Just like any other product manufactured from natural ingredients, CBD oil doesn’t last forever.
It should have an expiration date printed on the label, but even if it doesn’t, the oil will usually go bad after 1-2 years. CBD isn’t dangerous to use if it’s spoiled, but it may smell rancid and it won’t deliver the effects you’d expect.
A natural impulse could be to keep it in the refrigerator to extend its life — but that shouldn’t be necessary. Refrigeration may keep the oil from degrading and preserve it a little longer, but a single bottle of CBD oil, used regularly, should be long gone well before it goes bad.
-
1000mg CBD Lotion
£49.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
1000mg CBD Oil
£54.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
1800mg CBD Oil
£89.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
500mg CBD Oil (Full Spectrum)
£39.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
750mg CBD Balm
£44.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
750mg CBD Gummies
£49.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
900mg CBD Capsules
£49.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
900mg CBD Patches
£34.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
In short, no. CBD oil doesn’t have to be refrigerated. What’s crucial is that it’s protected from environmental elements that can cause it to degrade more quickly.
- Light: Direct sunlight will cause CBD oil to spoil fairly quickly, even though most bottles of oil are tinted to protect the contents from the worst of the sun’s UV rays. Even normal indoor light causes CBD oil to lose potency faster than it should.
- Temperature: Heat is one of CBD oil’s worst enemies because it causes the CBD to break down and lose its effects rapidly.
- Oxygen: CBD is also broken down rapidly when it’s exposed to oxygen in the air. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen can do damage, too, so CBD oil is packaged in bottles with tight lids to protect the oil from exposure to air.
How should you store CBD oil? It should be kept in closed, dark areas like closets or cabinets, and never exposed to sunlight or other bright light. It should be kept at room temperature, away from all sources of heat, and not in areas where very cold air can seep in. And it should always be stored in an airtight container with the lid closed tightly.
What happens if you store CBD oil in the fridge? Nothing bad, but it might get thick or solidify. If you run into that problem, just let the bottle sit at room temperature for a while and the oil will return to its normal consistency.
Let’s flesh out the details.
CBD: A Natural Plant Compound
CBD (short for cannabidiol) belongs to a class of plant compounds called cannabinoids. More than 100 cannabinoids are found in hemp and cannabis plants, with CBD one of the two most important. Psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the other.
Hemp is rich in CBD and contains very little THC, making it non-intoxicating. Cannabis has low levels of cannabidiol but lots of THC, which is why the marijuana harvested from cannabis plants makes users high — and it’s why the CBD used to make CBD oil and other products is extracted from hemp, not cannabis.
Both cannabinoids deliver large numbers of apparent medical benefits by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), a network of receptors and chemical messengers that control many of the body’s crucial functions like immunity and inflammation, thinking and memory, pain and sleep.
CBD appears to provide different and possibly more robust benefits than THC, though, and cannabidiol doesn’t impair users in any way. That’s why so many people have used CBD oil —one of the most effective ways to consume the cannabinoid — since its sale and use were legalised in the late 2010s.
Even though cannabidiol is extracted from hemp buds, it’s a stable plant compound that doesn’t spoil for a long time. But CBD isn’t the only ingredient in CBD oil.
Meet “Carrier Oils”
The body doesn’t absorb cannabidiol very well. Experts use the term bioavailability, which is the amount of a substance available to be absorbed by the body, and CBD’s native bioavailability is low.CBD oil helps solve that problem; the cannabidiol is mixed with a so-called carrier oil that has much higher bioavailability.
CBD doesn’t combine well with water, but it’s lipophilic (meaning it mixes easily with fats and oils). The oils typically used as carriers are chosen because they’re absorbed well by the body and quickly bypass the digestive system if the CBD oil is ingested. MCT oil, coconut oil, and hempseed oil are most commonly used as carriers.
Carrier oils help in other ways as well. The product they create is easier to dose than raw CBD(although not necessarily easy until you get used to using CBD oil), and they slightly mellow or alter the earthy flavour of cannabidiol.
As we’ve mentioned, CBD doesn’t go bad quickly. It can be a different story for some carrier oils, though. They generally have a shelf life of 12-18 months (much shorter for hempseed oil) after they’ve been opened, which corresponds closely with the average shelf life of CBD oil. In other words, CBD oil often starts to go bad because its carrier oil is starting to go bad.
There may be other ingredients in the CBD oil you purchase, too. Some companies add flavourings to cover the taste that some find objectionable, and others add other vitamins or health and wellness ingredients. Those ingredients could affect CBD oil’s shelf life to some degree.
You’ll find in most cases, though, your CBD oil will last for 1-2 years before it begins to go bad. And the way you store it can make a huge difference.
How To Store CBD Oil
CBD oil, and most oils in general, have three natural enemies: light, heat, and air.
CBD Oil and Light
Once you purchase CBD oil, one of the worst things you can do is leave it exposed to sunlight. The same ultraviolet rays that can burn your skin can cause your CBD oil to quickly degrade, by breaking the cannabidiol into smaller, unstable particles and causing oxidation of the carrier oil. Both processes lead to degradation of the CBD oil, making it less effective and possibly spoiled.
The damage will be less extensive and slower if the CBD oil is exposed to normal household fluorescent or incandescent light, but the same breakdown of its ingredients will eventually occur. Bottles are usually tinted to prevent UV rays from reaching the oil, but that only helps so much.
CBD oil should always be stored in a dark place to protect its ingredients and extend its shelf life. Beware of one mistake some people make, though. Storing your oil in a dark cabinet won’t help much if it’s located near a stove or heater which makes the cabinet too hot. Read on to learn why that could be a problem.
CBD Oil and Heat
If you’re a weed user who makes edibles at home, you know what heat does to raw cannabis. The raw flower has to be decarboxylated (heated) to break down the cannabinoids and allow the THC to deliver its effects.
Too much heat does essentially the same thing to the cannabidiol in CBD oil. It breaks down the cannabinoid, making it unstable and unlikely to provide all of its apparent benefits. Freezing the oil isn’t optimal either; it may prevent the cannabidiol from degrading, but it can change the consistency and texture of the CBD/oil mixture and make it much less effective.
Refrigeration won’t hurt CBD oil, but it can make the oil thicker and make it more difficult to use. The best temperature is room temperature, between 15° and 20°C (or 60-70°F) when you’re storing CBD oil. If you do choose to put your oil in the refrigerator and it gets too thick to use, just let it sit at room temperature for a while. It will be (almost) as good as new.
There are only a few times when you would want to store CBD oil in the fridge.
One is if you live in an extremely hot climate because room temperature would be too hot to protect your oil. It’s a similar problem if you live in a very humid climate because excess humidity could cause mold or mildew to grow in the oil. Finally, if you purchase CBD oil in bulk, you might want to keep some of the bottles refrigerated to slow down their degradation.
CBD Oil and Air
Cannabidiol is a chemical compound and it reacts to the presence of other compounds, often negatively. Oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen are among the ones that can cause a problem when they come into contact with CBD oil — which means the air in your house is an enemy.
That’s why CBD oil is packaged in bottles with lids that screw on tightly, and it’s why it’s crucial to be sure the bottle is firmly sealed after each use. Contact with the air in your house probably won’t make your CBD oil useless or turn it rancid, but it will make it less and less effective over time.
How Do You Know if CBD Oil Has Gone Bad?
You may know that it’s time to buy or break out some new CBD oil as soon as you take the bottle out of its cool, dark storage place. If the oil looks dirty, cloudy, or off-color, it may have gone bad.
Your second clue could come when you open the bottle. If your CBD oil smells “off” or rancid, it’s likely to have outlived its usefulness. And if the oil tastes very different than it has during previous usage, that’s another sign that it’s turned bad.
No reason to worry, though. CBD oil that’s expired or even turned rancid won’t hurt you; at the very worst, you might briefly have a stomach ache. The only reason not to use CBD oil that’s past its prime is that it will have lost its effectiveness and won’t deliver the benefits you want it to provide.
