CBD Questions / Updrops

Why is my CBD a different color?

Worry not! There's a reason for it.

Lindsey Sirera

9 November, 2020 - 4 min read

Was it Shakespeare who said, “an Updrops by any other tint would taste as sweet?” No?

If you’ve ordered a new bottle of Updrops lately, you may have noticed that the color is lighter. That’s totally normal! We NEVER use any dyes in our Updrops, and choose to use a bottle as transparent as we are so you always know exactly what it looks like.

Because we don’t dye Updrops, there are coloration differences with every CBD batch we produce. Here’s why.

We use a CBD extraction process (aka how we get the CBD out of the hemp plant) called subcritical CO2 extraction. This is a pressurized method of extraction, meaning NO chemicals are used. A more popular method of extraction uses ethanol to get CBD from the plant, which can leave behind harmful toxins in the product. We avoid this entirely, AND we provide third-party testing with every batch to show exactly what’s in our product.

Until recently, our chemists used a method called supercritical CO2 extraction. This method is almost identical to subcritical CO2 extraction, EXCEPT supercritical uses higher pressure than subcritical. Our team decided to make the switch to subcritical CO2 extraction because it produces MORE CBD per batch and FEWER TERPENES (aka the stuff in hemp that gives it its typical taste, color, and smell). With fewer terpenes, our CBD batch became lighter in color.

As this is a natural process, there are slight variations between the amount of CBD and terpenes yielded with each batch. Because of this and also the fact that we NEVER use dyes in Updrops, that means that each batch stands a chance to be different colors.

There is one more factor to consider in the lighter color of Updrops: the season the hemp was harvested. While hemp is a product that is grown and harvested year-round, there are differences in the growing conditions of summer and winter plants. While this does not impact the quality of the plant, it does impact the number of terpenes present. As a result, summer batches may be lighter while winter batches can be darker.

Moral of the story: Updrops is a natural product, and natural products tend to have some variation in color and flavor. So the color variation of Updrops can range from a clear/light yellow hue to a red/amber color. This can be exaggerated with exposure to air and direct sunlight.

The one thing that never changes is this: the guaranteed top-tier quality of our CBD.