What is the best CBD carrier oil? | MCT, hemp seed & more compared

The two main ingredients of CBD oil are hemp extract plus a carrier oil. Hence the name “CBD oil”. Carrier oils are vegetable oils, extracted from various parts of plants. If you’re familiar with CBD oil, you may have noticed that there are different carrier oils used by manufacturers. The most common ones are MCT oil and hemp seed oil, but there are other ones used as well. Each carrier oil is different, so has its own pros and cons. But what are these differences exactly? And what is the best CBD carrier oil? You find the answers to these questions in this article.

The function of a CBD carrier oil

Let’s start by looking at why a CBD carrier oil is important. Without the carrier oil, you would only have an extract (such as CBD powder). Although CBD extracts are great for things like vaping and cooking, they’re not so great for sublingual/oral use on its own:

● First, because the pure extracts are very hard to dose. For example; the difference between 10mg and 40mg of CBD powder is very small, so barely determinable with the naked eye. Therefore, you would need a precision scale to measure a specific dose. When the CBD is distributed in a carrier oil, it’s way easier to count the drops.
● Even more important is that your body won’t absorb most of the CBD without the help of a fat source. CBD on its own isn’t very ‘bioavailable‘ since it’s fat-soluble. When it binds to the fat molecules of a carrier oil, your body can process the CBD way better. So; without a carrier oil, the cannabinoids wouldn’t be really effective.
● Another benefit of a carrier oil is that it keeps the CBD fresh. Fats oxidize really slow, so a carrier oil extends the shelf–life of the cannabinoids.
● And finally; carrier oils have several health benefits on their own. However; this isn’t a huge aspect since you’re only using a small amount of carrier oil when taking CBD oil.

The differences between CBD carrier oils

When it comes to different kinds of carrier oils, there are a few important aspects to take into consideration. One of these is the bioavailability. This is the amount of CBD that your body can process successfully compared to how much you take in. So, a higher bioavailability means you’re getting in more mg of the CBD (thus; stronger effects). This factor is determined by the fat molecules of a carrier oil, and it’s obviously a very important factor.

Another important difference between carrier oils is the taste. Even though many CBD oils have added flavors, the taste of the carrier oil will be predominant. A third noticeable difference is the consistency of the carrier oil, which can impact the convenience of dosing slightly.

The price of carrier oils is a less important factor, as CBD tinctures only contain a fairly small amount of carrier oil. Therefore, it won’t affect the final price of a tincture a lot. And obviously things as color and smell aren’t that important either.

The two most common CBD carrier oils

The most common CBD carrier oils are MCT oil and hemp seed oil. Therefore, we will describe the main properties of these two in detail.

CBD & MCT oil (coconut oil)

One of the most used CBD carrier oils is MCT oil. MCT stands for “medium-chain triglycerides“, which are fat molecules. A lot of other fat sources are made of long-chain triglycerides. However, the medium ones are easier for your body to digest. This is because MCT doesn’t need bile salts or stomach acid to be broken down. This means that MCT is used immediately, instead of being broken down first. Therefore, MCT has a faster and more effective absorption rate than long-chain fatty acids. There are also short-chain fat acids, but these aren’t desired either because they’re consumed quickly by bacteria before our body can absorb them. So, MCT oil is the sweet spot when it comes to CBD.

Most MCT oils are extracted from coconut oil. That’s why the terms “coconut oil” and “MCT oil” get mixed up sometimes. MCT oil can also be derived from palm kernel oil. MCT can be present in other carrier oils (in lower quantities) as well. MCT oil has almost no flavor, which is a pro when it comes to CBD tinctures. MCT oil is also a bit thinner than most other CBD carrier oils. Therefore it’s easy to measure and dispense the drops. MCT oil also has a longer shelf life than a lot of other carrier oils. The health benefits of MCT oil itself include antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

If you’re looking for great CBD tinctures with MCT oil as carrier, we highly recommend these ones.

CBD & hemp seed oil

Another very often used carrier for CBD is hemp seed oil. Hemp seed oil has a ‘herby’ or ‘nutty’ flavor. Some people may like this, but certainly not everyone. The bioavailability of hemp seed oil isn’t very high. This means that hemp seed oil on its own isn’t an effective CBD carrier oil. That’s why it gets mixed with other oils that have a higher bioavailability often (such as MCT). So, if you find CBD oils with only hemp seed oil as carrier, the absorption rate isn’t at its maximum potential. Hemp seed oil itself has several health benefits, partly because it’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Although CBD and hemp seed oil are extracted from the same plant, they’re definitely not the same. CBD and other cannabinoids are extracted from hemp flower. Hemp seed oil is obviously extracted from the seeds, and contains practically no cannabinoids or terpenes (potentially some trace amounts at best). Some people believe that hemp seed oil can further enhance the beneficial ‘entourage effect’ in full spectrum CBD. They claim that this is because you’re reuniting the cannabinoids with the hemp-compounds that are not found in the flowers, which may work in synergy. There isn’t any scientific evidence for this though.

Other CBD carrier oils

Other CBD carrier oils that you can find in tinctures include olive oil, avocado oil and grapeseed oil. These are all way less common than the two above, so will be described briefly.

● Olive oil has a strong ‘nutty’ taste which could be noticeable in tinctures. Some people may like this, but others not. Olive oil has a quite thick consistency. The long-chain fat molecules in olive oil are harder for your body to process (as described at the MCT part), so it generally absorbs less CBD. Olive oil itself has a lot of health benefits due to the presence of oleic acid, antioxidants and other nutrients. However, this nutrient density means that there is less room to dissolve the hemp-compounds. That’s why olive oil isn’t used often for high-potency CBD tinctures, but rather for low-potency ones.

● Avocado oil has a slight ‘nutty’ taste as well. It is very thick, even more than olive oil. Therefore avocado oil isn’t a great CBD carrier oil on its own. However, it could be added to thin carriers to increase the viscosity of the CBD oil. Avocado oil contains several vitamins.

● Grapeseed oil is very thin. Just like very thick carriers, too thin ones aren’t desired for CBD oil either (as described earlier at MCT). Grapeseed oil has a light ‘fruity’ taste which most people like. The health benefits of grapeseed oil are mainly due to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

Conclusion: The best CBD carrier oil is…

So; what is the best CBD carrier oil? A lot of people (including ourselves) would go for MCT oil. The main reason for this is obviously the great absorption rate. At the end of the day, you’re using CBD oil for its effects, so these need to be optimal. The flavor and consistency of MCT oil are nice added benefits as well.

However; most carrier oils are good enough to deliver the CBD properly, and each carrier oil has its own pros. So, due to personal preference it could be possible that you prefer another CBD carrier oil. Also; it could be possible that you’re allergic to a certain carrier oil, or that your stomach doesn’t tolerate it. So, that could be a reason for you to pick another CBD carrier oil.

It’s safe to say that the type of carrier oil is really important when it comes to CBD oil. That’s why we recommend to always check which carrier is present in a CBD tincture before buying it. However, the carrier oil isn’t the only important aspect; When CBD tinctures contain the same carrier oil, it doesn’t mean that their quality and potency are equal as well. There are a lot of other aspects that play a role, such as the extraction process and the quality of the used hemp. That’s why you shouldn’t base the choice for a certain CBD brand on the carrier oil alone.

The CBD tinctures that we recommend are these ones. They contain our favorite carrier oil (MCT), plus the quality and potency are very high. You can read our full review of these tinctures here.

Disclaimer: We do not claim that any testimonial or experience is representative of what any other consumer might experience. Individual results may vary, and no experience has been clinically proven or evaluated. All opinions expressed are strictly the views of our team.
CBD is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this website is not meant as a substitute for information from health care practitioners. Always consult your health care professional before using CBD.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate CBD for treating health conditions.