By now, most people know that CBD products come in all different shapes and sizes, from gummies to oils. They also come in all different flavors, from herbal and medicinal to ones you could swear are just candy. However, what about the smell? Does CBD smell like weed, or are there other options out there?
Today, we’re unraveling the mystery. By the end of this article, you’ll better understand what CBD smells like and why it smells that way.
How Is CBD Different from Other Cannabis Products?
To understand the smell of CBD, you need to understand how it is different and unique compared to other cannabis products. First, you should know that CBD is a compound called a cannabinoid. This makes it similar to THC, another cannabinoid famous for producing the mental high created by marijuana. However, CBD does not have the mental impacts that THC does.
As a cannabinoid, CBD is just one of many compounds in a larger plant. It can be found in both hemp and cannabis. Both of these plants will smell like weed.
However, CBD does not. On its own, apart from the plants it comes from, CBD has no scent at all.
This can be confusing, especially since some CBD products are designed to smell like weed. You can order some CBD oils or creams, which will smell almost like weed. This is why we said the smell of CBD is a mystery that needs to be unraveled. Unraveling it in this way starts with understanding terpenes.
Related: How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System? The Ultimate Guide
The Smell of Terpenes
The smell of weed comes from other compounds in cannabis plants called terpenes. These compounds are specifically known for producing a scent. The exact scent they produce varies depending on the exact structure of the compound itself. However, the terpenes in cannabis plants make up the signature smell of weed.
While terpenes are known for their scent, they aren’t just around to create a little aroma. Like other compounds in cannabis, they have an impact on the human body. In fact, the cannabis industry has been extensively researching terpenes in recent years. This has led to new breakthroughs in how cannabis products interact with the body.
Because of this, many CBD products like to include terpenes in the mix, this allows the products to have signature effects that let them stand apart from others.
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What Does CBD Smell Like?
So, CBD doesn’t have a smell, and the smell of weed comes from terpenes. Then why do some CBD products smell like weed? The answer here comes from the way that the CBD is derived.
There are multiple different ways of deriving CBD from cannabis plants. You can extract the CBD on its own, or you can include other compounds. Including additional compounds may help produce the entourage effect, which is when multiple different cannabinoids come together to produce a stronger effect.
Types of CBD
This ends up leading to three different types of CBD. These include full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolates.
Full-spectrum CBD is the most all-encompassing. It includes many parts of the plant, like THC and terpenes. Including terpenes leads to a smell that may smell similar to weed.
Broad-spectrum CBD is the middle-of-the-road option. It includes many parts of the plant, like terpenes. However, it is refined in a way that removes as much of the THC as possible, as some people want to avoid ingesting any THC on the chance that a small dose will show up on a drug test or because they are avoiding THC for some other reason. This option ends up smelling similar to weed since it still has terpenes but not as strong as full-spectrum CBD, as the refinement process may have also sorted out some of the terpenes.
Finally, CBD isolate is the most pure form of CBD. This removes all other parts of the cannabis plant and leaves you with just this single cannabinoid. Because there are no terpenes in this, CBD isolate has no smell.
Related: CBD Oil vs. Gummies: Which Is Right for You?
CBD Product Smells
While CBD ranges from being odorless to smelling like weed, many products don’t smell like this. That is because CBD isn’t the only ingredient in these products. After all, products like gummies end up smelling like sugar or the flavor of the gummy itself.
This is partly because CBD needs to be paired with a carrier oil to work properly. This oil helps the body absorb CBD better and makes it easier to take. Since something is already included alongside CBD, many companies also choose to include other additives.
This leads to a whole range of smells in CBD products. Edibles are the most notable for this, as they often include ingredients that allow them to taste and smell like something else. You can find gummies of all different flavors and with smells that mimic these flavors as well.
Meanwhile, oils are known for being less obvious when it comes to taste or smell. This is because they are usually taken quickly and with less of a focus on the experience of taking them. Because of this, many people are familiar with oils that taste earthy, that smell like weed, or that just don’t taste good. Despite this reputation, good-tasting oils out there smell good; you just need to know where to look.
Finally, many CBD creams and lotions include a scent that helps enhance the experience of using the product. This adds a little bit of aromatherapy to the process. For example, our CBD body butter includes peppermint oil to help soothe the senses even more than they would be otherwise.
Not sure which CBD product you’ll love the best? Try out a few, including oil drops, body butter, and a pain patch, in our A Taste of Popped gift set.
Does CBD Smell Like Weed?
To finally unravel the mystery and answer the central question, no, CBD does not smell like weed on its own. This only happens when CBD is paired with terpenes, which happens with full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD. However, even these scents may be covered when the product includes other aromatic ingredients. In the end, CBD doesn’t smell like anything, but many products do.