Marijuana Infused Products (Liquid)

Crude oil testing applies to the raw output of a first extraction pass, before winterisation, filtration, or distillation. Total cannabinoids typically run 50% to 80%, but the fraction that is not cannabinoid — lipids, waxes, chlorophyll, residual solvent — is exactly what makes this matrix worth analysing.

For crude oil submissions, important details include:

• Extraction method and solvent used
• Source material: flower, trim, or biomass
• Whether decarboxylation has occurred
• Refinement steps still to come
• Batch volume and storage vessel

Crude sits at the point where contamination is most concentrated and least disguised. Pesticides that were dilute in biomass are now in an oil at ten to twenty times the level, and residual solvent is at its peak. Catching a problem here saves the entire downstream run.

Common submissions include: ethanol crude, hydrocarbon crude, winterisation feedstock, and pre-distillation lots.

Formulated vape oil testing applies to finished inhalable oil — concentrate combined with carriers, cutting agents, or botanical terpenes and filled into cartridges. THC content commonly falls between 70% and 90%, with the balance made up of whatever the formulation added.

For vape oil submissions, important details include:

• Base concentrate: distillate, live resin, or crude
• Carrier system used, if any
• Terpenes added, and whether cannabis-derived or botanical
• Cartridge hardware the oil will be filled into
• Whether the sample is bulk oil or a filled unit

This is a product the consumer heats and inhales, so the panel goes beyond potency. Residual solvent, added diluents, and heavy metals that can migrate from cartridge components all matter here in a way they do not for an oral product.

Common submissions include: bulk formulated oil, filled cartridges, disposable units, and pod formats.

Full extract cannabis oil testing applies to thick, decarboxylated whole-plant extract intended for oral use, typically 50% to 80% THC or higher. Because it is dosed by the drop rather than the gram, the accuracy of the concentration figure carries directly into how much a patient actually takes.

For FECO submissions, important details include:

• Solvent used and recovery method
• Decarboxylation time and temperature
• Whether the extract was filtered after evaporation
• Total batch volume and intended dose unit
• Packaging: syringe, jar, or capsule fill

Viscosity is the analytical challenge. FECO does not pour or pipette like a thinner oil, and an inaccurate subsample weight moves the reported concentration directly. Full decarboxylation also means results are read as active THC rather than THCA.

Common submissions include: FECO syringes, whole-plant oral oil, capsule fill stock, and patient-dose preparations.

Full spectrum oil testing applies to extract refined enough to be usable but processed to keep the wider cannabinoid and terpene profile intact, rather than isolating a single compound. THC can range from 20% to 80% and CBD from 5% to 40%, depending on the cultivar it came from.

For full spectrum oil submissions, important details include:

• Extraction method, commonly CO2 or ethanol
• Source cultivar and its cannabinoid ratio
• Winterisation and filtration steps applied
• Whether terpenes were preserved or reintroduced
• Intended format: tincture, capsule, or topical

The selling point of this product is the profile itself, which means the analysis has to resolve minor cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, and CBC rather than reporting THC and CBD alone. A terpene panel is what substantiates the “full spectrum” claim on the label.

Common submissions include: CO2 full spectrum oil, ethanol extracts, tincture base stock, and formulation feedstock.

Infused oil testing applies to culinary fats — olive, coconut, MCT — carrying cannabinoids taken up directly from decarboxylated plant material. Infusion is far less efficient than extraction, so potency is both lower and much harder to predict from the input alone.

For infused oil submissions, important details include:

• Carrier oil used as the base
• Plant material to oil ratio
• Decarboxylation and infusion time and temperature
• Filtration method after infusion
• Whether the oil is a finished product or an ingredient

Yield from infusion varies with heat, time, and how much fat is available to hold the cannabinoids, so calculating potency from the starting material is unreliable. Testing the finished oil is the only way to know what it carries — particularly when it becomes the dosing basis for an edible batch.

Common submissions include: infused olive oil, cannabis coconut oil, MCT infusions, and kitchen base stock.

Syrup and infused honey testing applies to sweetened liquid products carrying cannabis extract, usually dosed by spoon or poured into a drink. The sugar-heavy base is viscous and dense, which is what creates the analytical difficulty.

For syrup and honey submissions, important details include:

• Base: simple syrup, glucose syrup, or honey
• Extract type and whether an emulsifier was used
• Target milligrams per serving and per container
• Serving size the label declares
• Storage temperature and shelf life claimed

Cannabis extract is oil and the base is water-sugar, so without a working emulsifier the two separate over time. A bottle can meet its label claim when filled and fail it weeks later once the actives have migrated, which is why homogeneity is tested on the product as it will be sold.

Common submissions include: infused syrups, cannabis honey, drink mixers, and sweetener concentrates.

Beverage testing applies to finished cannabis drinks, from seltzers and sodas to teas and coffees. Doses per container are small — often 2 to 10 milligrams — which puts the analysis near the low end of the measurable range and makes precision matter more than it does for a concentrate.

For beverage submissions, important details include:

• Container volume and declared servings
• Emulsion technology used, including nanoemulsion
• Carbonation, pH, and preservative system
• Pasteurisation or other thermal processing
• Age of the sample relative to production

Two things can go wrong after filling. Cannabinoids can bind to the container wall and drop out of solution, and an unstable emulsion lets actives migrate to the surface. Both mean a drink that tested correctly at production no longer matches its label by the time it is opened.

Common submissions include: infused seltzers, sodas, ready-to-drink teas, coffee products, and drink concentrates.

Ice cream testing applies to frozen infused dairy and non-dairy desserts, where cannabis extract is blended into the base before churning. The product carries a full food-safety profile on top of the cannabis panel, which few other infused formats do.

For ice cream submissions, important details include:

• Base type: dairy, coconut, or other non-dairy
• Extract or infused fat used and where it enters the process
• Declared milligrams per serving and per container
• Overrun and how it affects serving weight
• Cold-chain condition on arrival

Fat content works in the formulator’s favour and against the analyst: cannabinoids distribute well through a high-fat base, but that same fat has to be separated out during sample preparation. The sample must also arrive frozen, since a thaw-and-refreeze changes both texture and microbial picture.

Common submissions include: infused ice cream, gelato, non-dairy frozen desserts, and novelty bars.

Sauce testing applies to high-terpene extract in which a liquid terpene fraction sits alongside cannabinoid crystals, typically 60% to 90% THC overall. The two-phase structure is the intended texture of the product and the reason it cannot be sampled like a uniform concentrate.

For sauce submissions, important details include:

• Extraction method and solvent used
• Starting material, particularly if fresh frozen
• Separation or crystallisation conditions
• Approximate crystal to liquid ratio
• Container type and fill weight

Crystal and terpene layers have very different cannabinoid concentrations. Sampling the liquid alone or the solids alone produces a number that describes a fraction of the jar rather than the jar itself, so the full container is homogenised before subsampling.

Common submissions include: terp sauce, diamonds and sauce, HTFSE, and high-terpene extracts.

Serum testing applies to lightweight cannabis skincare — fast-absorbing facial and body formulations built on carrier oils such as jojoba, argan, or hemp seed. Cannabinoid levels are low by design, often around 0.3% THC, which pushes the analysis toward the limit of quantitation.

For serum submissions, important details include:

• Carrier oils and botanical actives in the formulation
• Declared cannabinoid concentration or milligrams per bottle
• Preservative system and packaging format
• Whether the product is water-free or an emulsion
• Batch size and fill date

Low concentration is the whole analytical problem. Detecting a fraction of a percent against a dense cosmetic matrix requires methods validated at that range — a technique built for 70% distillate will not resolve 0.3% reliably. Cosmetic ingredients also interfere, so the extraction has to be matched to the base.

Common submissions include: facial serums, body serums, CBD skincare oils, and cosmetic formulation batches.

Emulsion testing applies to cannabinoid concentrate dispersed evenly through a water-based medium using emulsifiers such as lecithin or polysorbate. These are usually intermediates — the ingredient a beverage or edible manufacturer doses with — rather than a finished retail product.

For emulsion submissions, important details include:

• Emulsifier system and droplet size, if nanoemulsion
• Cannabinoid load per millilitre
• Whether the emulsion is oil-in-water or water-in-oil
• pH and preservative system
• Downstream products it will be dosed into

An emulsion is only as good as its stability. Because every product made downstream inherits this concentration, an error here multiplies across an entire production run — so both the concentration and how well it holds over time are worth confirming before the emulsion is used.

Common submissions include: nanoemulsions, beverage emulsion concentrates, water-soluble powders, and formulation intermediates.

Hash oil testing applies to concentrated trichome extract produced with solvent, ranging in consistency from thin sap to thick, viscous oil and running 50% to 90% cannabinoids or higher. The name covers a family of textures rather than one defined product.

For hash oil submissions, important details include:

• Solvent used: butane, propane, ethanol, or CO2
• Purge time, temperature, and vacuum applied
• Colour and consistency of the finished oil
• Source material grade
• Whether the oil is a finished product or an input

Residual solvent is the headline test for anything made this way. Purging drives off the bulk of it, but incomplete purging leaves measurable levels in a product intended for inhalation — and the thicker the oil, the harder solvent is to remove from it.

Common submissions include: BHO, PHO, CO2 oil, sap, and pre-formulation extract.

Rosin testing applies to extract produced by pressing cannabis under heat and pressure, with no solvent at any point. Yields run 60% to 80% cannabinoids or higher, and the absence of solvent shortens the panel — but does not remove the need for it.

For rosin submissions, important details include:

• Press material: flower, dry sift, or ice water hash
• Press temperature and duration
• Micron rating of the filter bag
• Whether the rosin was cold cured after pressing
• Source lot the material came from

Solventless does not mean contaminant-free. Pesticides and heavy metals present in the starting flower press straight through into the rosin and concentrate along with the cannabinoids, so the panel still covers them. Press temperature also determines how much of the terpene profile survives.

Common submissions include: flower rosin, hash rosin, cold cure rosin, and press feedstock.

Lotion testing applies to cannabis topicals built as an emulsion of water and oil, formulated to spread easily and absorb into skin. The water content is what separates lotion from the anhydrous topicals in this category, and it drives the testing requirement.

For lotion submissions, important details include:

• Declared cannabinoid concentration or milligrams per container
• Emulsifier and preservative system used
• Water content and pH
• Container format: pump, tube, or jar
• Batch size and fill date

Water in a cosmetic means microbial growth is possible, so the preservative system has to be doing its job — a check that oil-only topicals do not need. Cannabinoids also concentrate in the oil phase, so if the emulsion breaks the actives are no longer evenly distributed through the container.

Common submissions include: infused body lotion, hand cream, CBD moisturiser, and emulsified topical batches.

Salve testing applies to anhydrous topicals — oils thickened with beeswax or plant butters into a balm. With no water in the formulation, salves carry more cannabinoid per gram than a lotion and target a smaller application area.

For salve submissions, important details include:

• Wax and butter base used
• Cannabinoid concentration and total per tin
• Melting point and pour temperature
• Essential oils or botanicals added
• Container format and fill weight

Removing water removes the microbial concern but introduces a different one: salves are poured warm and set as they cool, and cannabinoids can stratify during that window. Sample preparation also has to melt the wax matrix before extraction, which a room-temperature method will not do.

Common submissions include: infused balms, muscle salves, CBD ointments, and poured tin batches.

Body oil testing applies to cannabis topicals that are oil only — carrier oils such as coconut, jojoba, or hemp seed carrying cannabinoids, with no water phase and no emulsifier. It is the simplest formulation in the topical range and the easiest to keep uniform.

For body oil submissions, important details include:

• Carrier oils used and their proportions
• Declared cannabinoid concentration per bottle
• Whether the infusion used extract or plant material
• Filtration after infusion
• Container format and light exposure in packaging

A single-phase oil stays homogeneous, so the concentration measured is reliably what the whole bottle carries. The exposure worth checking is oxidative: carrier oils go rancid and cannabinoids degrade under light and heat, so packaging and storage determine whether the product still matches its label at the end of shelf life.

Common submissions include: infused massage oil, CBD body oil, bath and body oils, and carrier oil batches.

Soap testing applies to cleansing bars and liquid washes made with cannabis-infused oils. Saponification runs at high pH, and both that alkalinity and the fact that the product is rinsed off shape what the analysis is actually establishing.

For soap submissions, important details include:

• Cold process or melt-and-pour production
• Point at which the infusion was added
• Cure time before submission
• Declared cannabinoid content per bar or bottle
• Base oils used in the formulation

Cannabinoids do not survive alkaline conditions well, and adding infused oil before saponification exposes it to exactly that. Testing the cured bar rather than the input oil is the only way to substantiate a label claim, and the surfactant-heavy matrix needs an extraction method built for it.

Common submissions include: infused bar soap, liquid body wash, melt-and-pour batches, and cold process cures.

Tincture testing applies to cannabis extract in an alcohol or oil carrier, dosed by dropper and usually taken sublingually. The label claim is expressed per millilitre or per dropper, so that is the figure the analysis has to support.

For tincture submissions, important details include:

• Carrier: ethanol, MCT, or glycerin
• Declared milligrams per millilitre and per bottle
• Dropper volume the label assumes
• Flavourings or botanicals added
• Bottle size and light protection in packaging

The dropper is where labels and reality diverge. A stated dose depends on the dropper actually delivering the volume the label assumes, and hardware varies. The carrier matters too — ethanol and oil bases hold cannabinoids differently and age differently on the shelf.

Common submissions include: alcohol tinctures, MCT oil tinctures, ratio formulations, and finished retail bottles.

RSO testing applies to dark, viscous whole-plant oil produced by solvent extraction and full decarboxylation, dosed orally in very small amounts. It is closely related to full extract cannabis oil and shares its analytical difficulties.

For RSO submissions, important details include:

• Solvent used and evaporation method
• Decarboxylation time and temperature
• Source material: flower, trim, or whole plant
• Total batch volume and dispensing format
• Whether any filtration was applied

Because the dose is measured in rice-grain quantities, the concentration figure translates directly into what a patient takes. The oil’s viscosity makes accurate subsampling genuinely difficult, and full decarboxylation means results read as active THC rather than THCA.

Common submissions include: RSO syringes, whole-plant oral oil, Phoenix Tears, and patient-dose preparations.