Offering a Certificate of Analysis for each CANVIVA CBD product is one of the most important things we do. But what is a COA? Why is it important? How do you find one on our website? And how do you read a CBD Certificate of Analysis (COA)? We’ll answer all these questions for you.
What is a COA and why is it important?
The FDA does not currently regulate CBD, because it is not considered a drug or a nutritional supplement. At the same time, there is a great need for some kind of regulation. PBS NewsHour reported that only, “25% of tinctures and 45% of oils contained the promised amount of CBD. In most cases, they held far less. A few CBD products had enough THC to put the user in legal jeopardy of marijuana possession.”
Because of this, health experts including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Consumer Reports and several academic institutions have been recommending that CBD shoppers look for a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for all CBD products. A third-party laboratory should provide the COA, and the COA should list the lab’s address for added assurance, and as required by law in many states.
CANVIVA recognizes the importance of COAs. In order to earn the PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ seal, our products must have a published third-party COA as well as meeting seven standards of quality and safety.
So a COA is very important, but how do you read it? First, you’ll want to find the COA on our website.
Where to find COAs for your CANVIVA CBD.
You can find our COAs most quickly and easily on the top menu bar on our website. You can also find COAs on each of the individual product pages.
On the COA page you’ll find a listing of all CANVIVA products. You can expand each of these green bars to find the COA and information for each of the individual products. On the bottom of the COA page you will also find a section labeled “In-Depth Bulk Test Results for PURE CERTIFIED CBD™”. This section includes the test results for the bulk CBD before it has been added to the individual products.
How to read the individual CANVIVA product COAs.
We will be using the Certificate of Analysis (COA) for our popular RESTORE CBD Tincture as an example to help explain how to read a COA.
Cannabinoid Profile
The first section of test results on the COA is the cannabinoid profile (EXAMPLE 1). The most important numbers you will find in this section are the numbers for the CBD content and the THC content. In this example the CBD content (green circle) is 17.2 milligrams per milliliter (mg/ml), or 1.76% CBD. The THC content (blue circle) is 0.551 mg/ml or 0.06% THC, which is significantly less than the maximum allowable 0.3% THC. You will also notice trace amounts of other cannabinoids including CBD and CBC. This is a benefit of a full-spectrum CBD product.
EXAMPLE 1
Terpene Profile
The second section of test results on the individual product COA is the terpene profile (Example 2.) Here you will find terpenes listed in two columns. The amount of the terpene is measured in UG (microgram) per gram of product (UG/G).
The purpose of this test is to determine whether each terpene listed is found in the product or not. Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD products include a variety of naturally occurring terpenes. CANVIVA adds essential oils to many products to enhance certain terpenes for added benefits.
EXAMPLE 2
How to read CANVIVA’s In Bulk Test Results.
All of CANVIVA’s products are made with PURE CERTIFIED CBD™, and a third-party, independent lab tests the bulk batch of CBD before CANVIVA uses any of it in individual products. This COA was meant to be used in conjunction with the individual product COAs, and there are three main things to be aware of when reading it:
- CANVIVA provides this PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ COA to show that none of the CBD used in CANVIVA products contains any harmful substances including solvents, toxins, pesticides, mycotoxins (toxins produced by fungi), or heavy metals.
- This COA provides information about the cannabinoid profile in the bulk batch of PURE CERTIFIED CBD™. While this is an accurate number for the whole batch, it does not reflect the amount of CBD and THC in the individual products. The best place to find the cannabinoid profile test results is on each individual product COA, and the amount of THC in the individual products is ALWAYS less than 0.3%.
- The COA also includes a terpene profile for the full batch. While this is an accurate number for the batch, it does not reflect the amount of terpenes found in the individual products. The best place to find the terpene profile test results is on each individual product COA.
Here is more information about each of these points:
No Harmful Substances
When you open the Test Results/COA document, look for the information about the presence of harmful substances. On the bottom of page one of the PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ COA (EXAMPLE 3), you will see a “Pass” in each of these categories, meaning that the batch of CBD Oil met the standards to claim the CBD oil is free of solvents, toxins, pesticides, mycotoxins, and heavy metals.
EXAMPLE 3
On the next pages of the COA report, you will find breakouts with the individual pages for solvents, toxins, pesticides, mycotoxins, and heavy metals. On each page, you will see a chart (EXAMPLE 4) with columns for Mass, LOQ, Limit, and Status.
- Mass refers to the actual amount of the substance measured by the lab for this batch. A result of <LOQ in this column means the amount measured was less than the lowest measurable amount.
- LOQ is the Limit of Quantification or the lowest amount that can be accurately quantified by the testing laboratory.
- Limit is the maximum amount of the substance that the batch may contain, measured in Parts Per Million (PPM).
- Status a status of “Pass” on all four rows means the CBD oil batch has less than the limit for each these four heavy metals. (In the example shown, the LOQ was significantly less than the limit, so the product passed.)
EXAMPLE 4
Cannabinoid Profile
Another test result on the PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ COA is the cannabinoid profile (EXAMPLE 5). Cannabinoids include CBD, THC and other phytocannabinoids. This is likely the first thing that you saw when you opened the COA, and the high amounts of CBD and THC may have surprised you. To be legally sold in the United States, a product must contain less than 0.3% THC. In EXAMPLE 5 the percentage is 2.914%.
Why is that amount greater than 0.3%? This is the bulk oil test before the PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ is used to formulate individual products. The bulk CBD oil is always blended with another oil, such as MCT Coconut Oil (which helps the body metabolize the CBD oil), to make the actual products we sell. The individual products contain only a fraction of the bulk oil and will never include more than 0.3% THC.
EXAMPLE 5
Terpene Profile
Another test result you will find on the PURE CERTIFIED CBD™ COA is the terpene profile. Terpenes are responsible for the smell and flavor of plants. Again, this COA is for the bulk batch of PURE CERTIFIED CBD™. The terpene profile and amounts in the final formulation of each individual product can be found on the individual product COAs, and will be different than what is found on this COA for PURE CERTIFIED CBD™.
What if I still have questions?
All these numbers and scientific information may be confusing. If you have any questions about reading a Certificate of Analysis (COA) or about CANVIVA CBD products in general, we are glad to help, please reach out via contact us.