Does CBD Oil Expire? Things to Know About Hemp Oil Shelf Life

CBD oils also expire like all food products, so they could go bad fast if you don’t know how to store them properly.

Consuming expired CBD oil probably won’t make you sick, but you won’t be getting the CBD potency you need as the CBD in the product may have already begun to degrade, losing some of its potency.

This article discusses how long CBD oil stays effective in the bottle and how to know if your CBD oil has already gone bad. It also talks about the different factors that affect CBD oil’s quality and how to store CBD oil in the correct way to prolong its shelf life.

How Long Does CBD Oil Stay Good?

CBD oil usually lasts anywhere between one and two years, but how long it stays good depends on many factors.

Here are some of the factors that affect your CBD oil’s shelf life:

1. Methods of Extraction

Of the different methods of extraction, CO2 and steam extraction produce the longest shelf life since CBD comes out cleaner and more chemically stable.

Solvent extraction, on the other hand, is the least preferred method. It can potentially introduce harmful byproducts such as toxic residues and residual solvents into CBD oil, affecting its quality and shelf life.

2. CBD Oil Ingredients

Quality ingredients help prolong the oil’s shelf life.

Its CBD must be extracted from premium, organic flowers. High-quality CBD has a longer shelf life than CBD extracted from substandard flowers that may have been harvested from a previous season.

If the oil contains extra ingredients like vitamins, terpenes, essential oils, and flavorings, then these should also be extracted from high-quality sources, may it be from plant or animal sources.

Remember, each ingredient has its own shelf life, which, in turn, affects the overall shelf life of your CBD oil.

3. Airtight Packaging

Exposure to the UV rays of the sun and the oxygen in the air can degrade CBD and reduce its potency.

To prolong the oil’s shelf life, the packaging should protect CBD from these elements. The bottle must be dark-colored to block UV light and airtight to prevent air from reentering the bottle.

4. Proper Storage

How you store your CBD oil also significantly affects its shelf life.

You may have bought the best CBD oil on the market, but if you don’t store it properly, you’ll only be contributing to its fast degradation. 

Keep in it a cool, dark place along with your supplements, and make sure the lid is completely sealed before you put it away. 

If you plan to store your CBD oil for more than a few months before using it, you can keep it in the fridge to further extend the shelf-life. 

Does CBD Oil Expire?

CBD oils expire, and the expiration date is about 12 to 18 months after their CBD extraction date. Many factors speed up the oil’s degradation process, though. These include exposure to light, air, and heat, as well as improper storage of your CBD oil.

Again, it won’t matter if you bought the best, most expensive, and most trusted brands, but it will not go well quickly if you don’t store your CBD oil properly.

How to Know If Your CBD Oil Has Gone Bad

There are several ways to determine if your CBD has gone bad. First of all, check the CBD oil’s expiration date, which is found on the label. 

In addition to the expiration date, these telltale signs also tell you that CBD oil can no longer be used.

1. It Smells a Little Bit Off

CBD oil normally loses some of its earthy and grassy aromas as it begins to degrade. This could mean that its terpenes content may also be degrading and losing potency.

If the CBD oil smells skunky and unpleasant, don’t use it. Some ingredients used in the oil (its carrier oil, for example) may have already gone bad.

2. It Tastes a Little Bit Rancid

CBD oil that tastes a bit sour and rancid is more common in oils that use artificial flavorings and extracts. Flavorings typically have a shelf life of only about six months to a year since they’re pretty volatile and vaporize readily.

A good CBD oil usually has a nutty, earthy, and slightly grassy flavor.

3. It Looks Murky with Thicker-Than-Usual Consistency.

Older or expired CBD oils may also appear murky with a thicker consistency.

This is usually caused by the degradation of the oil’s ingredients as they get exposed to light, air, and heat.

If the CBD oil is new, though, but already looks cloudy and viscous, don’t worry. This may only be because it’s been sitting in a cold room. It will soon go back to its normal color and consistency once it’s warmed up enough.

4. It Doesn’t Work

The cannabinoid in CBD oil may start to break down over time — especially if exposed to UV light. 

If you’ve kept your CBD oil in storage for a long time, or it’s been sitting in the sun, much of the CBD will break down, and the oil will lose its potency. 

Can Expired CBD Oil Make You Sick?

You probably won’t get really sick or ill if you accidentally took an expired CBD oil or one that’s gone bad, especially if you’re only consuming small amounts.

However, it’s best to play it safe and get rid of CBD oils past their expiration dates.

These expired CBD oils are no longer potent, so you won’t be getting the full benefits you need from their degraded CBD content.

Factors That Determine Homemade CBD Oil’s Expiration Date

What about the expiration date of homemade CBD oils? How will you determine their expiration date?

The factors that determine the expiration date of commercial CBD oils also apply to homemade CBD oils, so to make your homemade CBD oil last, choose your ingredients wisely.

Make sure that you only use laboratory-tested, organic, pesticide-free hemp flowers — the better the quality, the longer the shelf life.

Always use a good carrier oil like MCT, hemp seed, coconut, or olive oil. These oils not only have a good shelf life but also boost CBD’s bioavailability.

MCT, coconut, and olive oils have the longest shelf life of two years, while hemp seed oil has the shortest shelf life of about 14 months.

Bioavailability, in a nutshell, is a part or portion of a drug that your cells absorb after going through the first-pass effect. 

When you ingest CBD oil, it passes through the stomach, the intestines, and the liver, where it’s metabolized before it reaches the bloodstream. During the whole process, the concentration and potency of CBD are slightly reduced. CBD needs a good carrier oil that will transport it into the cells without sacrificing too much of its bioavailability to preserve these.

Finally, know how to store your CBD oil properly.

How to Store CBD Properly

You can use an airtight glass container like a mason jar to store your homemade CBD oil. Glass isn’t porous and won’t allow too much air transfer into and out of the container. You can also wrap the glass container in dark paper to prevent light from degrading CBD.

Keep your CBD oil in a dark, cool place. You want to protect it from too much light, and heat since these elements degrade CBD.

The best places to store your CBD oil are in your pantry or medicine cabinet. Just make sure to keep these out of each, so your children can’t get into them.

You can also store your CBD oil inside your refrigerator, and to protect it from light each time you open the door, you can wrap it in aluminum foil. This method may result in some thickening of the CBD oil since the cold temperature can turn some oils (like coconut oil) into solid. While dipping the bottle in a cup of hot water helps, it would be better to allow the oil to reach room temperature naturally since heat can affect its quality.

Don’t store your CBD oil in cupboards near windows or electrical appliances and devices that give off heat, such as the refrigerator, stove, oven, toaster, microwave oven, or rice cooker. The heat emanating from these appliances can affect the quality of the oil.

Although this isn’t related to storing CBD oil, this tip is just as important — only buy what you need.

Each bottle has its expiration date, and stockpiling CBD oils with the same expiration date can only lead to wastage as their expiration dates draw near. You definitely don’t want to end up with many expired CBD oils just because you chased after a 5% discount offered by a CBD vendor.

How to Make Your CBD Oil Last Longer

In addition to storing CBD oil the right way, you can also prolong its shelf life by following these simple tips.

Always keep the CBD oil bottle upright, and never store it horizontally. The lesser contact the oil has with the air inside the bottle, the better. Exposure to air speeds up the degradation process of CBD, and keeping the bottle in a horizontal position gives the oil more contact with the air.

CBD oils are typically packaged with a dropper lid. You can use the dropper, of course, but using the dropper without washing it after every use can introduce bacteria into the oil, spoiling the product.

You can use the dropper to suck up the CBD oil and then squeeze it out into a spoon to prevent contamination. This way, you don’t unnecessarily introduce bacteria into the bottle each time you open it and use the dropper.

Finally, always make sure that you tightly close the bottle after every use.

Final Thoughts: CBD Oil Expires, So Store It Properly

CBD oil has a shelf life of about 12 to 18 months, but you can prolong its shelf life even more by storing it the right way.

Storing it properly not only preserves its quality but its potency as well. It also allows you to enjoy your CBD experience fully.

But keep in mind that even properly stored CBD oil eventually expires, so if you’re keeping an old CBD oil at home, always check its expiration date and look for signs that it’s already gone bad before taking your dose.