CBD Oil is extracted from hemp plants in much the same way that sunflower or soy oil are obtained from sunflower seeds and soybeans. Through a distillation process, CBD oil is produced and being an oil, it is naturally insoluble with water.
So why is a water-soluble CBD oil important and how is it made?
Water-soluble CBD oil is a key ingredient in formulations that need to be homogenous to work. For example, if a beverage were to contain regular CBD oil, there would be oil droplets visibly present. A water-soluble formulation, however, allows for a beverage to contain CBD oil without noticing a difference in appearance.
Additionally, in terms of bioavailability, when a product consumed orally is more water-soluble it increases the bioavailability or uptake of that particular product. Thus, a CBD water-soluble product would have the same effect.
Water-soluble CBD oil can be made through several different types of technology. The preferred method is nanotechnology, a technique that is widely used in medicine, solar panels, water filtration, and even cell phones. It is a method that breaks down the CBD oil into nanoparticles between 1-100 nanometers. The micro-sized particles then disperse evenly into water. The smaller the nanometer, the more translucent the water-soluble CBD oil. Many ways exist to achieve water-solubility, but these are the top 3 within the CBD market:
-
Nanoemulsions
This method breaks down the CBD oil into nanoparticle droplets ranging from 1 to 100 nanometer droplets. This technology is believed to be the best method to create an effective water-soluble CBD product with high bioavailability.
-
Microemulsions
Microemulsions are made by using a chemical process that “solubilizes” the oil in water by using high amounts of a chemical compound called surfactants ranging from 100 to 5,000 nanometer droplets. Surfactants tend to have unwanted side effects making this method undesirable.
-
Liposomes
Liposomes are bioavailable due to their water-containing structures and range from 50 to 5,000 nanometer droplets. The bilayer membrane is where CBD extract resides, and the internal hydrophilic compartment entraps water-soluble ingredients. This is the most complex method to formulate which is why nanoemulsions are preferred.
As water-soluble CBD grows in popularity, so does technology and new methodologies. Now that you understand the science behind water-soluble CBD, we hope this helps guide your CBD selection.
Nanotechnology citation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890134/