involves additional filtration, distillation, or refinement steps, all of which require careful attention and expertise to create the result of first-class CBD.
Fillers can cheapen the product
When choosing CBD products, it is important to read the label… carefully! Low-cost CBD products may contain various types of fillers, some of which carry potential health risks. For example, propylene glycol is a synthetic compound used as a food additive in some pharmaceutical and CBD products and has been linked to respiratory issues when inhaled.
Expensive CBD products are worth the price because they don’t include dangerous additives and fillers. When you read the labels, you will see a select few pure, natural, high-quality ingredients. Cheaper CBD products often include additives and fillers such as cellulose, gelatin, carrageenan, potassium sorbate, titanium dioxide, and artificial colors. None of these ingredients are safe, natural, or healthy for ingestion or topical use. When you ask yourself, "why is CBD oil so expensive?", keep in mind that you are not only paying for quality CBD, but also other ingredients – or lack thereof – in your CBD products.
Cheap CBD is Too Good to be True
If you pick up a bottle of CBD and think to yourself, “wow, this price is a steal,” stop and consider why the CBD may be so cheap. Common reasons include:
It Offers a Lesser Concentration of CBD
Inexpensive CBD products are often made with lower-quality hemp, containing lower concentrations of CBD. These products are produced using less precise extraction methods that also negatively affect CBD concentration levels. Producing high-quality CBD products is a costly process involving careful cultivation, extraction, and testing, so there is a reason why cheap CBD alternatives are not the best option.
It’s Hemp Seed Oil Parading Around as CBD
A common mistake is to buy hemp oil, thinking that it’s a cheaper CBD oil, especially because labels are often designed to fool people into thinking they are purchasing an effective CBD product. Although hemp seed oil and CBD are in the same cannabis family, they are not the same thing. For starters, CBD is extracted from the leaves and flowers, while hemp seed oil is made from cold-pressing the hemp seeds. Hemp seed oil contains a host of health benefits, but it does not contain the healing qualities of CBD, including its ability to dull pain and anxiety.
The brand cut corners in quality standards
When you find cheap CBD, there is a reason. The cost of producing top-notch CBD products is high, and companies that sell cheap CBD are likely to cut corners to keep their prices low. Lesser quality CBD brands tend to skimp in the source of hemp used. Low-quality CBD products are usually made from hemp that is grown using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, leading to low potency subpar products.
There are several methods for extracting CBD from hemp plants, including CO2 extraction, ethanol extraction, and oil extraction. Top-quality CBD oil is derived from an expensive and time-consuming method called CO2 extraction. Once CBD has been extracted, it must be processed further to remove any remaining plant material, impurities, or unwanted compounds. Cheaper CBD products do not undergo the rigorous testing and quality control procedures that high-end CBD companies do, leading to inconsistencies in potency, purity, and safety.
The CBD is Expired
Yes, CBD does expire, so always be mindful to check expiration dates. Products beyond their shelf life may have compromised efficacy and potency, making them overall less effective. Expired CBD products are also more likely to contain harmful contaminants or have bacterial growth, which can make them unsafe to consume. Ingesting expired CBD products can cause adverse reactions or side effects, so in addition to not being useful, they can potentially be harmful.
Botanika Life - Luxury CBD Products Worth the Expense
The caliber of CBD products you choose for your body should be organically grown, pesticide and GMO-free, and produced in the USA. Botanika Life products not only exceed these standards but are also vegan and sustainable.Botanika Life wellness products are made with the highest quality CBD, using clean recipes, and verified with third-party lab testing. Each product, from our skin care serums to our CBD sleep sprays, includes the best-in-class plant-based ingredients to deliver immediate rejuvenation and long-term wellness.
By Emily Wegener
With a unique background as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Masters Degree in Teaching and experience in Psychology, Emily spends much of her time researching and trying out new holistic healing modalities.
