CBD beverages are exploding with popularity. Unfortunately, a CBD watchdog just released a study showing many CBD beverages are inaccurately labeled.
Tel Aviv, Israel-based CBD analysis company Leafreport tested 22 CBD-infused beverages for their ingredients and dosages. The company aims to bring added transparency to the CBD space, helping consumers make smarter choices about which CBD beverages to buy.
Tests were performed by Canalysis Laboratories under the direction of Leafreport. You can view the full report here at LeafReport.com.
According to Leafreport, a shocking 54% of CBD beverages contain less CBD than advertised. Meanwhile, two CBD beverages claimed to contain 5mg to 25mg of CBD – yet contained no CBD at all.
Key findings from the study include:
- 54% of tested products (12 out of 22) contained less CBD than advertised
- Two of the tested CBD beverages did not contain any CBD
- 81% of beverages (18 out of 22) had a significantly higher or lower amount of CBD than advertised, with tested CBD being more than 10% higher or lower than advertised
- 64% of CBD beverages (14 out of 22) had CBD levels 40% higher or lower than advertised
- Only 4 out of the 22 tested CBD beverages had CBD levels within 10% of the advertised amount
There was no positive association between a company’s overall reputation and their test results, which means that the industry’s leading CBD brands were not more likely to score well on the test – both well-known and lesser-known CBD companies scored poorly for labeling. A CBD beverage from American Shaman, for example, had 21% higher CBD levels than advertised.
Here’s how Lital Shafir, head of product at Leafreport, explained the results of the study in a press release:
“This is in line with our expectations because CBD beverages are difficult to formulate and contain relatively small amounts of CBD, which means that variations of even a few milligrams can have a big effect.”
After testing each CBD beverage, Leafreport ranked beverages from A (Excellent) to F (Fail). Only 4 products scored an A, which means they were within 10% of what was stated on the label. 14 products (64% of the tested beverages) scored an F, which means they contained 30% more or less than the advertised amount of CBD (or no CBD at all).
The Worst CBD Beverages for Inaccurate Labeling
According to Leafreport’s test, two popular CBD products contained no CBD whatsoever. In other words, these companies were selling CBD beverages that contained no actual amount of CBD.
The two CBD beverages with no CBD include:
- Blue Label Naturals CBD Water (0mg of CBD)
- Sativa CBD Water (0mg of CBD)
Blue Label Naturals claims their CBD Water contains 5mg of CBD per bottle when it actually contained 0mg of CBD. Sativa CBD Water, meanwhile, claimed to contain 25mg of CBD (!) per bottle when it actually contained zero.
Other significant offenders for mislabeling included:
- Creating Better Days Nano CBD Beverage Enhancer (80% less CBD than advertised)
- Sprig CBD Infused Soda (221% more CBD than advertised)
- CBD Living Sparkling Water Peach Honey (48% less CBD than advertised)
- Diamond CBD 4-6 Hour Relaxation CBD Shot (97% less CBD than advertised)
- Diamond CBD Chill Shot (68% less CBD than advertised)
- Oki Cucumber Mint Refresh CBD Water (68% less CBD than advertised)
- CBDfx Lemonade Chill Shot (92.13% less CBD than advertised).
Even some of the industry’s best-known companies were found to be inaccurately labeled. CBD American Shaman’s Sparkling Watermelon Water, for example, contained 21% more CBD Than advertised.
The Best CBD Beverages for Accurate Labeling
A rare few CBD beverages contained 10% of the advertised amount of CBD, which is an acceptable range.
Products that contained close to the advertised amount of CBD included:
- Savage CBD Revive Shot (3% more CBD than advertised)
- Dram Beauty Bubbles CBD Sparkling Water (2.7% more CBD than advertised)
- Wyld Blood Orange Sparkling Water (5.67% more CBD than advertised)
- Cleen Craft Hemp Kola (5% more CBD than advertised)
Most of the tested beverages, meanwhile, had disappointingly inaccurate labels.
Leafreport Found Similar Labeling Issues with CBD Oils
This isn’t the first time Leafreport has revealed shocking discrepancies with CBD labeling.
In a separate study, Leafreport showed similarly disappointing results with CBD oils. Leafreport found that some of the leading CBD oil brands frequently lied about their ingredients and dosages.
CBD industry experts claim a 10% discrepancy is acceptable, yet most tested CBD oils and beverages don’t even meet these generous limits.
Moving forward, Leafreport aims to continue highlighting problems within the CBD space:
“The CBD industry is completely unregulated and there have been many cases of companies selling products that contain little to no CBD. That's why third-party testing is important for brands in this industry.”
Any growing industry faces regulatory challenges, and the CBD space is no exception.
Thanks to Leafreport, we can see which CBD beverages are playing by the rules – and which ones are taking advantage of an unregulated CBD space.
