Rationale: Our rationale into looking into the true contents of America's best-selling CBD products was clear. Here is a high growth, premium priced category with a known history of FDA-identified issues of potency and purity coupled with media and academic reports. Methods: The convenience products sampled were based on Amazon.com best sellers list and common products listed on consumer CBD website. The products were purchased with the intent of modelling the consumer shopping experience and were chosen from brands across a range of price points and categories (tinctures, capsules, tablets, and gummies). The products were purchased from local co-ops, national retailers, and e-commerce platforms for the intent of simulating the consumer shopping experience. For the testing, we used an ISO 17025 accreditated analytical chemistry laboratory. We tested for over 400 analytes using Intra-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy, Tandem Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy, and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy for heavy metals (Total Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury), Pesticide Residues, Plasticizers (BPA, BPS, and Pthalates), CBD content, and THC testing. We used two alternative ISO 17025 laboratories for random selection test result confirmation.testing. Results:
Performance Metric Top 10 Brands Average Notes
Number of Contaminants Tested 14 We tested for over 400
Inaccurate CBD Labeling >75% Categorized as the number of products great than +/- 10% of the declared quantity of CBD
Average Lead 34ppb Highest average out of any category Clean Label Project has tested
Average Total Pesticides 40.9ppb
Propinconazole: (8% of products)
Pyrimethanil: (3% of products)
Azoxystrobin: (3% of products)
Average Total Pthalates 1,091ppb
% containing THC 45%
Conclusions: Disconnect between brand reported certificates of analysis and products purchased from store shelves
Systemic quality control and quality assurance issues.
Variability in CBD content from declared quantity complicates dosing and titrating
Regulatory oversight needed to ensure potency and public health Funding: No funding