No matter what you buy, as a consumer, it’s important to get exactly what you’re looking for. This is especially true for CBD products. Although there are many CBD oil tinctures available, it’s difficult to know whether the labels are telling the truth or not. So it’s time that we looked a little deeper. 

We took a sample of 10 of the most prominent CBD brands available in South Africa and sent them all for testing. Our goal at Cannabis Oil South Africa was to find products that not only contained CBD, but that provided accurate dosage information. And the results were quite surprising!

Results can be seen in the image attached.

CBD Oil Dosages

CBD products come in a variety of dosages, represented in milligrams (mg) on the label. Depending on what you need, it’s important that you choose the right product so that you can take the right amount of CBD. 

The most common products available today range from 100mg up to 1,000mg of CBD. But did you know that some of these products had between 50% - 200% more than the label specified? 

According to a representative from Qure testing lab, “Generally, in the pharmaceutical industry a 10% tolerance around label claim is accepted.” which means only 1 out of the 10 local CBD brands that we tested were within this range. 

One of these products (brand 8) is a CBD skin cream that is advertised at containing 156mg of CBD. However, upon testing the product it came back with NO CBD oil at all. We find this very alarming and a disappointing lie to consumers.

What’s even more surprising is that the rest were adding way more CBD than they said - with one brand (brand 3) over 1.5x the stipulated amount.

Not only is it difficult to take accurate doses, but you might be exceeding the government’s recommended dosage of 20mg per day. And even worse, the products may no longer fall under the Schedule 0 drug classification and could be illegal. 

The latest SAHRPA CBD documentation stipulates that these products must “contain a maximum daily dose of 20 mg CBD with an accepted low risk claim or health claim”.

Is it Dangerous to Consume These Products?

The products themselves are not the problem, but rather the dosage that you consume. If the products do not contain accurate CBD amounts, you will not know exactly how much to take each time. You might find the CBD isn’t working as expected or that each batch is different to the next. 

When it comes to CBD products, accuracy is key.

Finding the Right CBD Oil for Sale | What Can I Do?

If you want to take the necessary steps to avoid inferior quality products that are not providing accurate information, you need to look out for a COA (certificate of analysis). 

Every product that you purchase should have a batch number which you can match with an up-to-date CBD test result (COA). By law, the products must provide this information, so it should be there.

If you can’t find a COA for the product or if you are unsure whether the COA is linked to your current batch, it’s important that you contact the supplier directly to find out more. If they cannot (or refuse) to provide you with the test results, it is a clear indication that their products cannot be trusted. 

All of the best CBD oil providers in South Africa have this information on hand and it is usually listed on the product’s page or on the shop’s website.

Get What You Paid For

This release isn’t meant to be a name-and-shame, which is why we left out the actual companies involved. It’s intended to be a warning for any consumer looking to purchase CBD in South Africa. 

Even though getting more than your money’s worth might seem appetising, accurate information and transparency are the cornerstones of a reliable (and trustworthy) CBD product. 

There are plenty of these high-quality CBD oils available. Will you continue to let the deceptive companies pull the wool over your eyes or are you ready to find out the truth? Remember - if there isn’t a test result, something isn’t right.