If you’ve ever watched a western, you’ve probably seen the cliché of the snake oil salesman. This slick, silver-talking conman will say anything to make you buy his products, even if it means flat out lying about what’s in it.

Of course, the old west didn’t exactly have our modern laws about listing your ingredients. Even so, in many ways, CBD oil is still caught up in the days of the wild west, and snake oil salesmen abound. That’s why third-party testing is important to consider every time you buy CBD products.

What Is Third-Party Testing?

Third-party testing relates to a CBD product’s certificate of analysis. The certificate of analysis is a document that tells you exactly what is in a CBD product. It lays out the different cannabinoids, terpenes, THC levels, pesticides, and heavy metal content. Third-party testing refers to who performed the tests on the product—the company itself or another outside source. If it’s the latter, then the product underwent third-party testing.

Why Is Third-Party Testing Important?

Let’s say you are the star of a hypothetical western. A snake oil salesman approaches you with a document that shows that his product only uses high-quality ingredients. You flip the document over, only to find that he wrote it himself. Would you still buy the product? Of course not!

Not every CBD company is a snake oil salesman, but having an outside party verify what’s in their products ensures the integrity of the company selling you the product. Since the FDA currently has so few regulations regarding CBD, plenty of companies out there advertise their products as having a higher CBD content than they actually do. One way for these companies to get away with it is by not supplying third-party testing.

How Do You Check for Third-Party Testing?

Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to make sure that a CBD product you purchase is third-party tested. When you look at a certificate of analysis, you can typically find the company that performed the testing at the top of the page. Once you have the name, it’s a matter of a quick trip to your favorite search engine to determine whether the company is legitimate.

As CBD regulations continue to make their way to the modern era, you don’t have to live like it’s the wild west. Checking the certificate of analysis of your CBD hemp products before you buy them will keep you ahead of the snake oil salesmen of the world.