CBD Oil vs Tincture: the Main Differences

With CBD gaining immense popularity, there are more and more CBD products appearing on the market. However, there are two that everyone has heard of. It’s CBD oil and CBD tinctures. But what are the differences of CBD oil vs tinctures?

These terms are often confused, or even used interchangeably. However, they’re two different products. But what exactly are both of these products, and what effects do they have on you? Let’s compare CBD oil vs CBD tincture, see in which ways they’re similar, and what differentiates them. 

Find out in this article!

What is CBD?

Before we get to comparing CBD tinctures vs CBD oil, we must first cover what CBD is. CBD is one of the cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. There are more than a hundred other cannabinoids, but cannabidiol, along with tetrahydrocannabinol, are the ones that are the most commonly mentioned in the media.

CBD works by targeting your endocannabinoid system, causing your body to react accordingly. The endocannabinoid system is a complex biological system in your body that is responsible for various functions such as movement, appetite and weight^[1], coordination, moods, pain, inflammation, and many more.

When affected by cannabinoids, this system is stimulated, easing some of the unpleasant symptoms you might be experiencing. Those symptoms include lots of illnesses and ailments.

While CBD and its effects are still being researched, some promising studies suggest that CBD can help with anxiety^[2], nausea, autism, insomnia, pain, inflammation, cancer, and many more. Due to being so versatile, this health supplement is taking the world by storm. 

What is CBD Oil?

Another question that has to be answered in this CBD oil vs tinctures guide is what is CBD oil. CBD oil consists of CBD, derived from hemp or marijuana, and carrier oil that makes it easy to consume. It’s one of the most popular CBD products on the market.

And for a good reason. CBD oil is versatile and easy to use. It can be used sublingually, orally, or can be added while cooking. It can be used instead of cooking oil or butter, due to its oily base. That makes this type of CBD product easy to consume. 

There are several ways to extract CBD oil from cannabis or hemp plants. The most widely used by the major manufacturers is the CO2 extraction method. The method works by using a CO2 extraction machine and CO2 gas. 

The machine contains a few chambers and pumps that are responsible for the extraction. During the extraction, the plant is exposed to low temperatures and high pressure, resulting in a pure product with a high CBD content. Because of that, it’s often favored by the major producers.

Another way to extract CBD is the oil method. The plant is first decarboxylated, combined with olive oil, and then heated. However, using this method, the oil you get results in lower potency as it is mixed with the carrier oil. Nevertheless, due to its simplicity, it is often favored by DIY enthusiasts. 

There are a few other ways to extract CBD oil, but these two are the most popular methods. What’s important to note in this CBD oil vs tincture guide, is that most of the CBD products you purchase are extracted using CO2 extraction method. 

What is CBD Tincture?

Continuing the CBD oil vs tincture guide, we must talk about CBD tinctures as well. CBD tincture is one of the oldest methods to get the medical benefits of CBD. There’s not much to compare when it comes to CBD oil vs tincture, because these two are somewhat similar in their effects. 

However, one of the common differences when it comes to CBD tinctures vs CBD oil is that CBD tinctures often contain additional ingredients. These ingredients could be either herbs or flavors, for making it better tasting or adding other benefits the tincture’s consumption would bring. 

The word tincture itself means any kind of drug kept in an alcohol solution. The same goes for CBD tinctures. The cannabis or hemp plant is submerged into alcohol this way, extracting CBD and other cannabinoids. 

One more thing to point out when it comes to CBD oil vs CBD tincture comparison is that it is known that the alcohol base in the CBD tinctures increases the absorption rate of CBD into your body. What’s also worth to mention in this CBD oil vs tincture guide is that it is not the only benefit tinctures have.

One more benefit, when it comes to CBD tincture vs CBD oil comparison, is that by alcohol, the CBD tinctures shelf life is longer than the CBD oils’. 

When it comes to the consumption part, there’s no need for a CBD oil vs tinctures comparison, as they’re taken similarly. CBD tinctures are usually taken sublingually. 

If you’re wondering why people take CBD sublingually and not merely swallow it, the answer is capillaries. There are plenty of them under your tongue and in your mouth in general.

By having CBD absorbed by capillaries, it works quicker than when it goes through your whole digestive tract only to be absorbed in the end of the metabolization. 

However, unlike CBD oils, CBD tinctures can’t be used in cooking, due to the base being alcohol and not oil. It doesn’t stop people from putting the tinctures in their food, though.

One of the common things to do is putting a few drops of the CBD tincture into your morning coffee or on any other food. 

CBD Oil vs Tincture: Similarities

There have been many occurrences when I have noticed people using CBD tinctures and CBD oils interchangeably. There’s a reason for that. The CBD oil vs tincture have more similarities than differences. 

The Effect

The main similarity there is the effect that’s felt after consuming them. Both of these products produce the same impact that CBD has on you. However, the potency may differ. There are both oils and tinctures that range in potency, but tinctures may usually have a higher potency. 

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The Packaging 

One more thing that raises a need for CBD oil vs tincture guide is that they’re often confused because they really do look alike. The packaging is usually a tinted glass bottle. Both CBD oils and CBD tinctures typically come in this package, so there’s no big need for a CBD tincture vs CBD oil comparison.

Another similarity that’s worth mentioning in this CBD oil vs tinctures guide is that they both come with a dripper. These both can be used sublingually, and this way require a dripper. 

Method of Using

Having mentioned the packaging in this CBD oil vs tincture guide, we must also talk about the way it is consumed. Having a similar packaging, it’s easy to guess that they’re also used similarly. And that guess is correct.

Both of these products are usually used orally. Also, both of them might be the most effective taken sublingually. When you take it sublingually, it would be for the best if you swished the oil for a minute or two in your mouth to make sure it’s well-absorbed in your mouth. 

CBD Oil vs Tincture: Differences

While both CBD oils and tinctures have similar effects, there are some things to compare that these two products don't share. So, let’s see what aspects are different when it comes to CBD tincture vs CBD oil.

CBD Extraction

The most prominent difference, worth mentioning in this CBD oil vs tincture guide is the way that CBD is extracted from the plant. That is done quite differently when it comes to CBD tincture vs oil. 

When it comes to CBD oil, there are quite a few ways to extract CBD from the plant. The most often used is the CO2 extraction method. It’s used by major manufacturers as it produces the cleanest product without any remnants. Other ways to extract it include the solvent method, olive oil method, or even steam distillation.

All these processes produce somewhat similar results, but the quality of the CBD differs. The potency ranges and some methods are said to contaminate the CBD oil by having alcohol or other remnants left in the final product. 

Now, comparing CBD tincture vs oil, CBD tinctures have one way to extract CBD. There’s alcohol poured over the hemp or cannabis plant, and this way, you get a tincture. 

Taste 

One more thing that differentiates CBD oil vs CBD tincture is the taste they have. Many people tend to prefer using tinctures orally as they claim that they have a better taste. That’s because, as you’ve learned in this CBD oil vs tinctures guide, there are often additives to the tinctures.

Herbs or additional flavors can be added to the tinctures to make it taste better or provide other medical effects. However, when it comes to CBD oil, it’s not that much of a common practice. Many CBD users point out that CBD oil has a rather unpleasant earthy taste to it. 

It can be avoided in a few ways. The first way to do it is by changing up the way you use CBD oil. Instead of taking it orally, you could get CBD vape oil or simply apply CBD oil topically. Another way to do it is by cooking with CBD oil. This way, the taste isn’t felt. Also, you could get other CBD products, such as CBD gummies. 

Which One Is Better?

Having read the comparison of CBD tincture vs oil, you may have made up your mind, which one you prefer more. However, we should try to make out which one is actually better for you. 

Speaking about CBD oil vs tincture, they share quite a few similarities when it comes to their effectiveness. Simply because of that, it might be hard to choose one. You don’t really have to do it. You could either use both or try out both of them to find which product you’d prefer. 

CBD oil is a bit more of a popular choice. However, sometimes CBD tinctures are falsely advertised as CBD oil. That makes many people think they’re taking CBD oil when in reality, they’re actually taking tinctures. 

It can’t be said that any of these two products is better than the other. While the two of them are slightly different, both of them are good CBD products. However, CBD oil might be the most versatile product, as it can be used in so many ways.

These ways include sublingually, orally, topically, or while baking or cooking. Lots of CBD products can be made from the CBD oil. One of the most popular options is CBD gummies. If you’d like to try them out, make sure to check out our best CBD gummies guide to ensure that you’re choosing the best product. 

Conclusions 

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding CBD oil vs tinctures. Some even believe them to be the same thing. However, these two products are different. CBD oil is an actual oil, while tinctures are alcohol-based. They have their own advantages and disadvantages, and also share both similarities and differences. 

The similarities both of these products share include the effect, as both of the ways are effective when it comes to CBD absorption. Another similarity is the packaging, as usually both of them come in tinted glass bottles with a dripper. That leads to a similar method of use. 

The differences these products have are CBD extraction, as CBD oil is made quite differently than a tincture, as well as taste. Usually, the tinctures have added ingredients that make the taste more pleasant. Also, CBD is said to have a nutty, earthy, or grassy flavor to itself, that tinctures usually don’t have. 

Now that you know the difference of CBD oil vs tincture, you’re ready to purchase the products knowing fully well what you’re buying. However, if you don’t know which providers to choose from, we made the best CBD oil guide to make it easier for you to choose. 

Scientific References

Contributed by Awais Spall, Director of Innovation & Development at Revibe

1. Kirkham TC. 'Endocannabinoids in the regulation of appetite and body weight'

2. Esther M. Blessing, Maria M. Steenkamp, Charles R. Marmar 'Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders'