What’s a COA and why is It important?

As more people begin to explore the benefits of CBD vapes, the market is flooding with new CBD vape products and manufacturers. With varying levels of regulation across the country, how do you know what you’re getting when you buy a CBD vape or CBD pod? Your best bet is to carefully read the product label and COA, or certificate of analysis.

A COA provides an analytical summary of what’s in the product, and in what amounts. It gives you a breakdown of the naturally occurring compounds, as well as any unwanted compounds that may be present.

All CBD vape brands should provide a COA for each of their products. Be wary of manufacturers that don't present the COA upfront, or can’t produce one when prompted. We don’t recommend purchasing any CBD vape products that don’t have a COA readily available.

A COA contains a lot of highly specific information, but ultimately answers two simple questions:

1. What's in the product?

A COA details the levels of all cannabinoids and other compounds occurring in the product. This includes any incidence of harmful or unwanted compounds, such as heavy metals or pesticides.

 2. Is the product legally compliant?

Together with the quantity of each compound in the product, the COA will show the compound’s legal limit, making for a simple side-by-side comparison. It even lists the lab’s method for determining those quantities, if you’re really curious.

There is a QR code on the outside of each package that links to its COA—so you can view the COA before you try, or even buy, the product! To access the COA, just hold your phone’s camera up to the QR code and follow the prompts. 

CBD content

This one might be a no-brainer, but your CBD vape should clearly state the quantity of CBD it contains. (For example, every whisl CBD vape pod contains 200 mg US-grown, hemp-derived CBD isolate.) Knowing the CBD quantity may be of particular importance if you are exploring full- or broad-spectrum CBD products, which may have more variance in CBD potency from batch to batch than CBD isolate products.

THC content

Your product’s THC content shouldn’t exceed the national legal limit of 0.3%. whisl CBD vapes are made using CBD isolate which contains not more than 0.3% total THC, including precursors, by weight.

Microbes and mycotoxins

This section shows the presence, or hopefully absence, of natural contaminants like bacteria, mold, and yeast.

Appearance

The COA will let you know, at a high level, how the product is supposed to look. This information may be helpful as a reference, to make sure it looks as it should.

Other compounds

A number of other components may attach to CBD during the growing, harvesting, or refinement processes. Trace amounts of some of the following compounds may appear in even the highest-quality CBD vape products:

• Heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, or lead
• Solvents that might have been used to extract the CBD from the hemp
• Pesticides used during farming 
• Microbes and mycotoxins such as bacteria, mold, and yeast

Look at the column that shows how much of each of these compounds is in the product. It should show that there are non-detectable levels of most of them. 

States set out standards for what level of these compounds are safe for your body, and we  don’t recommend purchasing or consuming products that exceed the safe levels of any of the above components.

Every CBD vape we sell is traceable from hemp seed to the consumer’s hands. From seed to sale, we closely monitor our processes with your safety in mind. Our rigorously tested hemp is grown and harvested in the USA by licensed providers. Our products are manufactured in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), adhere to exacting pharmacological standards, and are subjected to continuous safety and quality checks. 

Everything we produce is packaged to provide consumers with the information they need, and shipped securely to the point of sale.

To learn more about your whisl CBD vape product, view our certificates of analysis.