One thing we know is true, CBD use is gaining momentum. Still, many people remain skeptical whether or not CBD is the product for them. There are many questions that people ask regarding CBD products. Some of them are related to the odor of CBD. Plenty of this Q&A is related to the effectiveness of CBD, and some are related to the use of a specific product. People that have never tried CBD products usually have questions related to the taste and smell of CBD. That said, I’ll address these questions and try to explain how the most popular CBD oils typically smell and taste.
CBD Oil Odor Information
The first question is always, “Does CBD oil smell like weed?” Maybe you’ve tried pot once in your life, or maybe you’ve indulged in it during a phase in your life, or maybe you use every day.
Whatever it may be, there’s no chance of ever forgetting the recognizable, strong smell of this wonderful plant. Well, if you are expecting CBD oil to smell like weed just because they come from the same plant, you best think again.
CBD is essentially the smell of something that’s a complex blend of compounds. In the case of plants, the smells are due to the different volatile flavonoids and terpenes the plant produces. It’s more complex than this, but you get my point.
In the case of cannabis, and we think of both marijuana and industrial hemp plants, it does not matter really how the raw plant material smells like, as the industrial hemp undergoes extraction treatment for producing the hemp extract. Most likely, you would expect a change in the smell of the extract, and you would be right.
A Pleasant Scenty Surprise In A Bottle
After completing the extraction process from the hemp plant that’s when things get really interesting from a scent perspective. Depending on the additional processing, the scent of the final product can actually vary significantly.
For example, if you take a bottle of full-spectrum phytocannabinoid-rich hemp extract, then you will feel a rich, earthy aroma filling your nostrils. This is due to the compounds found in the extract.
The terpenes, cannabinoids, fatty acids, flavonoids, and other compounds in the full-spectrum hemp extract bring their two cents, adding to the wholesome earthy smell. Depending on the strain of hemp the extract is made from, the aroma can vary from grassy to nutty, to earthy. Still, the complex blend found in the full-spectrum CBD hemp extract is responsible for the heavier odor of the product.
What Odor Comes From CBD Isolate?
If you take a bottle of pure CBD oil made from 99%+ pure CBD isolate, then there is a significant difference in smell when compared to the full-spectrum extract product.
This is because the pure CBD oil only contains the CBD isolate which is odorless and has some kind of carrier oil. So any odor that a pure CBD oil gives off is likely due to the natural smell of the carrier oil.
What Other Compounds Can Affect The Smell Of CBD?
This article would be considered incomplete if I didn’t mention carrier oils. In fact, I’ll say it…we need to talk about the carrier oils that are usually present in CBD products. The most common carrier oils used by the majority of CBD manufacturers today are MCT coconut oil, olive oil, or hemp oil. These too add to the smell of the CBD oil.
The natural smell of MCT coconut oil is sweet and light. When MCT coconut oil is used in combination with full-spectrum PCR hemp extract, the full-spectrum hemp extract’s smell overpowers the lighter MCT coconut oil smell. But when it is used as a carrier oil with pure CBD isolate, then it adds to the smell of the pure CBD oil product.
Hemp oil has a heavy scent and a slightly darker color than the coconut oil. Same with the olive oil, it has a strong, heavy smell. When used as a carrier oil with pure CBD isolate, the scent you are experiencing is due to the smell of the carrier oils used.
Final Thoughts
The natural smell of industrial hemp can be heavy and overwhelming for many people. This smell translates itself into the full-spectrum CBD hemp products, as well as the broad-spectrum ones. These extracts contain all the natural ingredients from the original plant, like terpenes, flavonoids, resins, waxes, and more.
The resulting smell is strong, and some people say it smells like the deep forest, or like pines, nuts, or grass. In the case of using CBD oil made from pure CBD isolate, the smell is solely due to the natural smell of the carrier oil used. And we don’t need to explain that there are plenty of CBD oils that contain natural or artificial aromas that cover the natural smell of CBD oil.
So, if you don’t like the smell of the full-spectrum PCR hemp extract, or like your CBD oil to smell of something, then you can get some of the CBD products with added aromas. The fan-favorite options include peppermint, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and orange. Anyway, now you know why and how CBD oil smells.
