CBD Water vs. Water Soluble CBD Oil: What You Should Know...

As you might have guessed by now, cbdMD will soon be debuting our brand new line of water soluble CBD oil tinctures! Not only is this an exciting time, but it gives us the opportunity to answer a new host of questions and correct some misinformation in the CBD industry. So here we are, ready to clean it all up for you so you can get a clear answer.

Water soluble CBD is still a relatively new product on the market, thanks to the invention of nanotechnology and its recent adoption into the health and food industry. But with the manufacturing of water soluble CBD oil comes the production of CBD water, leading to a myriad of questions such as:

• How can an oil become water soluble?
• Is water soluble CBD oil the same thing as CBD water?
• How do they compare to traditional CBD oil?
• Does the product packaging really matter?
• What's the real difference between the two?

To get everything kicked off, let's start with how this new line of CBD oil differs from our traditional CBD oil tinctures, and what that means for you as a consumer.

The Benefits of Water Soluble CBD Over Regular CBD Oil

There are so many possible advantages of regular CBD oil that it sounds crazy to think that there are some things it can't do. But it's true.

By its nature, CBD is soluble in oil, which means that it doesn't exactly play nice with water molecules, as any good high-school science class has taught us. This means that one of the most common things that regular CBD oil can't do is mix well into your water, coffee, or tea. For some, the little beads of oil that float to the surface or stick to the rim of a cup after it's empty don't bother them.

But many others don't like to waste the CBD oil that's left in their cup or have the taste of the oil stand out in their drink. So if you're someone that wants to enjoy all the amazing benefits of CBD oil but would prefer to sit back, sip, and relax or drink it on the go, then you should probably know about water soluble CBD.

What It Means to Be "Water-Friendly"

By definition, oil is "lipid-friendly," meaning that it binds and dissolves best in products with a high fat content. This also makes oil the exact opposite of "water-friendly," which is why it beads and pulls away from water molecules.

In comes water soluble CBD oil.

By nanoemulsifying traditional CBD oil, we essentially break it down into the smallest pieces possible, which is what allows the oil molecules to more easily bond with the water molecules. When the CBD molecules are suspended alongside water molecules in an emulsified solution (consisting of both fat and water soluble parts), they become separated just enough to allow them to float together.

So how is all of this done? Through nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is used to measure and manipulate things at the scale of a billionth of a meter, such as atoms and molecules. Which, as we mentioned more than once above, is imperative to nano-emulsification and the creation of water soluble CBD oil. In addition to nano-emulsification, nanoencapsulation is a large part of the water soluble CBD production process.

Nanoencapsulation is the process in which the broken-down CBD particles are coated (or encapsulated) with a substance that protects the molecule from degradation and / or makes it easier for the CBD molecule to emulsify with water.

Our water soluble CBD oil formula, for example, contains vegetable glycerin as the emulsifier. Vegetable glycerin is vegan, as it's typically made from palm or coconut oils. Once these oils are heated under pressure, the glycerin, or sugar alcohol, separates from the fats in the oils and mixes with water to form a thick, syrupy type of liquid.

Water soluble CBD oil makes the perfect compliment to low-fat food and drink recipes because, unlike traditional CBD oil that bonds best to foods with a high fat content, water soluble CBD is specially produced to combine with recipes with a higher water content.

Experience Maximum Absorption Through Water Soluble CBD Oil

Aside from its ability to mix with water, the most amazing benefit of water soluble CBD is that it reaches its peak concentration in your body faster than traditional CBD. And that peak is higher overall than regular CBD oil. Why?

Because just as the broken-down nanoparticles of CBD are better able to bind with the water molecules in many liquids, so too are they better able to bind with the high concentration of water in your body. This leads to a few benefits, including a better rate of absorption and a higher maximum concentration of CBD.

Your body actually absorbs water soluble CBD oil faster than traditional CBD oil thanks to the smaller particles that more readily bond with the water in your body. So not only will you typically see the benefits of water soluble CBD within 15 to 30 minutes (almost half the time of regular CBD oil), but when you take it straight by emptying the dropper bottle into your mouth, you don't have to hold it under your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing.

Not only that, but since the CBD molecules of water soluble CBD oil are better bonded with whatever drink you add them to, there is less CBD oil residue left in the cup once you've finished it. Which means more CBD overall reaching your system, and less product wasted, ultimately saving you money.

And finally, your body will actually absorb more CBD when in a water soluble form. What this means is that the maximum concentration of CBD your body receives will always be higher than traditional CBD oil, even if the concentrations listed on the labels are the same. Because water and oil don't mix well, a larger amount of CBD is wasted within your body when not taken in a water soluble format.

Before we move onto the bigger question, since everything we just went over is quite a lot of information, here's a quick recap of the absorption benefits of water soluble CBD oil:

• There is less unused CBD oil left along the edges and bottom of your cup because most of it bonded with the water molecules.
• Your body absorbs water soluble CBD oil faster than traditional CBD oil.
• You will typically see the benefits of water soluble CBD within 30 minutes.
• You don't have to hold it under your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing.
• The maximum concentration of CBD you receive will always be higher than traditional CBD oil.

Now that we've gone over the benefits of water soluble CBD in detail, that leaves one last question. What is the difference between CBD water and water soluble CBD oil?

CBD Water vs. Water Soluble CBD Oil

CBD water and water soluble CBD have a lot of similarities with one very important difference. CBD water is the end product ready to be consumed, while water soluble CBD oil can either be added to a drink first or taken straight.

By providing an end product to the consumer, companies have allowed the general public to skip a few steps in their journey to receiving all the benefits that CBD has to offer. This also allows you to only buy one thing, the CBD water itself, rather than a bottle of water soluble CBD and whatever drink you plan to combine it with. That being said, CBD water can get pricey, as it doesn't last nearly as long as CBD oil.

On the other hand, however, you can combine water soluble CBD oil with virtually anything - it's not just limited to water. Which means you can add CBD to your morning cup of coffee or your relaxing cup of tea at night and everything in between. Plus, you get more bang for your buck and can control exactly how much CBD you're taking at any given time, unlike the precombined product you get with CBD water.

So what is the important difference between the two products? Their shelf life. Because like a lot of CBD products, once exposed to light or air, they begin to degrade.

What Is CBD Water?

CBD water is essentially just as it sounds: water that has been infused with CBD molecules and packaged for individual consumption. And as such, one of CBD water's biggest selling points is that the mixture was done for you, so you can skip that step and get right to experiencing the best benefits of CBD. What they don't always tell you, however, is that it's really only regular CBD oil that's frustrating to combine with liquids.

As we mentioned above, water soluble CBD products are developed in such a way that they almost instantly mix right into your drink, without the separation that usually occurs with water and oil. Not only that but water soluble CBD can be mixed into any desired drink, which means you're not limited solely to water. Rather, you can mix it into your coffee, tea, soda, juice, or practically anything else.

Because the thing about CBD is that it degrades over time, and at an even faster rate when exposed to light or air. This is actually why CBD oil tinctures are most often sold in opaque or amber-colored bottles. And once exposed to light, CBD begins to break down, effectively negating the benefits of CBD.

Which unfortunately means that when you open your CBD water, you'll need to finish it as soon as possible, because even if you toss it in the fridge, the CBD contained within it will continue to degrade. In fact, temperature actually has zero impact on the longevity of CBD, so it really wouldn't matter how you store it - if you don't finish it once opened, you might as well throw it away after.

This leads to another important thing you should consider: how is the CBD water packaged? Because if it's in a clear plastic or glass bottle, then you might as well drink regular water for all the benefits you'll receive. Along the same train of thought, if the product is resealable, is that seal airtight? And lastly, how much CBD does the product claim to contain, and is it manufactured by a reputable company?

A lot of CBD water products contain a wide range of CBD concentrations, so it's important to pay very close attention to what you're buying and consuming. Along the same lines, we've discussed the importance of reviewing a Certificate of Analysis quite intensely in many past articles, which leads us to the question: Do these companies that are producing CBD water provide a COA? Or is that something they haven't even considered?

Because if popular brands are trying to step into the CBD market for the first time with a readily available consumer product, testing their goods with third-party labs, let alone providing a COA, may not occur to them just yet. And without a COA, there's no way for you to definitively know what it is you're consuming.

CBD water can also easily become a lot more expensive, especially in the long run. And the price may not be worth it if you don't find yourself finishing every bottle or can. Of course, as with most things, making the decision to use CBD water or water soluble CBD oil is often a personal choice.

What Is Water Soluble CBD Oil?

While this is a small technicality, it's true that you can't really make CBD oil dissolvable in water - at least not to the same extent as something like a drink mix powder would fully dissolve. But you can suspend the individual molecules long enough to create an emulsion, which basically functions the same as a soluble product.

As we mentioned above, cbdMD uses nanoencapsulation to suspend the CBD molecules in vegetable glycerin, which is also used as the nano-emulsifier in our water soluble CBD oil. Vegetable glycerin makes an optimal emulsifier because it has both water soluble and fat soluble parts.

By bonding the fat soluble parts of the glycerin with the fats in the CBD oil, we create a syrupy type of CBD oil. And when added to your drink, the water soluble parts of the solution bond to the water in the drink, allowing the CBD oil and water to mix together.

Made with our Superior Broad Spectrum formula, our water soluble CBD oil has a higher bioavailability than our other CBD oil tinctures and can be taken directly or added to any number of drinks and food recipes, especially if they have a low fat content. Meaning that you can enjoy all the amazing benefits of water soluble CBD without being limited solely to water.

And as with any of our other CBD products, cbdMD will hold our water soluble CBD tinctures to the same standards as anything else, with third-party, ISO lab-certified testing and Certificates of Analysis so you can trust in the product you're buying.

Our brand new water soluble CBD oil tinctures will be debuting soon in 30 mL opaque bottles. They'll be available in 1000 mg and 3000 mg concentrations in both lemon and unflavored options so you can make your drinks taste however you want them to!

The Big Difference: How Mixing CBD Water Yourself Compares with the Store-Bought Version

Earlier, we mentioned how pricey store-bought CBD water can get, but here's a quick comparison for you: Most of our CBD tinctures are sold in a 30 mL bottle containing 30 servings each. And in order to achieve between 10 mg and 25 mg of CBD in every serving, that will cost you a total of $30 to $60, or one to two dollars per serving. Which is easily 25 to 30 percent cheaper than the cost of prepackaged CBD water.

In addition, once opened, CBD water immediately begins to degrade after being exposed to air and light for an extended period of time. A bottle of water soluble CBD oil, however, is kept tightly closed in an opaque bottle until the brief moment you open it, drop some in your mouth or drink, and immediately shut it again. This simple difference extends the shelf life of the product by well over a year.

Although at their core, CBD water and water soluble CBD oil are very similar, water soluble CBD offers you a lot more options, shelf-stable longevity, and a much more cost-effective price. Not to mention that as with the rest of our CBD oil tinctures, you can choose how much or how little CBD you use at a time so that you get all the benefits you need without consuming anything extra.

For more information on how well water soluble CBD oil functions, and how it compares with store-bought CBD water, take a stroll through our frequently updated blog. Or maybe you just want to stay up to date on the latest CBD news and cbdMD's upcoming special offers? Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or chat with someone live today!