How to Read a Certificate of Analysis

Have you ever wondered what’s inside your CBD? A certificate of analysis will answer your questions.

Elixinol cares about the purity and consistency of the products you purchase. We’re committed to producing the best full-spectrum hemp CBD extract products for you, as well as maintaining the highest level of transparency in our seed-to-sale process. That’s why we provide certificates of analysis (COAs) for all of our products. (You can find them here.)

For the very best results, each of our products undergoes rigorous third-party testing by two separate labs: Botanacor Services and ProVerde Laboratories. Botanacor analyzes our hemp CBD extract for cannabinoids, while ProVerde tests for purity, heavy metals, and pesticides. We include the results of that testing in every COA.

Why does a COA matter?

A COA provides testing results for impurities such as bacteria, mold and pesticides in addition to testing the amount of CBD, so you know your CBD is both potent and pure. COA’s also provide us with detailed information regarding the batch and lot numbers of each product. This information is invaluable in the event of a product recall; the COAs give us the tools we need to recall that specific batch and identify customers who may have purchased products from that batch.

Each COA also provides quality analysis information for each batch, direct from our third-party labs. You can access these documents at any time for peace of mind regarding the quality of our hemp CBD extract products.

So how do you read a COA?

Section 1: Basic information

At the top of section one, you’ll notice a brief description of what product the analysis covers. In this case, it’s the 300 mg Hemp Extract Tincture in Cinnamint flavor.

Section one contains basic information about the product, such as:

• • Product description
  • Manufacture date
  • Expiration date
  • Country of origin
  • Storage/handling instructions
  • Packaging description

This section is an at-a-glance snapshot of the product you ordered. The detailed quality analysis information follows.

Section 2: In-depth quality analysis results

At the top of section two, you’ll see the batch and lot numbers of the product we tested. In this case, the batch number of this Cinnamint-flavored hemp CBD extract is 870033 and the lot number is H70019.

Section two contains detailed information from the lab about the product’s consistency and purity. You’ll see the testing methods for each item listed beneath every result.

Let’s break down each part of section two:

Formulation: This is the product’s ingredient list. You’ll see on this COA that the ingredients of the Cinnamint CBD extract are MCT oil, CBD hemp extract, CO2 cinnamon extract, and peppermint essential oil.

Appearance: The lab analyzes the appearance of each batch of product for consistency. This batch of hemp CBD extract is reported to have a thin consistency and a dark amber color. They also noted that the taste and smell are characteristic of Elixinol’s Cinnamint hemp extract tincture.

Potency & Purity Testing

Typical Active Cannabinoid Profile: This section includes a breakdown of the amounts of the cannabinoids CBD and THC (under 0.3%) present in this batch. In this case, there is 0% THC present, as there was no THC detected through testing and analysis. The analysis also confirms the presence of 300 mg CBD.

Heavy Metals Results: We test our hemp CBD tinctures for the presence of the heavy metals arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead. Listed to the right of each metal is the detected amount (if any) in parts per million (ppm), with a guide to the ppm limits for each metal.

Microbiological Results: Our products are tested rigorously for microbial contamination through 3M Petrifilm and plate count testing. The major contaminants we screen for are E. coli, Salmonella spp., yeast and mold, S. Aureus, and P. aeruginosa.

Pesticide Results: Our labs test each Elixinol product for pesticide contamination, screening for the presence of 19 major pesticides. For this particular batch, we detected no pesticides.

Finally, at the bottom of the document, you’ll see an approval date and signature from our Chief Operating Officer, Gabriel Ettenson.

Questions about your COA?

If you have questions regarding your COA, reach out to our customer service team for assistance. We’re happy to help you navigate these all-important documents.

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