Our CBD Quality Control Process

It Starts With Quality CBD

Recent legislation made it easy for first research groups and then farmers to grow the hemp plant. Thanks to the efforts of groups throughout the country, this humble cannabis plant has enjoyed something of a renaissance in the last few years.

When Axis Labs first decided to begin offering a line of CBD products, we initially used hemp sourced from a leading industrial grower in Kentucky. We were pleased with the quality of this hemp, and Kentucky was well-regarded for its fertile growing field and time-tested agricultural practices.

But recently, we’ve decided to bring our CBD processes closer to home. As a Colorado-based company, we recognized that the legalization of cannabis products in our state in 2012 opened the door for private agriculturalists to begin cultivating some of the best products in the country. In fact, Colorado produces about one-third of the nation’s hemp across it’s more than 30,000 acres of hemp fields. That’s why we now partner with a Colorado-based hemp farmer.

The switch was an easy one for us to make as this hemp producer aligned with our values of producing the best materials possible. The hemp we use in our products is all-organic. That means no questionable GMOs, no bizarre farming practices, and no unwanted side effects.

As an added benefit, we get to support another locally owned business. By working with a hemp farm near our headquarters, we also get the chance to visit the farm, forging a deeper partnership with the farmers who make our products possible. By working with Colorado hemp producers, Axis Labs can reduce costs, develop new partnerships, and improve the quality of our products by working locally.

Why Organic CBD is Best for Our Products and Our Customers

As consumers grow more aware of the effects that GMO foods and products can have on their health, the demand for organic goods has grown. And rightfully so. It’s better for your health and the earth too. Organic CBD has a lot to offer. For instance, organically grown hemp yields more of the plant, and a crop that has a higher concentration of the valuable CBD compound.

CBD raised using chemical treatments, conversely, often contains less CBD, meaning that farmers have to produce more hemp to get the same amount of the compound. Increased production for lesser amounts of product can strain the agricultural fields the farmer is using. Additionally, inorganically grown hemp has a higher risk of contamination. Hemp naturally sources vitamins and minerals from the soil it’s planted in. The cannabis plant is considered to be a “hyperaccumulator,” meaning it absorbs everything in the soil around it. That also means it draws any toxins in the soil into its fibers as well. This means that the CBD products derived from these contaminated plants may contain trace amounts of these toxins.

Finally, conventionally grown hemp and cannabis are not inspected to the same degree as organically grown hemp. This means that the initial quality of the plant affects the final quality of the CBD-based product. By choosing products that started as organically grown hemp, you can ensure that you’re getting all of the vitamins, minerals, and benefits that CBD has to offer.

The Proliferation of Mislabeled Products

Our commitment to offering high-quality CBD products goes beyond just the hemp itself. It extends to how we prepare, package, and present our products as well. This is simply standard practice for Axis Labs, who has been working within the precise and strict field of supplements for years. But it also addresses one of the major issues facing the CBD industry as a whole.

In 2017, Penn Medicine completed a fairly damning study of CBD products and their labels. The researchers found that nearly 70% of all CBD products sold online featured inaccurate or misleading labels. This is concerning for many reasons. It not only deceives customers, but it could also affect their health, as inaccurate labels could lead to improper usage of a product, leading to health complications.

What are These Labels Missing?

The Penn Medicine study examined a range of nearly 100 CBD products from a number of different manufacturers and producers. The study tested the concentration of the CBD and then compared it to what was listed on the packaging.

What the study found was eye-opening, to say the least. 26% of the products had a concentration that was actually less than what was advertised on the label. Another 43% of the products had concentrations that were higher. The discrepancies were different based on different products. For instance, 45% of CBD oils had an accurate label, while 25% of tinctures were accurate, and a mere 12% of vape liquids had accurate packaging.

This is evidence that the rush to get into the CBD field has lead to a saturated market filled with products of diluted quality. This is most evident in what else was found in these products besides the CBD compound. In 21% of the samples, the researchers found notable concentrations of the compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in the products.

The presence of THC in CBD products is problematic for both producers and consumers for a variety of reasons. There’s the legal concern of selling and using THC in states in which it is not legal. There are also concerns that consumers who unwittingly use THC thinking its CBD may fail a drug screen, which can affect their career. There’s also the effects of THC on the body, which can leave some feeling “high,” disrupting their mental clarity and slowing their physical responses. Finally, THC-based products are unsafe for children to consume, as even small amounts can lead to intoxication.

As consumers grow more aware of the effects that GMO foods and products can have on their health, the demand for organic goods has grown. And rightfully so. It’s better for your health and the earth too. Organic CBD has a lot to offer. For instance, organically grown hemp yields more of the plant, and a crop that has a higher concentration of the valuable CBD compound.

CBD raised using chemical treatments, conversely, often contains less CBD, meaning that farmers have to produce more hemp to get the same amount of the compound. Increased production for lesser amounts of product can strain the agricultural fields the farmer is using. Additionally, inorganically grown hemp has a higher risk of contamination. Hemp naturally sources vitamins and minerals from the soil it’s planted in. The cannabis plant is considered to be a “hyperaccumulator,” meaning it absorbs everything in the soil around it. That also means it draws any toxins in the soil into its fibers as well. This means that the CBD products derived from these contaminated plants may contain trace amounts of these toxins.

Finally, conventionally grown hemp and cannabis are not inspected to the same degree as organically grown hemp. This means that the initial quality of the plant affects the final quality of the CBD-based product. By choosing products that started as organically grown hemp, you can ensure that you’re getting all of the vitamins, minerals, and benefits that CBD has to offer.

How We Create Our Labels

We don’t want our customers to have to play guessing games when they purchase any of our products, not just our CBD. So we’ve created a labeling process that provides accurate and useful information for each one of our CBD goods.

As we develop our products, we develop the label simultaneously. The label features all of the information for the product, as well as the CBD concentration we expect the product to have. We then send the product to be tested at the third-party lab we partner with. When they return the results, we compare it to our label. If they match, we package the product and bring it to market. If there’s a discrepancy, we create a new label for the product that reflects the lab results.

In this way, we’re always sure of what’s in our products and so are our customers. It might seem like a common-sense process, but you’d be surprised by the number of competitors who don’t do even this much.

What We Include that Others Don’t

We’re glad to say that we’re not the only CBD supplier that is putting accurate labels on their products. Indeed, we expect this to become the norm sooner than later as the Food and Drug Administration begins to inspect the hemp industry a little more carefully.

But currently, our products offer you insights into your CBD that other companies do not. With our background in health and nutrition, it only made sense for us to include health information like calorie counts on our packaging.

Hemp is a great source of essential fatty acids that your body needs to restore and repair itself. But for those who are tracking their intake of fats, proteins, and carbs, knowing exactly what’s in your CBD products can make a difference. The fact is, the calories in cannabidiol can catch up with you if you’re not careful. This is especially true for products like tinctures and oils, where some might take 10 to 15 drops a day. While there might only be 9 calories in every serving of our CBD oil, that can make or break some dieting efforts.

By including calorie counts on our CBD gummies, capsules, and shots, you can find the right product to fit into your health and wellness routines.

Our Lab Testing Process

To offer you the maximum benefit of the cannabidiol compound, many of our products make use of a full-spectrum hemp extract. This offers you the most vitamins and minerals, and allows the other compounds found in hemp to naturally interact with the CBD, elevating their effects through a process called the “Entourage Effect.”

While this may offer the most benefit, it also means that we have to be more diligent in our testing. After all, we want our products to use the full-spectrum of helpful compounds, not any errant chemicals. That’s why we’ve partnered with an off-site lab to conduct all of our third-party lab testing.

Also based in Denver, we work closely with a leading cannabis analysis firm, Botanacor. This hemp testing company is accredited by the American Association of Lab Accreditation to cover services like cannabinoid potency testing, solvent detection, and testing for mold and other contaminants.

By working with Botanacor, Axis Labs can submit our CBD products to a rigorous battery of tests that ensure we’ve created the most potent and pure goods we can.

The lab testing process begins by checking the potency of the cannabinoids in our products. Botanacor uses a method that examines and analyses 15 cannabinoids, which is ideal for our full-spectrum products. This test is in keeping with the standards that the FDA has produced for pharmaceutical companies.

We also have the lab conduct a residual solvent analysis exam. In some products that use isolates, the method of extraction can result in solvents like alcohol leftover in the CBD. Not only is this bad for the product, but it’s bad for our clients as well. The solvent analysis checks for 11 different solvents and offers three levels of data so that you have a complete understanding of exactly what’s in each product.

Finally, our products are tested for any microbial contaminants. In addition to chemical pollutants, natural contaminants can have an impact on the effectiveness, potency, and purity of cannabidiol. The microbial contaminant analysis tells us whether the quality of the hemp we use has been maintained throughout the extraction and production process. It also prevents the spread of food-borne diseases.

All of these tests are in keeping with the standards that the FDA has produced for pharmaceutical companies.

The Result is Superior CBD

Ultimately, we made the decision to use the best materials, the best labeling practices, and the best testing practices not just because it creates a great product, but because it’s the right thing to do.

When you use a product from Axis Labs, you can rest assured knowing it’s one of the best available. Our products contain only the beneficial, non-psychoactive compounds that you need to enhance your health.

We also do this to protect our customers. We recognize that another cannabis compound, THC, can have adverse effects on the mental and physical health of some individuals. Those same individuals may react positively to a CBD-based product, however. Our thorough testing process ensures that none of our customers unintentionally dose themselves with this ingredient that could leave them with undesirable side effects.

CBD OIL