Where to buy CBD Oil - How to identify trustworthy CBD Companies

In this Guide we are going to talk about “where to buy CBD Oil”, what are the most trusted/best CBD Brands and how to identify trustworthy CBD Companies and high quality CBD Products. We give you a list of the best CBD brands that you can buy in the United States today and we are going to give you a checklist method of 12 points that you can take away and do your own research on any CBD or brand that you are thinking of buying.

You probably read about all the potential benefits of CBD oil and hemp oil for conditions like anxiety, depression and even for chronic conditions like pain. If you are thinking: I want to try, but you face one huge challenge and your challenge is choosing the right brand.

Three reasons why choosing the right CBD Brand is so important

The CBD market is not regulated. There’s one licensed drug based on CBD (Epidiolex) but CBD itself is not a licensed drug. Which is good on the one hand because of royalties and patents. Epidiolex is already much more expensive compared to non-prescription / pharma CBD sold in the unregulated market and not by the pharmaceutical industry. But on the other hand, an unregulated market means you cannot rely on buying a good CBD product even if the merchant/brand advertises it as such. There’s hundreds of brands of CBD oil on the market today and we are convinced a lot of them are utterly rubbish.
The CBD oil itself is fairly expensive. The starting price is about $50 even for the cheapest brands. You can get some brands for about 20 to 30 dollars, but on average the starting price is about 50 dollars for the smallest pack with the lowest strength. If you are thinking to buy all the products of the major brands and try them all, good luck because you’re going to need a lot of money.
The third and final reason why choosing a good CBD oil brand is so difficult, is researching the topic is very tough. CBD as a medicinal science is fairly new and is something we’re still finding about. So if you think, I’ll dive in and do my research. It’s a pretty tough field and full of jargon. To make your life easier we’ve been researching for the last years, pretty much every single day, looking at the science and best CBD brands that we can shortlist for you. So that you can choose one of those brands hopefully with success and confidence.

12 point research checklist for a good CBD product / brand

In the first part of this Guide we are going to give you a 12-point checklist that you can take away and use to research any CBD brand that you are interested in. This is our checklist for researching CBD Oil brands that you are thinking of buying

The origin of the hemp plant: We want it to be organic, definitely not genetically modified. Cultivated on a healthy soil without pesticides or herbicides, preferably without the addition of artificial fertilizer.
Trace THC Levels: We want the level of THC in the CBD product to be trace amounts. So basically 0,3 percent or less ideally.
No Additives: We don’t want any additives or harmful preservatives in the CBD Oil.
Lab Reports: We want a lab reports either on request or included with each package that we buy. Obviously lab reports give you the confidence that your CBD all contains what it’s supposed to contain.
Full Spectrum CBD Oil: We want full spectrum CBD. So, full spectrum means, it is not just a CBD in the product but also all the other beneficial compounds in the hemp plant, such as secondary cannabinoids (CBN, CBG, CBC etc.), flavonoids, antioxidants & terpenes. You want all of them to be included.
Sloppy Labeling: We don’t want any sign of sloppy labeling, such as poor spelling, poor grammar, missing storage instructions, and missing expiry dates. Anything that suggests the company is not serious.
Variety of Formulations: We want a variety of formulations, so we don’t want to see a company selling just one thing, basically selling CBD oil and that is it. A Company that sells gummies, vape oils, liquid sprays, concentrates and topicals. That’s a sign of a company that is planning to stick around and planning to build brand around CBD.
Educational Website: We want an educational website. We just don’t want a website selling products with full of sales pitches and basically nothing else on the website. No educational material or blog, that’s a bad sign that the company is just here to make a quick buck.
About us page: You want to see an About us page on the website. An About us page basically tells the story and the vision of the company. A company that does not make an About us page is obvious that they’re here just to sell and when the sell dies down they’re out.
Customer Service Test: You want to do a customer service test. So, a customer service test is when you send the short email to the company that you’re thinking of buying from. It can’t be about anything. It can be asking a question about a product, just a general query maybe. You are just testing to see how quickly they get back to you and if they get back to you.
Online Reviews (from trusted sources) You want to check the online reviews. With CBD Oil, unfortunately this is very difficult, because there’s lots of fake reviews and the best place for online reviews are sites like Trustpilot. But even that can be a little bit challenging sometimes. So this one would be tough.
Health Benefit Claims: You do not want to see a brand making health benefit claims. Although there are already some studies on CBD, these are mostly based on preclinical research. Therefore, a brand or merchant should not make any medical claims regarding his CBD products based on these investigations or use them as a purchase argument. Also, they are not allowed to make any health benefit claims. Any company who does this is a sign that they either don’t understand the law or they’re deliberately breaking the law. Either way, it’s a bad sign, stay away from them.

Related CBD Guides:

The Price of CBD Products from different Brands

Of course we’ve not left out the price. Price is really important to people. So what we’ve done is, for each brand we’ve worked out the most expensive bottle and the cheapest bottle in that brand. So that you have an idea about the range of prices in each brand and you don’t have to do it. We’ve done it for you for each brand, but if you want to do it for another brand or another product, the way to do is, to take the cost of the bottle in cents and then divide it by the total amount of CBD in that bottle.

Each bottle should tell you how many milligrams in total of CBD is in that bottle, you take the price in cents, you divide it by the total amount of CBD and that gives you the price per milligram of CBD. Obviously, the higher that number the more expensive that brand or that bottle, the lower their number the cheaper that brand or that bottle. Simple as that.

CBD Brands & Products Reviews

Populum Premium Hemp Oil

This company uses organically grown hemp from Colorado. Colorado has earned its reputation as a source of excellent hemp plants. There are some very good hemp farmers there who use excellent hemp varieties, understand their craft and grow medical grade hemp. The CBD oil or their products are full spectrum, which means they have all the terpenes, cannabinoids and the flavonoids that comes with the hemp plant, not just the CBD.

In terms of price range, they have a very wide range. You can get packages from as cheap as 6,65 cents per milligram of CBD and it can go up as high as 26,6 cents per milligram of CBD. If you want to get the cheapest price or cents per milligram of CBD, the way to do it is to buy bigger quantities and to go for the packages that have the highest strength. That way you save money. But if you buy the lower strength packages in single bottles, you’ll probably be paying more. That’s up to you to decide where you want to go with this.

What we really like about this brand as well is, they offer sweet orange flavor in their product so even taste sensitive people will have no problem enjoying this product.

Populum also provides a lab report for each of their products they sell. So when you go to their website and you order from them, you get your product but you also get lab reports, so you can see exactly what’s in your product, in terms of how much CBD, THC, CBC, CBG, CBN and terpenes are in there. This is crucial to determine how much CBD and other plant substances are actually in the product.

Not just to make sure that it does not include too much THC (to stay in legal space), but also to determine the right amount of different components for your therapeutic purpose. The tiny amount of THC in the products of Populum should be legally compliant in all states. Because the THC quantities in each bottle is so low.

Populum uses grapeseed oil and coconut oil as carrier oils and they offer gluten free versions. So, if you have gluten sensitivities you’ll find gluten free versions on popular product range.

The only minor gripe we have and its really minor is, that when you go on their website there’s not a lot of educational material around the topic of CBD and hemp. The blog is a little bit lacking, so we wish they could kind of step up and offer more educational and engaging material for customers who might want to just go in there and learn more about the product before they buy. But overall this is an amazing brand I have no other problems.

Learn more:

HempMeds

This brand uses hemp plants grown in Europe. So they import special hemp plants from Europe to the US. They have plenty of formulations which includes liquids, vapes, gummies, topicals. They’re a bit like a box of chocolates, everyone will find something they like.

In terms of price they are fairly similar to Populum. the cheapest starts from about 9 cents per milligram of CBD and the most expensive goes up to about 23 cents per milligram of CBD.

HempMeds offer third-party lab reports. So if you want a lab report about your particular batch, all you have to do is ask them and they’ll provide it for you. We don’t think they automatically included in their packaging in their products like Populum do, but if you ask for it they would give it to you.

Another thing we like about HempMeds is, that they promise trace amounts of THC so just like with Populum. They have very tiny amount of THC which as we explained is very important in terms of the law in the US.

A small downside is their blog. Their blog doesn’t actually offer any education and information. They just tell you about the conference’s they’ve been to and the trade shows that they attended. To be honest, customers are not really interested on what trade shows you attended. They want to learn more about CBD and they want to learn about the medical benefits and what’s special about your brand. We just wish they offered a little bit more relevant information in their blog.

Another issue we have with HempMeds is, that they don’t offer any flavors. We went on their website and couldn’t really see any flavors offered. Some people may be off-putting because some of the hemp plants and CBD Oils can have a really pungent flavor and taste that some people can’t tolerate. So it’s always wise to offer some flavor options for people.

Learn more:

Ananda Hemp

A couple of things that really stand out about this brand is, their website is probably the best we’ve seen in all the brands. Their website is really stunning. The second thing is, they offer both full-spectrum CBD oil with a low amount of THC and full-spectrum CBD oil without THC.

In terms of price, the cheapest package starts from about 11 cents per milligram and their most expensive package is about 23 cents per milligram CBD. so they are fairly similar to the other brands, but their starting point – cheapest package is probably a few cents more expensive than the other brands.

Ananda Hemp offers all the usual features. They offer independent lab reports, they have a decent blog and they have lots of formulations like liquids, vapes oils, sprays gummies and topicals. So they’re very similar in that aspect to the other brands that we’ve seen so far and overall a solid brand.

CW Hemp (CHARLOTTE’S WEB CBD OIL)

CW stands for Charlotte’s web and should be familiar to anyone in the CBD oil space. Behind this brand are the Stanley Brothers, who pioneered and made CBD oil as well-known as it is today. We wrote an article about it a few years ago. Here you can read it.

A couple of things that really stand out by this brand is, firstly the flavor they offer. It’s the only brand we’ve seen that offer minty chocolate flavor. That is really fancy. So if you love chocolate and you want to try hemp or CBD you can’t go wrong with it.

CW Hemp use 100% organically grown Colorado hemp. Again we are back in Colorado (See Populum Review above). The oil is a full spectrum which is really good as usual. CW Hemp offers lots of variations in terms of the types of products they have. They have CBD oils, gummies and topical

In terms of pricing, CW hemp offers some of the cheapest packages we’ve seen so far. The cheapest package starts from about 3 cents per milligram of CBD and the most expensive package only goes up to about 10 cents per milligram of CBD.

They also have a good blog on your website with all the information about hemp and CBD.

The only tiny complain about CW hemp is, that they don’t make it obvious how much THC is in the product. They take all the other boxes but I just wish they made it clear on their labeling or on their website how much THC is in their product because as we said this is legally crucial. Furthermore, they do not present their lab reports on their CBD products directly on their website, so you need to contact them to get a lab report.

Learn more:

Delta Botanicals

Delta Botanicals is a solid brand, and what really stands out about this brand is, the amount of flavors they offer. They offer all kinds of flavors, from orange, mango to vanilla and pineapple. So there will be a flavor for everyone literally. They even offer cooking oil with CBD. They also offer full spectrum CBD which is really good and they also have zero THC products.

They have a good blog even though it’s a small blog of just a handful articles. They have really good range of formulations and good labeling.

Unfortunately there are a few quite significant issues with Delta Botanicals in terms of information. Number one, there’s little information on the product. so when you go on their website and the product there is a picture of the product and a couple of lines of information, but that’s it. The other brands, when you go in their product page you find lots and lots of information and rightly so, because using CBD is not something that has been around for decades and to make a good decision. Another thing we don’t really like about Delta Botanicals is, they have no returns policy. So once you buy it you can’t return it.

In terms of price, Delta Botanicals is kind of in the middle so they’re cheapest packages starts from about 14 cents per milligram of CBD and their most expensive package is about 20 cents a milligram of CBD.

Highland Pharms

One of our favorites is Highland Pharms. For several years we have been in contact with the founder of Highland Pharms and have been able to follow the development of this brand. They not only have really good products, but also excellent customer service. The whole paired with a wonderful company mentality and vision.

They have a wide range of products, including CBD Isolate (zero THC) products, Gummies, CBD Oils, CBD Topicals, CBD Capsules and Concentrates, and a large assortment of CBD Vape oils. But their products of fully extracted CBD oil stand out. CBD oil products from 250mg to as much as 15000 mg are on offer.

In terms of price. Highlandpharms also stands out here. Due to the large and very different product range in terms of the CBD content of the products, it is possible to get the cheapest “quality CBD oil”. If you buy the largest pack (15000mg), you pay only 5 cents per mg CBD and the smallest (250mg) 16 cents per mg CBD.

Higlandpharms uses Colorado hemp plants and CO2 Extraction for their CBD oil, which speaks for itself. They also offer a free shipping on all products without minimum order value.

With regard to laboratory reports and traceability, they give you the ability to call up and view the laboratory reports for each batch number of the respective product directly on the website. Excellent, not every company offers that.

Highland pharms uses an Extended Validation SSL certificate on their website, which is only available to registered companies. This certificate offers highest security and reflects the trustworthiness of the company. The website itself is nicely designed and clear enough to find your way around.

The customer service is excellent. You can contact them by phone or by email. Every question will be answered. The reliability of the company and the quality of the products makes Highlandpharms our current favorite. That’s why we recommend their products on our website.

Plus CBD Oil

Plus CBD Oil is the trademark of CV Science, one of the 13 companies that have been awarded with the Certification Seal by U.S. Hemp Authority. This fact alone shows the tested quality and trustworthiness of this company. Nevertheless, we will take a closer look at the products, the prices and their website.

Plus CBD Oil is an established brand that has been on the market for a long time. Accordingly, their product range also shows a large scale and reflects the experience of this company. There is really everything that you could wish for. Classic CBD Oil Drops, Sprays, Balms (Topicals), Gummies, Capsules and Softgels and Concentrates in Syringes.

In terms of the price. You can get CBD from this brand for 10 cents per mg to 27 cents per mg, depending on the pack or quantity you buy. So the products of Plus CBD Oil are in the mid-price segment.

The website is very clear and the products are well labeled so that you can find lots of product information on both the website and the products. In addition, they have a very informative blog on their website with countless contributions. What really stands out in the website of this brand is their About us page. You can see how well established this company is, the About Page is divided into 4 subpages.

Also with the customer service, there is nothing to complain about. If you ask a question via email, it will be answered even if you have not yet purchased any products.

The hemp plants they use to produce their CBD products come from Europe. The plants are cultivated under controlled conditions with EU verified seeds. We were already able to visit some hemp plantations in Europe that are in no way inferior to the plants from Colorado.

Also in terms of transparency, they are right at the front.For every single product and the corresponding batch, you will find a batch test on the website. Unfortunately, these are not right there to find on the product page but you have to navigate to the special page of the batch tests.

Learn more:

Medterra

Medterra CBD is a Brand which is located in Irvine, California. It is also one of the first 13 CBD companies to receive the Certification Seal from U. S. Hemp Authority. From this point it can be concluded that this brand is serious and sells high quality CBD oil.

The CBD oil offered by Medterra comes from hemp plants grown in Kentucky. From non-GMO plants grown under strict guidelines. For the extraction process they use standard supercritical Co2 extraction to get to the CBD.

Medterra guarantees a completely THC-free CBD product, which can also be confirmed by the laboratory reports on their website. But that also means that they do not offer a fully extracted CBD product, which gives you the benefit of the Entourage effect. The lab reports show only CBD and no other cannabinoids like CBN, CBG, CBC etc.

In terms of laboratory reports, these can conveniently be accessed directly on the product page. However, it is not possible to determine whether the laboratory report belongs to the currently offered products or to another batch. To be sure, you need to contact the support.

Talking about the Support of Medterra. The support could not be better. Well, there is always potential for improvement, but we have nothing to complain about. The great thing is, you can contact Medterra`s support in 3 different ways. You can write them via Email, call them or chat with their livechat (if they are online).

The website is beautifully designed in a contemporary design, but structured quite confusing. Their also have a blog that named News with a lot of information about the hemp industry.

In terms of price, the CBD Products of Medterra are in the low price range from 9 cents per mg CBD to 5 cents per mg CBD. This makes shopping very attractive if you prefer pure CBD over fully extracted CBD oil. They also offer a 30-day money back guarantee on their products. Unfortunately, they do not offer free shipping, this increases the price of CBD per MG slightly. But they have 6 different shipping methods and also ship outside the US (except Canada and Australia).

CBD Brands Comparison Chart

	Price Range/ Cents per MG	Type of CBD	CBD Source	Third Party Lab Reports	Free shipping	Return Policy	Customer Service
Populum	7 – 26	Full Spectrum	Colorado Hemp	Yes	Yes	30-day trial	Good
HempMeds	9 – 23	Full Spectrum & Isolate	Europe Hemp	No	No	within 14 days	Good
Ananda Hemp	11 – 23	Full Spectrum	Kentucky Hemp	Yes	Yes	30 days/ full refund	Average
CW Hemp	3 – 10	Full Spectrum	Colorado Hemp	No	Yes, over $74.99	30 days/ full refund	Good
Delta Botanicals	14 – 20	Full Spectrum		Yes	Yes	Limited	Average
Highland Pharms	5 – 16	Full Spectrum & Isolate	Colorado Hemp	Yes	Yes	30 days/ full refund	Great
Plus CBD Oil	10 – 27	Full Spectrum	Europe Hemp	Yes	No	14-days /unopened	Good
Medterra	5 – 9	Isolate	Kentucky Hemp	Yes	No	30-day money back	Great

Coming Soon … More CBD Brands

Where to buy CBD Oil – How to identify trustworthy CBD Companies

Three reasons why choosing the right CBD Brand is so important

12 point research checklist for a good CBD product / brand

The Price of CBD Products from different Brands