A visual, easy-to-understand report card, summarizing our extensive research into some of the best and upcoming CBD brands.
Each year CBD Brand Review performs an exhaustive, comprehensive evaluation on dozens of CBD brands/manufacturers utilizing a precise set of criteria. Criterion we developed to relieve our readers from hours and hours of researching each brand and product separately, on their own.
Once our research is complete, we consolidate our data into an eye-pleasing, easy-to-understand Report Card. This report card provides fast, visual insight into each brand we evaluate and allows you to compare each one to their competition
We grade our brands from A to F (A being the best - F being the worst) - CBD Brand Review represents and provides complete access to only those brands scoring in either the A or B category.
CBD Brand Review does not represent brands in the C, D, or F categories. However, we will re-evaluate these brands again next year for an additional opportunity to be represented here on CBD Brand Review, those "companies" that received a F rating or those that failed to meet our guidelines consecutively for two years will be listed in a separate section of our report.
Our Grading Criteria
We grade these companies utilizing four main criteria, similar to that of the Center for Food Safety (CFS). However, CBD Brand Review makes a slight deviation from CFS guidelines. (See our score chart below)
Whereas the CFS, favors a USDA Organic Certification as an important part of their overall grade, CBD Brand Review currently is not tarnishing a brand for the absence of this certification... though it will have a more significant role in our near future.
While we understand the importance of such a prestigious designation, we are also well aware that obtaining USDA certification is a difficult, expensive, and very timely process.
It was not until after the 2014 Farm Bill was passed that the USDA even authorized organic certification for hemp growers, but interest in certification was exceptionally low, due to highly restrictive policies.
Then in 2016, the USDA added more restrictions, saying that 3rd party auditors could no longer qualify hemp producers and that certification of industrial hemp crops could only be obtained through a state-piloted program, which had been woven into a section of the same Farm Bill. Unfortunately, that section (7606) did not specifically include the flower of the hemp plant, which holds the highest concentration of CBD.
It was not until the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill in December, which legalized hemp farming and declassified it as a schedule 1 substance that companies felt encouraged to finally pursue the organic classification...
It is for this specific reason CBD Brand Review remains lenient for now on these brands.
Some of the finest CBD brands are now vying to obtain this celebrated designation and we will be watching closely and sharing their progress in our CBD Brand Review Blog
Scoring Criterion
CBD Brand Review leans heavily on transparency and third-party testing. As a consumer, these should be essential to your buying decision!