Want to know what types of CBD oil there are and which is best? Understanding these questions is vital when considering which CBD oil to choose in Australia.
You’ve probably seen terms describing CBD oil like:
- Full-spectrum
- Broad-spectrum
- Isolate
- CB2
Each of these terms describes a distinct formulation of CBD tincture, but the terminology can be confusing and complicated to understand.
Knowing the options here and which is right for you is critical in purchasing CBD oil.
However, selecting the best CBD oil for your needs can be daunting. Each type of CBD oil has pros and cons, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Having the right know-how enables you to purchase the right CBD oil in Australia to maximise your results with the product.
It’ll additionally assist you in avoiding legal risks, health troubles, or setbacks. Let’s delve into the different types of CBD oil and compare each. We’ll help you uncover their unique characteristics and explore which one might be the right option for you.
Contents
What Types of CBD Oil Are There?
There are several types of CBD oil you can purchase in Australia.
Each type is different because of their unique:
- CBD Content: Distinct concentrations of the CBD cannabinoid (i.e. their strength)
- Minor Cannabinoid Content: Differing mixtures of minor cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, CBDa or THCV in (the CBD oil’s formulation)
- Phytonutrient Content: Varying concentrations of phytonutrients like terpenes, fatty acids, plant matter and antioxidants
- THC Content: Divergences in THC quantities (the psychoactive cannabinoid)
The variations in the characteristics of each CBD oil type influence what each type is ‘best’ for.
What are the types of CBD oil? Let’s take a look.
Isolates
Isolate CBD oil is the purest and most concentrated due to its extensive distillation and refinement.
- More Refined: additional refinement steps enable maximum filtration and purification of the cannabis extract, eliminating other phytocompounds from the oil while retaining CBD.
- No THC: these extracts are ‘isolated’ to CBD only. All other cannabinoids (including THC) are removed. All isolate CBD oils contain less than 0.3% THC under Australian regulation.
- Tasteless: The resulting extract is colourless and tasteless, making it much easier for many who don’t enjoy the flavour of full-spectrum CBD oil.
Isolates tend to be purer and safer than other CBD extracts due to being free of THC. Choose them if you can’t risk consuming any amount of THC (for instance, if you drive or are drug tested).
Full-spectrum
Full-spectrum CBD oil is the least refined type of extract. It contains the entire ‘spectrum’ of phytonutrients and minor cannabinoids that occur in cannabis.
- Phytocompounds: It’s rich in beneficial compounds like cannaflavins, flavonoids, antioxidants and vitamins from hemp.
- Plant Matter: Full-spectrum CBD tinctures are rich in raw plant matter, terpenes, and other nutrients. Due to this, full-spectrum CBD extracts tend to be ‘murkier’ or darker. This product’s green colour comes from its chlorophyll content. Each boosts the antioxidative effects and metabolic benefits of this oil type.
- THC Traces: A downside of full-spectrum CBD products for some people is that they contain minor traces of THC.
Minor Cannabinoids and Terpenes
- Minor cannabinoids in full-spectrum CBD oil can include CBG, CBA, CBC, THCV, and CBN. Each has distinctive therapeutic benefits, which can often complement those of CBD.
- Obtaining a mixture of minor cannabinoids in your oil can enhance its advantages for your well-being versus CBD in isolation.
- Many cannabinoids are synergistic and amplify each other. Because of these synergies, CBC, CBG, and CBD all tend to work better together.
- Terpenes: the terpenes in full-spectrum CBD extracts magnify the potency of cannabinoids. Terpenes help the body to absorb cannabinoids like CBG or CBD. For example, myrcene (a terpene) can increase the overall absorption of CBD, bolstering its benefits for inflammation or anxiety.
Because they’re abundant in phytocompounds, cannabinoids, and terpenes, full-spectrum CBD products have the best overall ‘breadth’ of effects. They’re ideal if you’re starting with CBD or want a balanced, holistic approach.
Broad-spectrum
Broad-spectrum CBD oil types are similar to full-spectrum extracts but remove traces of THC.
- THC Safety: they’re safer to use versus full-spectrum CBD oil for people who can’t risk THC consumption.
- Broad Spectrum Phytocompounds: Broad-spectrum CBD extracts contain a ‘broad spectrum’ of cannabinoids beyond just CBD. Plus, they’re rich in terpenes and nutrients.
- Targeted Effects: This type of oil is formulated to contain high amounts of specific cannabinoids. For example, some broad-spectrum CBD oils are very high in CBN or CBG. These provide more targeted effects or advantages derived from these minor cannabinoids.
- For instance, broad-spectrum CBN oil has powerful benefits for sleep quality or insomnia alleviation. It contains high levels of the CBN cannabinoid, well known for its properties that support sleep health.
CB2 Oil
A relatively new type of CBD product in Australia is CB2 oil.
- CB2 Receptor Activation: In contrast to other CBD oil types, CB2 oil is designed to maximise the activation of the CB2 receptors in the immune and nervous systems. This makes it better for immune health.
- Immunity: Boosting immune function aids users with antiviral and antimicrobial defence.
- Most CB2 oils are broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD extracts with a different name. They will usually claim to avoid targeting the brain’s CB1 receptors (which is what causes psychoactivity).
Which CBD Oil Type is Best? Comparison
Now that you know the main types of CBD oil and their differences, let’s review which is best.
When to Choose Isolate CBD Oil
- Isolate CBD oil is best if you can’t ingest any THC. They’re the most pure form of CBD tincture available.
- Drug Testing Safety: These extracts are safer for people who can’t risk intoxication, mental harm or failed drug tests from THC. They’re the best CBD oil for anyone in Australia who drives or works in a drug-tested job.
- Cost-Effective CBD: Isolate CBD oil also has the highest concentration of CBD per ml of liquid oil, making it the most cost-effective in terms of the quantity of CBD per dollar. It provides the most CBD for the lowest price without diluting it with other terpenes and nutrients.
- No Hemp Taste: Additionally, isolate CBD products have no smell or taste. This is an advantage of isolates over full-spectrum CBD oil, which can be hard to consume because of their flavour.
Drawbacks
For most people, CBD isolates won’t be the best type of CBD oil to choose.
Why?
- No Entourage Effect: These formulations don’t contain helpful terpenes, which enable the ‘entourage effect’ with CBD. Terpenes help CBD absorb at cannabinoid receptor sites, enhancing the benefits of CBD oil (known as the ‘entourage effect’).
- Missing out on amplifying CBD’s rich therapeutic potential in the body is a significant downside of isolated CBD formulations.
Additionally, isolated CBD oils entirely lack the large variety of beneficial minor cannabinoids and phytocompounds from hemp.
- Missing Minor Cannabinoids: You won’t get the powerful health benefits of CBG, CBN or other cannabinoids.
- Lack of Nutrients: Plus, you’ll miss out on advantageous antioxidants like flavonoids, cannaflavins, and beta-carotene that help with metabolic health.
- The value of these missing nutrients is substantial. Not getting them in your CBD oil product is a significant gap in the overall improvements it can stimulate for your well-being.
Overall, the reduced nutrient content of isolate CBD oil reduces its breadth of potential health benefits and ability to target the alleviation of health problems like psoriasis, arthritis or chronic pain.
When to Select Full-Spectrum CBD Oil
For most people, full-spectrum varieties of CBD oil will be the best choice. There are a few good reasons for this.
- Nutrient Variety: Full-spectrum CBD extracts contain many cannabinoids, terpenes, and phytocompounds. Each works together to promote the product’s overall efficacy in reducing inflammation, lowering pain, and soothing anxiousness.
- Synergistic Terpenes: The synergy between terpenes and CBD in these products (entourage effect) means you can use less dosage overall to achieve strong results.
- Nutrient Variety: Each full-spectrum extract contains healthy fats, such as omega-3, vitamins, minerals, and fibrous plant matter.
- Because of their nutrient variety and the entourage effect, full-spectrum CBD oil delivers the widest variety of health benefits.
- It’s the best starting option for beginners, provided you’re OK with small amounts of THC.
Drawbacks
The most significant downside to full-spectrum CBD oil is THC content.
- Drug Testing Risk: In Australia, it’s illegal to have THC in your body if you’re driving or working around heavy machines.
- THC Accumulates: While full-spectrum CBD products contain little THC, they will build up in your body over time because THC is fat-soluble. Because of this, you should avoid these types of CBD oil if you’re drug tested regularly.
Another drawback of full-spectrum CBD oil types is their intense flavour and scent.
- Full-Spectrum Musk: Many describe the flavour and aroma of full-spectrum CBD extracts as ‘grassy’, ‘musky’, or ‘earth-like’, which can be offputting for some.
- These scents and tastes occur from the product’s hemp terpenes and plant matter.
- Masking Flavour: You can always mask the ‘full-spectrum’ flavour by adding CBD drops to a sweet drink or treat. Try using it in a dessert or flavoured drink.
- Don’t like the ‘full-spectrum’ taste? CBD isolate is a good, taste-free alternative. You could also try CBD capsules, which have no flavour.
When to Choose Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil
Broad-spectrum CBD oil is perfect if you want the advantages of full-spectrum CBD extracts but don’t want to consume any THC.
- Entourage Effect with No THC: While free of THC, broad-spectrum CBD extracts still contain beneficial minor cannabinoids and terpenes. This means you won’t miss out on the entourage effect.
- This makes broad-spectrum CBD products ideal if you desire terpenes and minor cannabinoids but need to minimise your risk of THC exposure.
- Targeted Cannabinoids: Many broad-spectrum CBD oils are also particularly abundant in certain minor cannabinoids, such as CBN or CBG, which provide particularly strong, targeted effects for specific health outcomes.
Drawbacks
The drawback of broad-spectrum CBD oil is that it’s less pure and potent than isolates and does not contain as many nutrients as full-spectrum extracts.
- THC Risk: In addition, while THC content is typically nil, some broad-spectrum products do sometimes contain minor trace amounts of THC. These can often still be detectable in drug tests.
- Mislabelling: The risk of this is low but possible. Subpar CBD oil manufacturers may mislabel or fail to test their broad-spectrum product, leading to higher levels of THC.
- Additionally, due to its terpene content, broad-spectrum CBD oil can have a musky taste.
What’s the Difference Between CBD Oil and Tinctures?
In Australia, liquid CBD extracts are available in tinctures and oils.
How are CBD oils different from CBD tinctures?
- CBD Tinctures infuse pure CBD into a carrier oil to improve cannabinoid absorbability. A carrier like MCT or olive oil helps to ‘carry’ CBD molecules and disperse them more evenly for accurate dosing. Carrier oils also promote better absorption and longer oil shelf life.
- CBD Oil, on the other hand, is a pure CBD extract without carrier oils added. These products have higher strength but a reduced shelf life. Additionally, their taste and absorption can be inferior.
Generally, choosing CBD tinctures here is more optimal. There’s little reason to select a pure CBD oil item unless you have a specific allergy or intolerance to carriers like MCT.
Takeaways
Now that you know the main types of CBD oil and their differences, remember that no specific CBD oil type is best. Each has distinct trade-offs and is more optimal for particular aims.
- CBD Isolates are ideal for those who want to maximise their CBD intake and avoid THC.
- Broad-spectrum CBD oil enables you to benefit from terpenes and minor cannabinoids without THC consumption risk.
- Full-spectrum CBD extracts provide the broadest variety of health benefits but will expose you to a small amount of THC.
Each of these CBD types has distinct characteristics that make them unique. These differences stem from:
- Differing CBD and THC Concentrations
- Distinct Minor Cannabinoid Content (such as CBG or CBN)
- Varying levels of hemp phytocompounds like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants or cannflavins.
Aligning the above characteristics to your needs will help you find the ‘best type’ of CBD oil for you. CBD tinctures and oils can both work. However, tinctures are better absorbed and have a longer shelf life.
Remember: if you’re drug tested or driving in Australia, you should avoid full-spectrum CBD because of its THC concentrations.
FAQs
Choosing between CBD isolate and full spectrum CBD oil depends on your preferences and health needs. CBD isolate is purer, contains more CBD, and removes all THC content. In contrast, full-spectrum CBD oil offers a broader range of helpful nutrients from hemp, including terpenes, cannflavins and antioxidants. Terpene compounds in full-spectrum extracts synergise with cannabinoids like CBD and improve their potency. However, full-spectrum extracts have a strong scent from these aromatic scent chemicals, which can be unappealing.
While CBD isolate products have the highest CBD concentrations and purity, they lack terpene content. Terpenes improve the potency of CBD. They aid absorption and amplify the benefits of cannabinoids like CBD. This can make CBD isolate oil less potent than full-spectrum extracts despite containing more CBD per mL.
There are three main types of CBD: Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, and CBD Isolate.
There is full-spectrum CBD oil, which contains all cannabinoids, including THC; broad-spectrum CBD oil, which includes all cannabinoids except THC; and CBD Isolate, which is pure CBD with no other cannabinoids.
The best type of CBD depends on your needs: Full-spectrum is ideal if you want the “entourage effect” (all cannabinoids working together, including THC); Broad-spectrum is a good option if you want the benefits of multiple cannabinoids without THC; and CBD Isolate is best if you prefer pure CBD with no other cannabinoids.
Author
Originally from Byron Bay (Australia), Steve Jacobs is a writer and expert on the world of hemp. His passion for hemp products developed from working with organic hemp cultivators and sustainable skincare brands in Byron. Inspired by these eco-friendly approaches to crafting superb products, Steve realised the opportunity at the intersection of aromatherapy, natural skincare and the magic of hemp. He founded Bondi Hemp to bring this dream to life, bringing rejuvenating hemp extracts, refreshing botanical hemp topicals and revitalising essential oils to everyday Aussies. True to his Byron roots, Steve infuses every drop of his responsibly produced hemp products with the rich terroir of the Byron Region, resulting in unsurpassed quality without harming the earth. Today, Steve continues to write and speak about hemp, skincare, and aromatherapy from his family’s home in Northern NSW.
