CBD Edibles Market Report: Only 1 in 4 CBD edibles contain the labeled amount of CBD; 63% of edibles contained more CBD than advertised

When it comes to shopping for CBD products, quality remains the top concern. With the FDA still deciding on how to regulate CBD, most brands in the industry have taken it upon themselves to prove their trustworthiness with third-party testing.

These days, any serious CBD oil company sends its products for testing to an independent lab to verify their potency and safety and publishes the test results online.

Yet, it’s clear that many products on the market still don’t contain as much CBD as they should, even if they are third-party tested.

We discovered as much in our two recent independent studies, where we sent CBD oils and beverages from various brands for third-party testing at Las Vegas’ Canalysis Laboratories.

Note: As part of Leafreport’s ongoing efforts to educate consumers and promote transparency in the CBD industry, we’ve also reported on CBD prices.

Summary

Overall, our investigation suggests that most edible CBD products don’t contain the correct amount of CBD.

Only a quarter of the tested products had CBD levels that were within 10% of the amount stated on the label, whereas the remaining three quarters were off by anywhere from 11% to 177%.

Still, this is close to what we expected because CBD edibles are more difficult to formulate than CBD oil and contain much smaller amounts of CBD per piece, which means that variations of even a few milligrams (mg) can have a big effect.

Here are the key findings:

• Only 11 of 40 tested edible products (27.5%) had CBD levels that were within 10% of the claimed amount, which is equivalent to an excellent (A) rating
• Twelve products (30%) received the worst (F) rating for containing 30% more or less CBD than claimed
• Most of the products (25 or 63%) contained more CBD than advertised.
• Surprisingly, most of the brands that received the best (A) rating were relatively small or new companies, whereas more established brands had lower scores.

Take a look at our buying guides

With such a wide variety of available CBD products, it’s not always easy to make a choice and find the right product for your needs.

Therefore, we examined dozens of brands, comparing their prices, third-party testing results, potency, hemp quality, and other factors.

We researched CBD products for different consumption methods and for different health conditions to help you find the most suitable ones.

• Best CBD oil – We chose these CBD oils from a list of over 3000 CBD products and 150 brands, comparing them by third-party lab test results, hemp quality, reputation, price, and other criteria.

• Best CBD gummies – Because there are so many CBD gummies out there, it can be difficult to figure out which product is suitable for your needs. We’ve compiled a list of some of the finest CBD gummies on the market. For those seeking a sleeping aid, we have also compiled a comprehensive list of the best CBD gummies for sleep. We did the same for the best CBD gummies for pain.

• Best CBD capsules – One popular delivery system is CBD capsules and softgels. These are used like any other capsule or softgel, which makes it a simple, convenient way to take CBD

• Best CBD for dogs & cats – There are a wide range of CBD products for pets out there, from tinctures and treats to balms, salves, and creams. Because interest in CBD has increased, more companies are creating pet-specific CBD items, which means we’re spoiled for choice. If you’re shopping for CBD pet products, you might be overwhelmed by all the choices out there

• Best CBD for pain – Many people use CBD products for pain relief. This isn’t surprising as research has shown that CBD can help with various types of pain. As part of our research, we compared dozens of CBD products in order to determine the most effective ones for treating pain. We also created a list of the Best CBD for Arthritis.

• Best CBD for anxiety – Our team of medical doctors, nutritionists, and other health experts chose these products based on their quality, transparency, price, and other criteria. For example, all of the products we recommend are tested by a third party lab to verify their potency and safety.

• Best CBD for sleep – However, the wide variety of available CBD products can be overwhelming. That’s why we researched and compared dozens of brands to find the best CBD ones for sleep.

• Best full spectrum CBD oil – Full-spectrum CBD is a whole-plant hemp extract. It contains the complete range of cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and potentially other compounds naturally present in hemp. We used our database to compare hundreds of CBD oils based on objective criteria. In this post, we’ll review the most effective full-spectrum CBD tinctures that we found.

Accuracy Rating

We rated the accuracy of each edible product by comparing how much CBD it was claimed to have versus the amount reported on Canalysis’ third-party tests.

Industry experts recommend that cannabis products should have cannabinoid levels that deviate no more than 10% from the stated amount. This means that a high-quality CBD product should contain anywhere from 90% to 110% of the advertised CBD content.

With this benchmark in mind, we assigned CBD products one of four ratings depending on how accurate they were:

1. A (Excellent): independent lab tests showed CBD levels that were within 10% of what was stated on the label.
2. B (Decent): independent lab tests showed CBD levels that were within 20% of what was stated on the label.
3. C (Poor): independent lab tests showed CBD levels that were within 30% of what was stated on the label.
4. F (Fail): independent lab tests showed CBD levels that differed from the label by more than 30%.

CBD Third-Party Testing Explained

Third-party tests are performed by an independent laboratory to verify the safety and potency of a CBD product.

These tests are crucial when shopping for CBD because there’s no regulation preventing companies from selling low-quality products that carry contaminants and incorrect levels of CBD (in some cases, none at all) or other cannabinoids.

The most important third-party test you’ll see is called a potency or cannabinoid profile test. It looks at the amount of CBD and other cannabinoids in a CBD product to verify that it provides exactly what the company claims.

This is the test that we focused on for our investigation. Verifying the potency of a CBD product is important for many reasons:

• You deserve to get your money’s worth, especially because CBD products aren’t cheap
• A product with lower CBD than claimed will be less effective and make people think that CBD doesn’t work
• A product with higher CBD than claimed will make it harder to figure out your dosage and increase the risk of potential side effects

Certificate of Analysis (CoA)

We sent 40 edible CBD products to Canalysis for third-party potency testing. The results of the tests were recorded in documents called certificates of analysis (CoAs).

Next, we compared the amount of CBD recorded in the CoAs to the number stated on the product’s label to check its accuracy.

For example, if a company sold CBD gummies that should provide 10 mg per piece but the tests showed only 5 mg, that means the product was 50% less accurate.

This subpar result would receive our F rating because you’d only be getting half of what you paid for.

How to Read CoAs

Most CBD brands publish third-party CoAs directly on their websites.

This way, it’s easy for shoppers to look at the results and confirm that a CBD product is safe, reliable, and effective before buying it.

Reading a CoA may seem difficult at first because of the scientific language. However, it’s actually pretty straightforward. The key section to check will be called “cannabinoids,” “cannabinoid profile,” “potency,” or something similar.

Here, you’ll see columns and/or graphs with names of cannabinoids such as CBD, THC, and others, and their reported levels in percentages and/or milligrams (mg) per ml, gram, serving, unit (such as one gummy), or the whole container.

For example, you might see the results for gummies that show 12 mg of CBD per unit, which means that each gummy contains 12 mg.

If you want more info on interpreting CoAs, check out our detailed guide.

Summary Table

Below is the summary of the third-party test results for the 40 CBD edibles we examined. Most of these products were CBD gummies but some also came in the form of chocolate, gum, strips, and even lollipops.

Note that products with a minus sign under the variance column contained less CBD than stated on the label, while others had more.

Discover our list of the best CBD gummies and other edibles, based on criteria such as price, company reputation, and customer service.

Disclaimer: Our report is based solely on the test findings. Test results may vary due to the natural variation of CBD levels in hemp, degradation of CBD and other cannabinoids over time, and other factors. Our findings should not be seen as conclusive, complete, error-free, or at all times methodologically or scientifically accurate.

Detailed Test Results

Green Roads CBD Chocolate Bar

Florida’s Green Roads is one of the biggest CBD companies in the country, so we were expecting a good result.

We tested its CBD-infused dark chocolate bar, which is supposed to provide 180 mg of CBD in total. Our third-party test results showed an actual CBD content of 171.74 mg: a difference of only 4.6%.

That’s well within the range expected for our excellent (A) rating and the best result we saw for a CBD-infused chocolate product.

Nirvana CBD Gummies

Nirvana CBD is a rising CBD brand out of California that offers a complete lineup of products, including edibles and drinks.

We tested its gummies, which should have 25 mg of CBD per piece but contained 25.8 mg. That’s a small deviation of only 3.2%, which is deserving of our excellent (A) rating.

VT CBD Lemon Recovery Strips

VT CBD is a relatively unknown Vermont-based CBD brand. We tested its lemon recovery strips, which should carry 25 mg of CBD per piece.

According to third-party tests, this edible product contained 25.43 mg of CBD, a difference of only 1.7%.

That’s one of the best results we saw from any product we tested, proving that just because a company is not that well-known doesn’t necessarily mean its products are of low quality.

Highline Wellness CBD Gummies

Highline Wellness is a CBD company based in New York which offers oils, gummies, and other products.

We sent its gummies for testing, revealing that they contained 10.845 mg of CBD versus an advertised content of 10 mg.

That’s a difference of 8.45%, which is quite reasonable given the small amount of CBD and is still considered an excellent result because it’s lower than 10%.

Proleve CBD Gummies

Although it’s not the biggest name on the market, Proleve offers a full lineup of CBD products.

We examined its CBD gummies, which should have 25 mg of CBD per piece. Our tests showed 26.42 mg, which is only 5.66% higher than the advertised amount.

That’s a great result, especially for a relatively small brand.

Chronic Candy CBD Peach Rings

Chronic Candy is one of the oldest CBD brands out there, having been around since 1998. We also tested its CBD gummies in our original report, finding that they contained 16.4% more CBD than advertised.

This time around, we looked at the company’s CBD-infused peach rings, which should provide 250 mg of CBD per container. Our independent tests showed an amount of 253.5 mg, which is only 1.38% higher. That’s the third-best result we saw during our tests.

Smilyn CBD Gummies

California’s Smilyn is a relative newcomer to the CBD industry. We were curious to see if the company’s young age would reflect on its product quality.

We tested the company’s CBD gummies, which should provide 10 mg of CBD per piece but actually contained 9.86 mg. This was the second-best result of any product we tested: a difference of only 1.35%.

Sunday Scaries CBD Unicorn Jerky

Sunday Scaries is a brand from California that specializes in edible CBD products. We tested the company’s CBD-infused candy, which should have 10 mg of CBD per piece.

The tests revealed a CBD level of 9.06 mg, which is about 9.38% lower. While this is a notable difference, it still falls in the 10% variance we expect from CBD products, so it receives our A rating.

Wyld CBD Blackberry Gummies

Portland’s Wyld CBD specializes in CBD-infused edibles and beverages. That’s why we expected a solid result from its CBD blackberry gummies.

The numbers were indeed good: according to the test results, the gummies contained 25.97 mg of CBD, which is only 3.87% higher than the advertised amount of 25 mg.

The tests also showed a small amount of the minor cannabinoids CBC and CBN.

This confirms the company’s claims of using broad-spectrum hemp extract, which is free of THC and provides greater benefits than pure CBD.

Dixie Botanicals CBD Kicks Chews

Available since 2012, Dixie Botanicals is one of the oldest CBD brands in the country.

We tested the company’s sour apple kicks chews, which should have 5 mg of CBD per piece. Our tests showed an actual CBD content of 5.05 mg, a small difference of only 0.94%.

This was the best result of any product or brand we tested.

CBD Living CBD Chocolate Bar

CBD Living is best known for its CBD-infused water and other beverages. However, the company also provides a wide variety of CBD edibles, such as their nano CBD chocolate bar.

This bar should contain 200 mg of CBD but our tests showed a content of only 168.9 mg. That’s 15.6% lower, which falls short of our excellent rating and scores a B.

Having said that, our tests also showed that this bar contained notable amounts of two beneficial minor cannabinoids: CBN and CBC.

This confirms that the chocolate bar is made with broad-spectrum CBD extract.

CBD Living Assorted Gummies

Since CBD Living offers one of the widest lineups of CBD edibles on the market, we also decided to test their assorted flavor CBD gummies.

According to the brand, they should contain 10 mg of CBD each but our tests showed 8.49 mg, which is about 15% lower.

That’s almost the same result that we got for the company’s chocolate bar and is not accurate enough to reach our A rating so it gets a B.

Sunmed CBD Peach Rings

Sunmed is a CBD brand from Florida that offers a full lineup of CBD products. We examined its CBD peach rings, which should have 10 mg of CBD per piece.

The result results showed a CBD level of 11.19 mg, which is 11% higher. While not a bad result, it still falls short of the 10% maximum variance we expect and scores a B.

The tests also showed a small amount of the minor cannabinoids CBC and CBN, which confirms Sunmed’s claims of using broad-spectrum CBD extract for its peach rings.

Sunmed CBD Honey Sticks

Not satisfied with just one product, we also put Sunmed’s CBD-infused honey sticks to the test. Similar to our previous test, we found that the product contained about 12% less CBD: 8.8 mg per piece versus a claimed amount of 10 mg.

Again, this difference is not huge but isn’t enough to qualify for an excellent (A) rating for accuracy, so we gave this product a B.

Oliver’s Harvest CBD Honey Sticks

Oliver’s Harvest is a relatively small CBD company from North Carolina. We tested its CBD-infused honey sticks.

These honey sticks should provide 14.3 mg of CBD but our tests showed an actual content of 13.4 mg, which is about 7% lower.

Eco Therapy Rest CBD Mints

California’s Eco Therapy is a unique brand that only offers CBD vape pens and mints. We tested the company’s rest mints, which should have 10 mg of CBD per piece.

Our tests showed 11.36 mg, which is 13.6% higher. While it’s certainly better to get more CBD than what you paid for, it still falls short of our accuracy standards so it gets a B.

Koi CBD Gummies

Koi CBD is a well-known CBD company offering a comprehensive range of CBD products. We tested its CBD gummies, which are supposed to have 10 mg of CBD per piece but showed 11.56 mg on our tests, which is 15.6% higher.

While we like getting more CBD than less, we still give this product a B because it’s not as accurate as it should be.

CBD American Shaman CBD Brownies

CBD American Shaman is a major CBD company that offers a wide variety of products. We tested five different edibles from this brand, starting with their CBD-infused brownies.

They should contain 30 mg of CBD but our tests showed an actual content of 35.6 mg, which is 18.6% higher. Again, it’s nice to get more CBD than less, but this result falls within our B rating because it’s outside the 10% variance range.

Royal CBD Gummies

Royal CBD is considered a top-tier CBD brand, so we expected a good result from its gummies. They’re supposed to contain 10 mg of CBD but our tests showed 11.345 mg, which is 13.46% more.

Although this result is okay, it’s a bit off from our A rating, which requires products to be within 10% of the advertised CBD content.

PureKana CBD Honey Sticks

PureKana is a popular CBD company offering different types of CBD products, including edibles.

We tested its CBD-infused honey sticks, which should have 10 mg per piece. Our tests showed 11.35 mg, which is 13.5% more. That’s not a bad result per se, but it’s still 3.5% above our cutoff for an A-level rating.

Hemp Bombs CBD Gummies

Florida’s Hemp Bombs is a popular brand known for offering THC-free CBD products and multiple edible options.

We put its high-potency 30 mg CBD gummies to the test, finding that they really contain 33.7 mg, which is 12.3% more than advertised.

This result is not that bad but it falls short of our A rating.

Green Gorilla CBD Gummies

Green Gorilla is one of the few brands using USDA organic-certified hemp to make its CBD products.

We tested its CBD gummies, which should provide 5 mg of CBD per piece. However, our tests showed 6.067 mg, which is 21.3% more.

This isn’t the worst result since the gummies have a low potency to begin with and you’re still getting more CBD rather than less. Still, it falls short of the accuracy needed for an excellent rating and gets a C.

CbdMD CBD Gummies

CbdMD is one of the biggest names in the CBD industry, partly due to its athlete sponsorships.

We put its 10 mg CBD gummies to the test, finding that they contain 12.3 mg of CBD, which is about 23% more.

We like that the CBD level is higher rather than lower than it should be but this result is not accurate enough to receive an A, especially for such a well-known brand.

Vibe Co CBD Gum

Florida’s Vibe Co offers a single CBD product: chewing gum.

It’s supposed to provide 10 mg of CBD per piece but our third-party testing showed 12.8 mg, which is 28% higher.

This result is not that great and falls under our C rating for products that are 20-30% off from the advertised CBD content.

Diamond CBD Dried Fruit

Diamond CBD is another big name in the CBD industry, known for offering products both from its own and other brands.

We looked at the company’s CBD-infused dried fruit, which should have 250 mg of CBD in total but containing 318.8 mg according to our tests.

That’s a difference of 27.5%, which is significantly short of the accuracy we expect from a high-quality product and gets a C rating.

CBD American Shaman CBD Popcorn

The second edible product we examined from CBD American Shaman was the company’s popcorn.

The label states that it should provide 30 mg of CBD but our third-party tests showed only 23.6 mg, which is 21.2% lower.

That’s significantly lower than claimed, so it gets our C rating.

CBDfx CBD Gummies

CBDfx is a popular CBD brand offering a wide variety of products.

We tested its CBD gummies, which are supposed to provide 5 mg of CBD per piece. Our tests showed a CBD content of 6.24 mg, which is 24.8% more.

This isn’t a terrible result as these gummies have a low potency and you’re still getting more CBD than you paid for. But it’s too big of a difference so it falls under the C rating.

PlusCBD Oil Gummies

PlusCBD Oil is one of the oldest and most experienced CBD brands, so we had high expectations for its 10 mg CBD gummies.

Unfortunately, our third-party tests showed a CBD level of 12.35 mg, which is 23.5% higher than what it should be.

That’s a weak result from such a reputable brand and receives our C rating.

Good CBD Dark Chocolate Covered Caramel

Las Vegas’ GoodCBD is not the most recognized name in the CBD market.

We tested the company’s dark chocolate caramel, which should carry 20 mg of CBD per piece but actually contained 26.4 mg, which is 32.2% higher.

As far as CBD product accuracy goes that’s a poor result so it gets our F rating.

Eco Therapy Revive CBD Mints

This was the second product that we tested from California’s Eco Therapy.

These mints should have 10 mg of CBD each but the third-party test tests showed 13.08 mg, which is 30.8% higher.

That barely falls into our F rating category but it’s still a poor result.

The Feels Peanut Butter CBD Carob Bites

The Feels is a brand that we haven’t come across before, so we didn’t have very high expectations from their CBD-infused carob bites.

They should have 15 mg of CBD per piece but our tests showed only 9.45 mg, which is almost 37% lower than advertised. That’s a mediocre result that deserves an F rating.

The Feels Almond Coconut CBD Carob Bites

We also tested The Feels’ almond coconut-flavored CBD bites.

This time, the result was even worse: these edibles contained 8.4 mg of CBD instead of 15, which is almost 44% less.

This suggests that you should never buy from a CBD brand that doesn’t seem to offer third-party tests or even have a website.

Don Polly CBD Taffy

Don Polly is another CBD brand we couldn’t find a website for, so we didn’t expect its CBD-infused taffy to be a very good product.

It’s supposed to provide 50 mg of CBD but our third-party tests reported a level of 25.87 mg, which is almost 50% less than advertised.

That’s a terrible result that deserves an F rating.

CBD American Shaman Sea Salt Almonds

The CBD-infused sea salt almonds were the third edible product we tested from CBD American Shaman.

They’re supposed to have 30 mg of CBD per pack but our third-party tests reported only 9.87 mg.

That’s 67.1% less than what it says on the label, which was one of the worst results we saw during our investigation.

CBD American Shaman CBD Pecan Cookies

CBD American Shaman’s Pecan Cookies didn’t fare much better. They’re supposed to provide 10 mg of CBD per cookie but only had 5.59 mg, which is 44.1% lower.

That’s another poor result deserving of our F rating.

CBD American Shaman CBD Marshmallow Treats

The last product from CBD American Shaman we tested was the marshmallow treats. According to the company, this edible product contains 30 mg of CBD.

However, our tests showed 39.9 mg of CBD, which is 33% higher.

This result is better than most of the other CBD American Shaman products we tested, particularly because you’re getting more CBD rather than less.

Still, it’s not a good result and falls under our F rating.

Just CBD Emoji Gummies

Florida’s JustCBD is a brand known for offering a wide variety of gummies at low prices.

We tested its emoji gummies, which are supposed to contain 7 mg of CBD per piece. According to the test results, they actually had 9.87 mg, which is 41.1% higher.

While it’s better to be getting more CBD than less, this large difference still puts the company’s quality control into question.

Veritas Farms CBD Gummies

Veritas Farms appears to be a reputable brand based out of Colorado. We tested its CBD gummies, which should contain 7.5 mg of CBD per piece.

According to the tests, they actually had 10.44 mg: 39.2% more.

While more CBD is certainly better than less, it’s still a sign of poor quality control and receives our F rating.

Hemp Bombs CBD Lolly Bombs

For our second time testing a Hemp Bombs product, we examined the company’s CBD-infused lollipops. These unique treats should contain 25 mg of CBD per candy.

However, our test results showed that they contained only 4.65 mg, which is 81.4% less than stated on the label.

This was one of the worst results we saw.

Charlotte’s Web Calm CBD Gummies

Charlotte’s Web is one of the biggest, oldest, and most respected CBD companies.

We tested its calm formula CBD gummies, which should have 5 mg of CBD per piece but actually contained 13.85 mg.

That’s 177.1% higher than claimed, which was the least accurate result we saw from any product or brand.

That might be great if you want to get the most CBD possible, but from a quality control standpoint, this result is very poor, especially given the company’s strong reputation.

Conclusion

In summary, most of the edibles we tested had CBD levels that were significantly off from the amount claimed on the label.

Only 27.5% of the products received our excellent (A) rating for containing an accurate amount of CBD, while most (30%) received the worst (F) rating.

These results are better than our previous report on CBD beverages but worse than our original investigation on CBD oil tinctures. The overall picture is that CBD edibles are not as accurate as CBD oils but a better option than CBD-infused drinks.

This isn’t all that surprising because it’s harder to manufacture CBD edibles than oils. Also, the amounts of CBD in your average CBD oil are much higher than those used for edibles.

That means small variations in CBD content would have a bigger impact on an edible product.

To give you an idea, let’s say we have a CBD oil that should contain 500 mg of CBD.

If this amount varied by 1 mg, it wouldn’t affect the overall accuracy by much since that’s a difference of only 0.2%. However, if we take CBD gummies that should have 5 mg of CBD per piece, that same 1 mg would result in a difference of 20%.

The bottom line is that it’s harder to formulate CBD edibles than oils. That’s why most brands are failing to provide an accurate amount of CBD in their edible products.

That being said, here are the key takeaways from our study:

• Third-party testing is as important as ever. Never buy CBD products from companies that fail to provide independent test results.
• Check the test results for your desired product before you buy it. We found that for many of the edibles that scored poorly on our tests, the company’s own third-party reports also showed bad results.
• If you want to be sure you’re getting exactly what you paid for, CBD oil is a better option than edibles.