Hemp seed oil, hemp extract, CBD oil: three labels, three different products

Three product labels frequently appear in the same general grocery aisle in Canada: hemp seed oil, hemp extract, and CBD oil. They are sometimes shelved together. They are sometimes priced similarly. They are not the same product, and the differences matter — both for what is actually in the bottle and for what regulatory regime the seller had to follow to put it on the shelf.

This article describes what each of the three labels is required to mean (or, in the case of “hemp extract,” how the label can vary between sellers), what each one contains, and how to verify which one you actually bought.

Hemp seed oil

Hemp seed oil is pressed from the seeds of the hemp plant. The seeds are mechanically cold-pressed, much like olives are pressed for olive oil; some producers refine the resulting oil further to reduce colour and flavour, others sell it as a single-pressed unrefined oil with a green colour and grassy taste.

What hemp seed oil is:

• A culinary or skincare oil with a fatty acid profile rich in omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids. The omega-6:omega-3 ratio is roughly 3:1, sometimes cited as one of the closer ratios to the recommended dietary range among common plant oils.
• Sold under Canada’s general food regulations, not under the Cannabis Act, because it is processed from seeds rather than from the cannabinoid-rich parts of the plant.
• Available without an age check at general grocery stores.

What hemp seed oil is not:

• A source of CBD or other cannabinoids in any meaningful concentration. Cannabis seeds contain trace amounts of cannabinoids from contact with the plant during processing, but a typical hemp seed oil is below LOD for CBD on a cannabinoid panel — there is essentially none in the bottle.
• A regulated cannabis product. Canada Post will deliver hemp seed oil without an adult-signature requirement.

CBD oil

CBD oil is a tincture made from a cannabidiol-rich extract of the hemp plant’s flowers and leaves, suspended in a carrier oil (commonly MCT, sometimes hemp seed oil). The cannabinoids are extracted with CO2 or food-grade ethanol, the extract is winterized and distilled, and the resulting oil is diluted to a target strength — for example, 1000 mg of total CBD in a 30 mL bottle, which works out to approximately 33 mg of CBD per mL.

What CBD oil is:

• A regulated cannabis product under the Cannabis Act. It can only be sold by federally licensed processors. The product packaging carries a producer licence number, a lot number, and a path to a Certificate of Analysis.
• Subject to age verification at point of sale (21 in Quebec, 18 in Alberta, 19 elsewhere) and adult-signature delivery at the door.
• Tested by an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory for cannabinoid potency, residual solvents, heavy metals, and microbial contamination.

What CBD oil’s label should disclose: the total CBD content per package, the per-mL strength, the carrier oil, the federally licensed processor’s name and licence number, the lot number, and a way to access the COA.

Hemp extract

“Hemp extract” is the most variable of the three labels because it is not a regulated category in Canadian law. The phrase appears on a wide range of products. Depending on the seller, “hemp extract” can refer to any of:

• A CBD oil sold under a softer marketing term — the extract is genuinely cannabinoid-rich, but the seller chose the phrase “hemp extract” to side-step certain marketing constraints. Sometimes legitimate, sometimes not. The COA, if available, will show CBD content.
• A hemp seed oil mislabelled as something stronger than it is. The COA, if available, will show CBD below LOD.
• A US-formulated product that uses “hemp extract” because US labelling rules differ from Canadian rules. Whether that product is legal to sell in Canada depends on its actual cannabinoid content and whether it was imported through a federally licensed processor.

If a product is labelled “hemp extract” in Canada and you want to know which of these it is, look for the producer’s federal licence number on the packaging. If a Cannabis Act licence number is present, the product is regulated as cannabis and the COA should match. If no licence number is present and the product is sold in a general grocery store with no age check, the product is being sold under food regulations and is most likely a hemp seed oil regardless of the marketing label.

How to tell which one you bought

1. Look for the federal licence number. Cannabis Act licences are issued by Health Canada and have a specific format. CBD oil sold in Canada must list one. Hemp seed oil sold under food regulations does not.
2. Find the COA or its absence. A regulated CBD product has a COA accessible by lot. A hemp seed oil typically does not have a cannabinoid COA, because no cannabinoid testing was required to bring it to market.
3. Check whether age verification was required at purchase. Online: was an adult-signature delivery enforced? In person: was an ID checked at point of sale? If neither happened, the product is not regulated as cannabis.
4. Compare the CBD-per-mL claim, if there is one. A meaningful CBD oil will list a specific milligram strength. A hemp seed oil sometimes lists “rich in cannabinoids” with no specific number — that vagueness is itself a signal.

Why this matters

Some buyers explicitly want hemp seed oil for its fatty-acid composition and do not want CBD; some buyers want CBD specifically; some buyers want one and accidentally buy the other. The price difference between the three categories is significant — hemp seed oil typically costs C$15–25 per bottle, regulated CBD oil typically costs C$50–120 per bottle for similar volume — and the regulatory chain behind each is different. Knowing which one you are buying is straightforward once you check the licence number and the COA.

If you have a specific product and want to know which of the three categories it falls into, email us at hello@honestbotanicals.co with the product name and the producer’s name on the label. We can usually tell from those two pieces of information.