By Luke Sumpter


During its recent surge in fame, CBD has started to show up pretty much everywhere, from candy and teas to cosmetic products. The mass infusion of the non-intoxicating cannabinoid into everyday consumer items even encompasses dog treats, toothpicks, and potato chips. While scrambling for niches that serve as suitable vessels for cannabidiol, you better believe that manufacturers didn’t forget about one of the most fundamental needs for human survival: water.

At face value, the idea of CBD water seems impervious to failure. We all depend on water. Consumers in the United Kingdom purchased over 2.5 million litres of bottled water[1] in 2020 alone. When faced with a chilled supermarket shelf, wouldn’t you rather opt for a bottle of CBD-infused H₂O (with flavourings and botanicals to boot) over the bland alternatives? Surely players in the CBD industry could secure a piece of this very big pie?

It all seemed so promising. But there’s a reason you haven’t heard, seen, or tasted much in the way of CBD water. Questionable product design and hefty price labels have contributed to things falling flat, and the volatile nature of cannabidiol has caused problems to bubble up. Find out everything you need to know about CBD water, if it lives up to the hype, and whether or not this niche needs quenching in the first place.

What Is CBD Water?

CBD water is exactly what it says on the label. But why infuse CBD into water in the first place, especially when consumers already have access to high-CBD cannabis flowers, CBD oils, isolates, and edibles?

Well, CBD water has the potential to shine where other products don’t. Based on its very nature, it could provide an edge in any situation where hydration takes centre stage—from athletes guzzling down after a training session to weekend warriors and gym-goers pushing their bodies in their spare time. A bottle of water also provides a more socially normative means of ingesting cannabidiol at the workplace compared to, say, unscrewing the cap of a tincture mid-email or stuffing a vape full of flower during a coffee break.

Ongoing trials testing CBD against models of pain[2], inflammation[3], anxiety[4], and a host of other conditions have stirred up some serious curiosity in new CBD products. Although these studies remain inconclusive—there’s an urgent need for clinical trials—consumers are thirsting to see if CBD has a place in their lives.

This all seems great. But the support for CBD water remains at a simmer. Before we take a look at factors creating a bottleneck, let’s find out how CBD water works as a product.

CBD Water: Is the Market Sinking or Swimming?

CBD Isn’t Water-Soluble: A Problem Solved

If you’ve spent any time with cannabis in the kitchen, be that whipping up brownies or more sophisticated dishes, you’re likely aware that cannabinoids are fat-soluble. Most recipes call for a generous dollop of butter or coconut oil to allow THC, CBD, and other key constituents to homogenise into a mixture.

As the ultimate low-calorie beverage, water contains no fat at all—zilch. Plus, oral CBD has a notorious reputation for its poor bioavailability; only 13–19% of CBD taken by mouth[5] makes it to target cells. So, how does CBD water work? Does CBD just sit on the top as a fatty film? And are consumers expected to pay for CBD that their body will mostly eliminate? Manufacturers realised how unattractive that sounds, and found ways to sidestep this issue.

Researchers have developed nanoemulsion[6] formulations that manufacturers are now employing to make CBD water a possibility. This technique uses emulsifiers to encase CBD in tiny droplets, making the cannabinoid water-compatible. Not only does this enable manufacturers to mix the two with relative success, but it makes CBD more bioavailable. Some bioscience companies are taking things a step further, using proprietary techniques that one-up water-compatible CBD with truly water-soluble preparations[7].

The Real Issues With CBD Water

So, there you have it. Clever minds have figured out a way to add hydrophobic cannabinoids into bottles of water. But a number of other issues stand in the way of CBD water and widespread adoption.

  • CBD Water Contains Minimal Amounts of Cannabidiol

CBD water entered the market much later than CBD oils, extracts, and isolates. These original products set the bar high, conditioning customers to expect a good quantity of the cannabinoid in return for their hard-earned money. For example, a mid-strength full-spectrum CBD oil offers 2,000mg of CBD per bottle and an impressive 10mg per drop.

In comparison, most CBD waters are rather diluted, to say the least. Most products contain 2–5mg of CBD—per bottle. This means consumers need to neck at least two cans of CBD water to access the same quantity infused into a single drop of CBD oil. However, some CBD beverages offer a higher content of 10mg. While an improvement, this still only provides the equivalent of a single drop of mid-strength CBD oil.

Clearly, manufacturers are relying on the novelty and utility of CBD water. The convenience of grabbing a bottle while passing through the shop on a lunch break might appeal to some, but a quick look at the CBD contents will turn enough consumers off before they get the product to the checkout.

  • CBD Water Is Expensive

Among those who manage to get past the lack of CBD within the water, a large share will likely revolt when they see the price label. A canned 250ml CBD beverage in the UK, containing 10mg of CBD, costs around £1.99 (€2.34). However, a low-strength full-spectrum CBD oil costs around £25.51 (€29.95) for a 10ml bottle containing 500mg of CBD. Therefore, opting for the oil will cost you roughly 50p (€0.59) per 10mg.

  • CBD Degrades When Exposed to Air and Light

Despite different labels displaying unique artwork and origin stories, most commercial bottled waters have one thing in common: transparent plastic bottles. As far as standard water goes, it serves a good purpose (mass pollution and plastic leaching aside). That’s because sunlight and air do little to change the status of water (outside of the influence of temperature). However, the same can’t be said for CBD.

As a meroterpene (part terpene, part phenol), CBD doesn’t fare well when exposed to light and air, especially over prolonged periods. The CBD concentration in a crate of bottles situated under supermarket lights will start to dwindle well before a customer gets the chance to taste the contents.

However, some companies have sidestepped this issue by opting for opaque cans. While an improvement, customers can’t reseal cans, which leaves the contents exposed to air if not consumed fairly quickly—another factor that takes a toll on CBD composition. In the future, we’ll likely see more CBD water products available in opaque glass bottles to solve this problem (though this will likely drive the price even higher).

Should You Drink CBD Water?

It’s entirely up to you. If you favour convenience and don’t mind the impact on your wallet once in a while, dive right in. You’ll likely get on well with these products if you purchase them before you hit the gym or go on a run. Try introducing CBD water into these situations and see how it works for you. However, if you’re more economical and have experience with other CBD products, the price and concentration of CBD water probably won’t scratch your itch.

External Resources:
  1. Bottled water consumption volume 2013-2020 | Statista https://www.statista.com
  2. The Role of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Chronic Pain Management: An Assessment of Current Evidence | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com
  3. Cannabidiol (CBD) and its analogs: a review of their effects on inflammation https://www.sciencedirect.com
  4. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com
  5. A Systematic Review on the Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol in Humans https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Development of a Novel Nano­emulsion Formulation to Improve Intestinal Absorption of Cannabidiol - FullText - Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids 2019, Vol. 2, No. 1 - Karger Publishers https://www.karger.com
  7. Water-Soluble CBD: A Game Changer for Consumer Packaged Goods https://www.visualcapitalist.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: