It’s always important to know the expiration date of any supplement, and CBD is no exception. Every food goes bad, so it’s safe to assume this applies to CBD oil.
The real question is when and how long does it take CBD oil to go bad? Unfortunately, CBD isn’t packaged ham. We can’t pinpoint its shelf life with such precision. But make no mistake, CBD oil’s days are always numbered.
So, can CBD oil expire? Yes, that’s inevitable. That’s why it’s crucial to know some red flags – and what you can do about them.
We’ll be covering the expiration of CBD, the shelf life of CBD, how to tell if CBD has gone bad, how to extend the shelf life, and more.
Does CBD Oil Expire?
Just like any supplement or food, CBD oil does expire and has a shelf life of 12 to 18 months depending on how you store the CBD and the quality of it. Despite the one to two years before the oil goes bad, these products will eventually degrade and expire.
However, you can extend the shelf life and expiration date of CBD oil by taking preventative measures and purchasing high-quality or brand-name CBD oil.
While it’s sad that CBD oil expires, you still have a lot of control over how long it lasts. Since manufacturing, extraction, and testing practices vary, shelf life could change by brand.
Like many problems, CBD oil’s expiration depends on a few things:
Ingredients
Ingredients make a massive impact on shelf-life. For instance, inadequate testing could lead to infestation from mold, heavy metals, and microbes. These contaminants can damage or degrade the oil.
Ingredients like flavorings also expire, which could affect how long your oil lasts.
Storage
Many people make mistakes when it comes to storage. Vendors can carelessly expose CBD to the elements or not store it in proper conditions.
Some consumers don’t store their CBD oil properly, increasing the decay rate while reducing the product’s potency. We’ll cover storage in more detail shortly.
Extraction Method
Most companies these days use CO2 for extraction, as it’s the cleanest and most effective option. However, some brands continue sticking to the older alcohol or butane methods, as these are much cheaper.
However, this can be bad news for your product. Alcohol and butane can leave traces behind. Although acceptable amounts won’t pose an immediate risk to your health, they might affect your product’s shelf-life.
How Do You know if CBD Oil Has Gone Bad?
When trying to make CBD oil last, it is important to know if it’s gone bad – it’s hard to tell by its smell alone. Depending on the formulation and CBD oil herbal smell? When it goes bad, CBD oil has a rancid smell much like a rotten potato seems how this hemp plant comes from the same vegetative culture.
Here are some other telltale signs your bottle of CBD product went past two years:
- Its color goes from clear to a dark brown.
- It loses texture and goes from a thicker stock to a thin one.
- A foggy coating is visible on the inside of the bottle.
What Happens if You Take Expired CBD Oil?
Consuming CBD oil past its expiration date doesn’t generally come with any known side effects. In general, your oil should last from one to two years. However, it’s always recommended to check its expiration date when you buy it. Trusted third-party suppliers provide the reassurance you need.
Small microdoses of old CBD oil are relatively safe and make it last longer. However, consuming large amounts produces some unpleasant reactions, especially if the smell is bad. So, “does CBD Oil expire?” please note that it largely depends on the research you did before purchase.
How to Extend the Shelf Life of CBD Oil To Last Longer?
Once your hands are on a product you trust, there are many things you can do to store CBD properly to extend its shelf life for as long as possible. Typically, 12 months is a good yardstick for how long does CBD oil last. Being careful with each bottle ensures a lifespan of approximately 24 months long.[2]
While this time period may not cause: CBD oil to go bad, any CBD oil bottle past this date should be disposed of properly.
Below is a top-four go bad list and CBD tips that may affect its use for going past the 12-month date:
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- Store your CBD oil at a cool temperature to keep the oils effective for longer. Exposure to heat will break down your oil over time. So, it’s best to keep it in a cool location or your refrigerator, although it is not necessary. Keeping your bottles at room temperature should be more than enough.
- Avoid storing in direct sunlight. Sunlight is destructive on these products. Keep CBD oil away from direct sunlight and store it in a dark place like a cupboard.
- Use sealed, air-tight containers. Air-tight containers preserve CBD oil and keep it fresh for extended periods of time. Exposure to air can accelerate the expiration date on a bottle of CBD oil.
- Avoid keeping it near the stove or oven. To extend the shelf life and make it last longer, heat, light, and other substrates like this affect such products’ use and shelf-life.
The shelf life of CBD Oil can last a very long time. So, keeping it in a cool, dark place at room temperature is always the recommended approach.
Can Old CBD Oil Make You Sick?
While CBD oil may produce unpleasant side effects for some people, many find its use beneficial. CBD products can be used to treat and prevent a myriad of conditions. While negative reactions to CBD oil may include nausea or other gastrointestinal reactions, dizziness and vomiting may also occur.
Small doses of CBD oil won’t harm, but if it stinks, it can be very hard to take. Therefore, it’s best to discard anything that smells this foul. While hemp-based products show promise to prevent any disease currently underway with scientific studies, more research still needs to be conducted to back these discoveries and medical claims.
Does CBD Oil Need to be Refrigerated?
Although CBD oil doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it is best to keep it away from direct heat and sunlight. Storing your hemp products in places such as the refrigerator or cupboard is enough in most cases to keep them from going bad. Keeping CBD oil away from heat absolutely makes it last longer, while cooling methods like refrigeration ensure long service life for CBD products.
Why the Quality of CBD Matters
This begs the question, does CBD oil expire? And while it’s worth noting – not all CBD oils are created equal and come with variables that impact the end product. Since CBD oil has a shelf life slightly different from each other, its ability to diagnose, treat, cure, and provide relief may also be affected.[1] Another key element to how long this product lasts is the impurities. Unnecessary and excessive compounds raise safety concerns and degrade the products.
Some impurities in the extraction method include, but are not limited to:
- Pesticides
- Heavy metals
- Water Soluble
- Lipids
- Gums
While good impurities result in a higher quality cannabinoid product without excessive compounds, bad impurities often come with a lower terpene profile and little to no therapeutic effect. Therefore, it is vital to buy your product from a reputable vendor, especially when intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent health conditions. Bad impurities tend to degrade the quality of the product.
Where to Buy Lab Tested Products?
While several vendors and merchants pundits the most robust CBD products on today’s expanding marketplace, many fall short of such expansive claims. To ensure third-party analytical testing and the best brand name cannabidiol products? It is imperative to go with a trusted source such as Colorado Botanicals, where cutting-edge manufacturing and consumer safety standards are held to the highest of industry standards.
Final Thoughts on CBD Oil Expiration
The case for CBD oil keeps getting stronger, with research snowballing by the day. It’s ironic that we still don’t know something as simple as “does CBD expire?” But that’s the position we’re in right now.
Since there’s no way to know precisely when to throw out your oil, remember the following:
- Watch for signs
- Store properly
- Choose a high-quality product
References:
[1] https://resetbioscience.com/can-you-tell-if-hemp-oil-is-rancid/
[2] https://manoxblog.com/2020/06/27/cannabis-cbd-isolate-shelf-life-24-month/
