CBD (cannabidiol) is a powerful, non-psychoactive cannabinoid extracted from the Hemp variety of the Cannabis plant. Since it is extracted from plants, CBD in itself is of course 100% vegan.
However, when it comes to CBD infused products, different manufacturers will add different ingredients. This is where it becomes a little bit more complicated to answer the question ‘is CBD vegan?’.
CBD Oils (Tinctures)
The majority of CBD oils will only contain 2-4 components: CBD extract, a carrier oil, flavourings, and sometimes colourings.
Most reputable CBD brands will use high quality carrier oils such as hemp seed oil, MCT oil, or olive oil. These are all 100% vegan.
However, you should still always check the ingredients of individual CBD oils to ensure that the carrier oil is one of these.
Honest Hemp’s CBD Oils use either hemp seed oil or MCT oil as the carrier. Two out of four of the Honest Hemp CBD oil options contain flavourings, and none of them contain colourings. They are all 100% vegan friendly.
CBD Edibles
CBD Sweets or Gummies
Sweets are generally made using gelatine which is an animal derived food product. It is no different when it comes to CBD sweets. However, there are vegan CBD sweets on the market which use a plant-based gelatin alternative.
Honest Hemp offers both non-vegan and vegan CBD gummy options, and you’ll be pleased to hear that the flavour is not compromised whatsoever by the use of a plant-based gelatin alternative!
CBD Capsules
CBD capsules are essentially an edible shell filled with CBD oil. Similarly to CBD sweets, the shell of the capsule is usually made using gelatine. It is possible to find CBD capsules that are made using a vegan alternative.
Other CBD Edibles
There are many other CBD edibles available on the market today. This includes chocolates, various drinks, and much more. When it comes to these products, you will need to check the ingredients of each indidivual item in order to see if it is vegan friendly. Quite often, products that use vegan ingredients will be clearly labelled as ‘vegan’.
CBD Skin Care
Once again, when it comes to CBD skin care (or ‘topicals’), it will vary between brands as to whether they are vegan or not. You will need to check the ingredients and product information to ensure that the product is vegan and cruelty free.
At Honest Hemp, all of the CBD topicals are 100% vegan and cruelty free. Our skin care products are infused only with pure CBD, essential oils, plant oils & plant extracts.
So… yes, essentially CBD is vegan – BUT – as soon as we start mixing CBD with other ingredients to create usable products, that question becomes a little less easy to answer!
We would recommend always checking the ingredients of any product you are considering buying. At Honest Hemp, almost all of our products are 100% vegan friendly – our CBD Capsules and our CBD Gummies contain gelatine. However, we do of course have our CBD Vegan Domes which use a plant-based alternative. If you are looking for a vegan CBD edible, opt for those. If you are looking for an oil or skin care product, then you can rest assured that all of these are vegan at Honest Hemp.