There seems to be a lot of confusion on the market regarding the concentration of CBD, the proper dosage, and how to read the measurements on the labels. And even though we have posted a couple of articles on how to find the right CBD oil dosage, there are still a lot of doubts about the subject. In this blog post let us clear all of the questions.
How much CBD are you getting inside your bottle?
The vast majority of CBD oil labels out there will give out the concentration of CBD using only measurement units of weight. For example, one of our most popular products, the THEIA 1500mg of CBD isolate, has the content of CBD in its name – 1500mg. But how can you know the concentration of it?
CBD oils are often labeled in terms of milligrams per milliliter, or mg/ml. Most of the CBD oil brands on the market will only provide specific measurements for the CBD and THC content, and unfortunately, even that can be misleading.
Luckily, at ICARIA we pride ourselves in being transparent and honest with our customers which is why we test each of our batches using third-party laboratories. We do this to make sure you get access to a detailed breakdown of what you can find in each of our formulas.
As you would rightfully assume, a 0.3% concentration is intended to tell you how much of the substance THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is in any given quantity – be it a drop, a bottle, or a barrel.
The measurement of milligrams to milliliters is intended to tell you how much actual CBD is in any given volume of the product. The first big confusion arises from the assumption that milligrams and milliliters are directly interchangeable measurements, one-to-one. People tend to assume that since both words start with “milli,” they are both referring to the same thing. This is completely wrong on two levels.
What’s the difference between Milligrams & Milliliters in my CBD?
The main difference between milligrams and milliliters is that milligrams measure mass (weight) and milliliters measure volume. The packaging of a CBD product generally tells you how many milligrams (mg) of CBD there are in the entire bottle or in each dose. The number of milliliters (ml) tells you how much fluid, oil in our case, the bottle contains.
Most packaging now provides a per ml, or per “dose” number as well. We put the word “dose” in quotes because the dosage of CBD oil is in no way standardized.
Why do these measurements matter?
It is important to understand these measurements because your dosage and the product price will depend on them. Let us give you an example.
You could find a 30ml bottle of CBD oil with 2,000mg of CBD sitting right next to a 60ml bottle with 1000 mg of CBD for the same price. A 60ml bottle is obviously twice as big as the 30ml bottle, but that doesn’t mean it’s a better deal. In this case, the smaller bottle contains more CBD.
Therefore, whether or not you want a more highly concentrated or less concentrated product is a matter of taste as well as price consideration. Just remember that how much CBD you’re getting in any given amount of liquid or oil is measured by weight in milligrams. The fluid measure, milliliters, alone, doesn’t tell you how much active ingredient you’re getting.
CBD content is measured by weight
To make it super simple, when you’re buying a CBD product, how much actual CBD you’re getting is always measured by weight–virtually always in milligrams–and not by volume, measured in milliliters. The milliliter measure lets you know how much fluid, or oil there is in the container, and enables you to calculate how much of it you have to consume to get the desired amount of CBD.
Let’s retake the example of one of our classics. Our THEIA 1500mg of CBD isolate is a 30ml bottle containing 1500mg of the active compound. This means that per 1ml of fluid, you get 50mg of CBD. This also means that a “dropper”, which is 1mlm delivers 50mg of CBD.
Additionally, HARMONIA, which is our highest-concentration oil, has 3000mg of CBD isolate but the bottle also contains 30ml of fluid. Let’s do the math: 3000mg divided by 30ml equals to 100mg/ml. So, a “dropper” of our HARMONIA has twice the concentration of CBD isolate.
Many of our customers prefer to purchase HARMONIA as they believe it to be a better investment in terms of price/benefits. The higher the concentration, the fewer people will need to take off the oil to get the same results, which makes the product last longer.
So, What Did We Learn?
The concentration of CBD on your CBD oil label is expressed in milligrams, while the total volume, or content, of fluid in the bottle is expressed in milliliters, and the content of THC is given in percentages (as per legal requirements). In most cases, such as ICARIA’s, brands will put the concentration of CBD in a single unit, or a “dropper” to make calculating your dosage a bit easier.
Just remember, if you are ever in doubt, just do the easy math! Take the total weight content of CBD listed on the label and divide it by the total volume of fluid in the bottle, and you will get your product’s concentration. We hope to make your CBD oil journey a bit more pleasant with this!
