CBD oil is no different from any other plant-based oil. It naturally degrades in quality over time and eventually expires. Most CBD oils expire between 12 and 18 months after bottling, which usually isn’t an issue for purchasers and regular users of CBD products. Like with any other oil, this expiration date has some wiggle room.
How to Tell if Your CBD Oil is Expired
First, check the expiration date on your CBD oil. Your bottle should have one. Expiration dates don’t necessarily indicate a product is unusable or dangerous immediately after the printed date. In some cases, expiration dates may be more like “best used by dates,” where the product may offer slightly downgraded taste, freshness or effectiveness.
There are a few tests you can conduct with your senses to check the quality of the CBD oil. Expired CBD oil shares many similarities to other oils after they have expired.
Check Your CBD Oil:
- Smell Your CBD Oil: If your CBD oil has expired it will smell rancid. Normal CBD oil will smell earthy and woody. It might have citrus notes and other smells typically associated with CBD oil, but if the oil is bad it will smell like rancid oil.
- Look at Your CBD Oil: Expired CBD oil will be thick and murky in color. CBD oil is normally thick, syrupy and brown in color. When left in a cold room it may turn cloudy. This is all normal. Expired CBD oil will look different and be darker in hue.
- Taste Your CBD Oil: After expiring, your CBD oil will taste rancid. The usual flavor notes for CBD oil are like its scent notes. You can expect your CBD oil to taste “nutty,” “hempy” or even bitter. If you regularly use the CBD oil, you will quickly notice the difference in taste once it has gone bad.
How to Store Your CBD Oil
There are a few ways to store your CBD oil to extend its life and prevent it from expiring early.
Sun and air can have a detrimental impact on your CBD oil’s shelf life. Most manufacturers will store CBD oil in amber or darkly colored bottles to reduce the impact of the sun, but you can extend your CBD oil’s shelf life by keeping it someplace dark in your home. You should also avoid unnecessarily exposing your CBD oil to air by moving it to a new container or leaving the cap open.
Store your CBD oil someplace cool and dark like your pantry or a medicine cabinet. Some users even store their CBD oil in a refrigerated space, but this isn’t necessary unless you are storing large quantities of CBD oil and are trying to extend the shelf life past a year.
Should You Store Topical Ointments or Creams in the Refrigerator?
CBD creams or topical ointments do not have an infinite shelf life either. Bottles should have an expiration date, after which the efficacy of the cream may rapidly decrease.
Creams that aren’t expired should have a normal cream texture and consistency. Cream that has separated into a thick, semi-solid mass and a clear fluid may be expired. Changes in the cream’s color or smell may also indicate the cream is expired and should be disposed of.
If you are using your hands to remove and apply CBD cream, be sure to wash them prior to touching the cream to prevent the introduction of bacteria that may accelerate cream spoilage.
Although some people do refrigerate creams and lotions, it’s generally not necessary unless that’s an explicit storage instruction on the container.
What Can Make CBD Oil Go Bad Faster
- Exposure to light: Store your CBD oil somewhere out of sunlight like in a pantry or cabinet.
- Heat: Avoid keeping your CBD oil next to a heat source like a radiator or near a stove.
- Bacteria: Use a clean dropper or a spoon to extract your CBD oil to prevent introducing bacteria to the oil.
- Open Air: Close your bottle fully after use to prevent air from entering the container.
Use Our Oregon-Grown CBD Oils and Creams to Find Relief and Mental and Physical Relaxation
Our products are made with research-backed botanical ingredients. We offer specially formulated oils and creams that enhance the benefits of CBD. Try our Dream Drops if you are struggling with sleep and our Renew Cream to soothe and hydrate your skin.
For further information about CBD Oil and other CBD-based products, visit our FAQ page.
