Charlotte’s Web CBD Products/Brand Review (+Coupon Code)

Brand Overview Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte’s Web is a Colorado-based CBD brand.

It’s a completely vertically integrated brand that controls the full production process.

All of their products are made from the same hemp strain “Charlotte’s Web”.

Under the right growing conditions, Charlotte’s Web hemp strain produces high-CBD flower with amazing cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles.

Although CW doesn’t provide terpene tests, we know that their products contain better-than-average concentrations of terpenes based on:

• The known cannabinoid-profile;
• Disclosed growing conditions, and;
• Hemp strain (Charlotte’s Web).

Reviewing various Charlotte’s Web CBD products over the years, we can confidently say that their products belong to the most effective CBD products on the market. All Charlotte’s Web CBD products have better-than-average cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles. CW products belong to the top 10% of most effective CBD products that we have reviewed.

Recently, CW brought out an oil that’s made from USDA organic certified hemp. If you want organic CBD products, you’re now in good hands with Charlotte’s Web.

Most CW products are made with supercritical CO2-extraction. But their Original Formula tincture, which is based on ethanol-extraction, is still available. The Original Formula is also exactly the product that we like the most because we like as many hemp-derived terpenes in our CBD products as possible.

Ethanol-extraction is scientifically proven to be a better extraction method for the preservation of volatile monoterpenes (1).

That being said, their CO2-extracted products have great cannabinoid-profiles and very likely also decent terpene-profiles.

Safety and Transparency Charlotte’s Web

When it comes to transparency, Charlotte’s Web is almost as transparent as it gets. The only thing that’s lacking is a terpene test.

Other than the terpene test, the certificate of analysis contains every possible test:

• Cannabinoid test;
• Heavy metals;
• Pesticides;
• Microbials, and;
• Residual solvents.

Charlotte’s Web is a publicly-traded company since 2018. And while this isn’t a guarantee, being a publicly-traded company means that their production processes are under much more scrutiny, by local and federal regulatory agents than an average CBD product manufacturer.

CW produces its products in an FDA-registered facility and follows the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) protocols.

They also ensure that none of their products are sprayed or processed with compounds or chemicals that are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A different standard that CW follows is the American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA) contaminant guidelines and specifications for Good Quality. 

And they also make sure that all of their products are compliant with California’s Prop 65 regulations, which is a list of 65 regulated chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

The bottom line is:

Charlotte’s Web is a highly transparent CBD brand that produces clean and safe CBD products.

The Hemp Source of Charlotte’s Web CBD Products

While Charlotte’s Web is based in Colorado, the hemp farms used to grow their hemp plants are spread all over the U.S.

The exact cultivation processes differ a bit from farm to farm.

However, one variable always stays the same: the hemp strain. It’s always Charlotte’s Web hemp strain.

Therefore, the cannabinoid profiles are very consistent over different products and different batches. You can easily verify this by comparing lab-test reports of various products and batches on their website.

Charlotte’s Web claims that mostly the flower part of the hemp plants is used to produce their final products.

The only way to really verify is this by scrutinizing the cannabinoid-profile of a product.

A CBD product made from the flower parts of hemp plants should have a much better cannabinoid-profile than a product made from hemp biomass containing stems, stalks, and leaves. This is because out of all hemp plant parts, the flower parts contain the widest variety and highest concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes (2).

When we compare the cannabinoid-profile of Charlotte’s Web tinctures to for example those from CBDfx who don’t claim that their products are made from the flower parts, we can clearly see that CW has a superior cannabinoid-profile.

Also when we compare the cannabinoid-profile of CW to those from other brands that claim their products are made from the flower parts like Receptra Naturals and NuLeaf Naturals, we can clearly see they have very similar cannabinoid-profiles.

Based on these observations, we believe that CW products are indeed made from the flower parts of hemp plants.

The Production Process of CBDfx (After Harvesting the Hemp Plants)

Charlotte’s Web makes use of the two most common extraction methods:

• Supercritical CO2-extraction, and;
• Ethanol-extraction.

Their ethanol-extracted products are sold under the name “Original Formula”.

Compared to other CBD extraction methods, the biggest benefit of supercritical CO2 extraction it’s a very clean and food-safe method to extract cannabinoids.

The biggest downside is that it’s not the most effective method for extracting volatile terpenes from hemp plants.

That being said, with CO2-extracted products you can still expect an amazing cannabinoid-profile, if the high-quality flower is used for the extraction.

The ethanol-extraction method is better for preserving volatile compounds like monoterpenes. But this is only relevant if the flower is dried and cured properly and terpenes don’t get lost when the ethanol gets evaporated. Unfortunately, CW doesn’t provide a terpene test, so we currently don’t know how many terpenes their products contain.

Charlotte’s Web CBD Oils/Tinctures Review

When we review CBD brands, the first products we look at are oils and tinctures.

Why?

Because oils and tinctures are usually the most phytonutrient-rich products available for any brand.

Just a quick look at the cannabinoid profile of an average full-spectrum tincture vs a full-spectrum CBD gummy shows us that oils and tinctures have more favorable cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles.

For most people, oils and tinctures are the best way to use CBD.

Here’s why:

Paradoxically it’s all the other cannabinoids and terpenes that make CBD more effective. And oils and tinctures are the types of products that have the widest variety of hemp-derived cannabinoids and terpenes in the highest concentrations.

And when it comes to oils and tinctures that come with even better cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles than the average CBD oil or tincture, Charlotte’s Web makes it to the top of the list.

Cannabinoid-profiles

The cannabinoid-profile of a CBD product is our most important review metric. It has the most weight in calculating the final review score.

Before we dive into the specifics, it’s important to understand why the cannabinoid-profile is so important for rating CBD products.

While CBD is the most important cannabinoid in CBD products, hemp plants contain many more cannabinoids. Research suggests that cannabinoids work synergistically (3). This means that a product that contains a wide variety of cannabinoids is more effective than a product that contains one or two isolated cannabinoids.

The wider the variety of cannabinoids and the higher the concentration of these cannabinoids, the higher the product scores on our ‘cannabinoid-profile’ rating.

And when it comes to rating cannabinoid-profiles, Charlotte’s Web CBD products, including their oils, consistently score very high.

Let’s take a look at the cannabinoid-profile of each oil now:

Cannabinoid- Profile Charlotte’s Web Original Formula

As you can see, this oil has a wide cannabinoid-profile and contains all tested cannabinoids in larger concentrations than trace elements.

And these are only the tested cannabinoids. Based on this cannabinoid-profile it’s very likely that this oil contains many more cannabinoids in detectable levels.

This oil is not bolstered with a bunch of isolated cannabinoids. Its chemical profile literally is a copy of the flower it’s extracted from.

As explained, cannabinoids very likely are more effective when taken together. This Original Formula tincture gives you the chance to experience the synergistic effects of cannabinoids in the best possible way.

Cannabinoid- Profile CO2-Extracted CBD Oil: 60MG CBD/1ML (USDA Organic)

This is Charlotte’s Web CO2-extracted CBD oil.

As you can see, the cannabinoid-profile of this oil is even slightly better than from the Original Formula.

Especially noteworthy are the significantly higher levels of CBDA, which stands for cannabidiolic acid (0.01% vs 0.2%). There’s one study that found taking a combination of CBD and CBDA leads to higher blood concentrations of CBD than taking CBD alone (4). A different study found that when ineffective doses of CBDA or THC alone were combined, this combination produced a decreased sensitivity to pain and reduced inflammation (5).

Based on these studies, CBDA seems to be a significant contributor to the entourage effect of cannabinoids. Although rare, there are even a few CBDA oil products available.

Since CO2-extraction isn’t necessarily more effective in extracting cannabinoids compared to ethanol-extraction, it’s likely that the organic flower used for this product has a slightly better cannabinoid-profile than the flower used for the Original Formula oil. It’s possible that organic farming practices increase overall cannabinoid yield.

Charlotte’s Web THC-Free CBD Oil

This broad-spectrum, THC-free option has a decent cannabinoid-profile for a broad-spectrum product.

However, you can clearly see that the cannabinoid-profile is significantly worse than both full-spectrum options above.

While some minor cannabinoids are present in detectable levels, the levels are much lower:

• CBC (0.05% vs 0.3%);
• CBG (0.03% vs 0.14%);
• CBDV (0.01% vs 0.07%).

Although this isn’t a broad-spectrum oil that’s simply bolstered with isolated cannabinoids (like CBDfx oils, for example), it looks like the process of THC removal also leads to a significant loss of other cannabinoids.

Here, we can clearly see again that the more you filter the original extract, the more compounds get lost in the process, including compounds that you don’t want to filter out.

Terpene-profiles

Terpenes are another category of important compounds in CBD products.

Research indicates that terpenes individually have uniquely beneficial effects that sometimes overlap with those of cannabinoids (6).

But also:

Research suggests that terpenes may act synergistically with cannabinoids (7). Terpenes may enhance the effects of CBD.

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s Web doesn’t provide any terpene-profile tests.

Based on the cannabinoid-profile, the effects we experience when taking CW products and the production process of CW:

• The use of organically grown hemp plants, and;
• The use of flower parts instead of stems leaves and chalks for their products,

We are confident that their products contain a good amount of hemp-derived terpenes similar to other high-quality full-spectrum CBD product producers like Receptra Naturals, NuLeaf Naturals, and R+R Medicinals.

But we have no proof.

Our Test Results with the Products

At Herbonaut, we test A CBD product’s effectiveness according to how well it improves:

• Exercise-induced inflammation and pain;
• Situation-dependent anxiety, and;
• Sleep in general.

While clinical evidence is limited, there’s some scientific evidence that suggests CBD could help with:

• Pain management;
• Better sleep, and;
• Anxiety relief.

We always test any CBD product with 3 different persons. With full- and broad-spectrum products (like from Charlotte’s Web), dose-wise, we always test a dose that contains around 50mg of CBD.  We’ve found that 50mg of full- or broad-spectrum CBD is the sweet spot when it comes to testing these types of products. CBD isolate products we test with a dose of at least 100mg CBD because, with isolate products, you simply need a higher dose to achieve similar effects.

If you’re new to CBD, we always recommend experimenting with different doses, starting low (25mg), and slowly working your way up until you’ve found your sweet spot.

Below you’ll find our ratings per product:

Test-Results Charlotte’s Web Original Formula CBD Oil

While this was the oil that we liked the most in the past because it has the best cannabinoid-profile and also very likely the best terpene-profile…

With the launch of recent USDA Organic certified CO2-extracted CBD oil, it’s not so clear anymore.

Let me explain.

Generally, we prefer ethanol-extracted CBD oil over CO2-extracted products, because ethanol-extraction is more effective in preserving volatile compounds like monoterpenes.

But this only holds true if the hemp used for the extraction contains these monoterpenes in high concentrations in the first place.

When we compare the cannabinoid-profile of the ethanol-extracted Original Formula with the profile of the CO2-extracted, we see the CO2-extracted oil has a slightly better cannabinoid-profile, which indicates that the flower used for this product is of slightly higher quality. A high concentration of cannabinoids usually is also correlated with high concentrations of terpenes.

And while we still think that the Original Formula has more chance of containing high concentrations of beneficial terpenes, the improved cannabinoid-profile of the CO2-extracted oil makes the choice between these two products more difficult than before.

That being said, after testing this oil for sleep, anxiety, and exercise-induced inflammation we can only come to one conclusion:

This is a very high-quality and effective oil. It scored above average for all three categories.

Test-Results CO2-Extracted CBD Oil: 60MG CBD/1ML (USDA Organic)

As usual, I tested a dose that equals approximately 50mg of CBD and reviewed if I:

• Slept better;
• Felt calmer, and;
• Felt less pain after a knee-heavy exercise regimen.

On all three tests, this oil scored very high. Better than the average we have reviewed product. And very similar to other premium full-spectrum CBD products.

In terms of effects, we didn’t notice much difference between this product and the ethanol-extracted Original Formula.

Looking at how this oil provides a bit more CBD per one dollar than the original formula and is made from organically certified hemp flower, we might now give a slight edge to this product.

If you want a full explanation of how we test CBD products, please read this article.

Taste

Almost all Charlotte’s Web oils have natural flavors added.

The CO2-extracted oil comes in three different flavors:

• Mint Chocolate;
• Lemon Twist, and;
• Orange Blossom.

The ethanol-extracted oil comes in two different flavors:

• Mint Chocolate, and;
• Olive Oil (or natural).

Since ethanol-extraction leaves more compounds in the final extract, it has a stronger ‘earthy’ flavor. Even the mint chocolate version tastes much more ‘hempy’ and ‘earthy’ than any of the CO2-extracted oils.

That being said, we are used to this strong flavor and it doesn’t deter us. But if you’re sensitive to strong earthy flavors, we recommend going for the CO2-extracted oil. Any of the flavors would work.

I like lemon twist the best because I love the taste of lemon. But all three flavors are great and mask the hempy flavor effectively.

Price/Value

Charlotte’s Web CBD products are priced right around the average.

But the quality of the products is better than the average.

Let’s look at some comparisons.

At Herbonaut we standardize the price in the following two ways:

• How much CBD (in mg) you get per $1;
• How many minor cannabinoids and terpenes (in mg) you get per $1.

CBD per 1$ speaks for itself.

But if you’re going to claim that you’re product is broad- or full-spectrum, we also exactly want to know how many minor cannabinoids and terpenes are inside.

Let’s take a look at the three tinctures.

Charlotte’s Web Original Formula gets you:

• 14.7mg CBD per $1, and;
• A minimum of 3mg minor cannabinoids and terpenes per $1.

Charlotte’s Web CO2-extracted 60mg/ml gets you:

• 17.65mg CBD per $1, and;
• A minimum of 3mg minor cannabinoids and terpenes per $1.

Charlotte’s Web THC Free CBD Oil: 25mg CBD/1ml:

• 14.7mg CBD per $1, and;
• A minimum of 0.5mg minor cannabinoids and terpenes per $1.

Compared to the averages of:

• 14.72 mg CBD per 1$, and;
• 2.9mg minor cannabinoids and terpenes per $1…

We can see that both Original Formula and THC-free oil are averagely priced when looking at how much CBD you get per one dollar.

The CO2-extracted 60mg/ml oil gets you more than the average, so this oil provides slightly more value for your money than the average CBD oil.

Just like with every other brand, the larger your bottle, the more affordable it gets. The 100ml bottles are more affordable from CBD per dollar perspective than the 30ml bottles.

Click the button below to go to the Charlotte’s Web Website:

Official Charlotte’s Web Website

The bottom line:

Especially Charlotte’s Web full-spectrum CBD products belong to the cream of the crop when it comes to phytonutrient-rich CBD products. The cannabinoid-profiles of these products show that Charlotte’s Web uses cannabinoid-rich, high-quality hemp flower as the foundation for their products.

While it’s very likely that most of their products have a good amount of terpenes in them as well, Charlotte’s Web could improve its transparency by providing a terpene-test in their publicly available lab-test reports as well.

Overall Charlotte’s Web holds a firm place in our highest-rated CBD brands ever, and it doesn’t like it will change anytime soon.

If you’re ready to buy Charlotte’s Web products, click the link below to go to their website:

Official Charlotte’s Web Website

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Scientific References:

1. Fernández, S., Carreras, T., Castro, R., Perelmuter, K., Giorgi, V., Vila, A., . . . Vieitez, I. (2022). A comparative study of supercritical fluid and ethanol extracts of cannabis inflorescences: Chemical profile and biological activity.The Journal of Supercritical Fluids,179, 105385.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2021.105385
2. Bertoli, A., Tozzi, S., Pistelli, L., & Angelini, L. G. (2010). Fibre hemp inflorescences: From crop-residues to essential oil production.Industrial Crops and Products,32(3), 329–337.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.05.012
3. Nahler, G. (2019). Cannabidiol and Contributions of Major Hemp Phytocompounds to the “Entourage Effect”; Possible Mechanisms.Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine,5(2), 1–16.https://doi.org/10.24966/acim-7562/100066
4. Eichler, M., Spinedi, L., Unfer-Grauwiler, S., Bodmer, M., Surber, C., Luedi, M., & Drewe, J. (2012). Heat Exposure ofCannabis sativaExtracts Affects the Pharmacokinetic and Metabolic Profile in Healthy Male Subjects. Planta Medica, 78(07), 686–691. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1298334
5. Rock, E. M., Limebeer, C. L., & Parker, L. A. (2018). Effect of cannabidiolic acid and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol on carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia and edema in a rodent model of inflammatory pain. Psychopharmacology, 235(11), 3259–3271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-5034-1
6. Baron, E. P. (2018c). Medicinal Properties of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids in Cannabis, and Benefits in Migraine, Headache, and Pain: An Update on Current Evidence and Cannabis Science. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 58(7), 1139–1186. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13345
7. Russo, E. B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), 1344–1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x