Does CBD Go Bad? What You Need To Know
CBD

Does CBD Go Bad? What You Need To Know

You probably expect the consumable products you purchase to have an expiration date. CBD oil and other CBD products are no different.

To be clear, some producers may not print expiration dates directly on the bottles or packaging. Those are products you should probably stay away from; reputable manufacturers pay attention to important details like those. Even if does have an expiration date, though, it’s natural to wonder how long your CBD will last.

Generally speaking, CBD products are good for 1-2 years, depending on factors like their quality, other ingredients they may contain, how they’re packaged, and how they’re stored.

The good news is that opened bottles of CBD oil should last just as long as unopened ones — and that the oil’s appearance, smell, and taste will make it pretty clear if the oil has gone bad. And there’s even more good news: using expired CBD oil shouldn’t hurt you. It just won’t be as effective as it should be.

If you’re looking for more details, here they are.

What’s in CBD Oil?

Most CBD oil contains two ingredients. The most important, of course, is CBD (cannabidiol).

CBD is one of 100+ natural compounds, known as cannabinoids, found in the hemp plant. When extracted, cannabidiol brings with it small amounts of other cannabinoids and natural substances. That includes a very small amount of psychoactive THC, but it’s not enough to make users high or intoxicated in any way.

Cannabidiol itself isn’t absorbed well by the body. When it’s sold as CBD oil, it’s combined with a so-called carrier oil that increases the CBD’s “bioavailability” to boost the cannabinoid’s absorption and effectiveness. The best and most common carrier oil is MCT oil sourced from coconuts, but others include regular coconut oil, hemp seed oil, olive oil, or avocado oil.

Why are we focusing on the ingredients in CBD oil, not other CBD products? It’s because the cannabidiol in almost all of those products (like CBD capsules, CBD edibles, and CBD topicals) use CBD oil as their active ingredient. Edibles or topicals might go bad even sooner depending on their other ingredients, but they won’t last longer than CBD oil does.

Both CBD and its carrier oil are botanical products, and botanical products don’t last forever. They eventually degrade, and several factors can determine how quickly that happens to CBD products.

What Causes CBD Oil to Go Bad?

Even the highest-quality CBD oil, produced and stored under ideal conditions, will become unusable in 1-2 years. That doesn’t mean it’s poisonous or dangerous to use; it’s simply much less effective and may smell or taste rancid.

Some CBD oils, though, may go bad even more rapidly. Here’s what can affect the shelf life of your CBD.

  • Plant Quality: Low-quality hemp plants, those grown in substandard environments, and those handled or processed improperly won’t produce the best-quality CBD.
  • Extraction Method: Cannabidiol can be extracted from hemp with several different methods, and the less-expensive methods don’t do an optimal job of protecting the effectiveness of the cannabinoid and keeping its ingredients stable. CBD extracted with the supercritical CO2 method will be the highest quality and last the longest.
  • Purity: Extracted cannabidiol contains all of the hemp’s other cannabinoids and natural compounds and is called full-spectrum CBD. It can be processed further to remove virtually all of its THC to make broad-spectrum CBD, or processed even more to create pure CBD known as CBD isolate. CBD oil made with isolate will last the longest.
  • Other Ingredients: The type and quality of the carrier oil used impacts how long CBD oil will remain usable; high-quality MCT oil is the best choice. Some producers also add flavorings or other ingredients to their CBD oil, and those other substances can play a role in degrading the quality and effectiveness of the oil.
  • Container: Most high-quality CBD oil is sold in airtight, amber-colored bottles. Those containers are designed to protect the oil from sunlight, air, and outside contaminants that could cause the product to go bad faster.
  • Storage: CBD oil should be stored at room temperature and away from all outside elements. Heat and light can speed the natural process of the oil’s degradation.

Most of those factors are out of the user’s control, making it crucial to buy CBD oil produced by reputable companies and sold by trustworthy vendors. A printed expiration date is one indication of trustworthiness; another is a label that links to the product’s third-party COA (Certificate of Authenticity) detailing the cannabinoids and other substances in the CBD.

However, you can prolong the life of your CBD by storing it in its original bottle, in a dark space away from light sources (particularly sunlight). It should also be kept away from heat sources like stoves, ovens, and heating vents.

A closed cabinet or drawer that stays at room temperature is the best place to keep your CBD oil. It’s not the best idea to keep it in the refrigerator; that won’t cause the CBD to go bad more quickly, but it will make the oil thick and cloudy. It will have to be brought back to room temperature before it’s more palatable and easier to use.

One other common belief is that CBD oil goes bad faster once the bottle has been opened. That’s not true. The cannabidiol won’t lose its effectiveness or spoil more quickly once you’ve started to use it, as long as you close the cover as tightly as possible and store it properly.

Under optimal conditions, CBD oil is usually good for 1-2 years. It’s impossible to narrow that time frame down further, simply because there’s no way for the consumer to know about many of the producer-controlled variables we’ve mentioned.

How Do You Know If CBD Oil Has Gone Bad?

Expiration dates (or expected shelf life) aren’t scientific measurements, but it won’t be a secret if your CBD oil has gone bad.

  • You may notice there’s a problem as soon as you look at the bottle. Spoiled CBD oil will look very murky, dark, and thick (rather than cloudy, as it will be if it’s been kept at cold temperatures). Let the oil sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and it should clear up; if it doesn’t, it’s probably expired.
  • When you open the bottle, there may be more evidence of spoilage. CBD oil that’s still good will smell earthy (if it’s processed or includes other ingredients, it may have no scent or smell pleasant). When it’s gone bad, the oil is likely to smell rancid or skunky.
  • When you use the oil, its taste should tell the story. CBD oil generally tastes earthy (others call the flavor nutty or woodsy), or like the flavoring that some producers add. Spoiled oil will taste spoiled or just plain “wrong.”
  • Finally, if the CBD oil doesn’t deliver the effects you’re accustomed to experiencing, it’s almost certainly lost its effectiveness and should be tossed.

You can still use CBD oil that’s past its expiration date or seems to have gone bad. It won’t make you sick or have other ill effects, but it also won’t do you any good.

If you think your CBD oil (or other CBD product) has gone bad, or it’s past its printed expiration date, it makes sense to throw it away and use or buy a new bottle. There’s no sense in using a product that won’t provide any of its potential benefits*.

Shop our CBD products:

 

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease