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What Is A Certificate of Analysis: How To Read A COA

In the less-regulated cannabis industry, a Certificate of Analysis (COA) is essential for ensuring the safety and quality of hemp products.

COAs, issued by independent third party labs, confirm product legitimacy and contents, serving as a vital safety net for consumers.

This guide explains why COAs are indispensable in confident and informed cannabis use, highlighting their importance in a market where third-party testing is the key to trust and transparency.

COA Snapshot

Key Takeaways 

  • Certificates of Analysis are vital for verifying the safety, quality, and content of cannabis products, confirming both cannabinoid levels and the presence of contaminants.
  • COAs ensure that hemp products, which can absorb harmful substances from their environment, are free from unwanted contaminants and the product matches the contents proposed in the label.
  • Evaluating a COA involves cross referencing its brand name/product data and batch numbers, with any inconsistencies or omissions signalling potential issues.
  • Avoid any products which do not come with a COA.

What is a Certificate of Analysis?

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is document provided by an independent (third party) laboratory that verifies the composition of a cannabis product.

It details the levels of cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, and screens for contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents.

Essential for consumer safety, COAs ensure products comply with legal standards and match their label claims. In the largely unregulated cannabis industry, a COA is a key indicator of a product’s quality and purity, acting as a critical tool for informed and safe consumption.

Any cannabis consumer will tell you they want their products to be safe and contain what’s listed on the label.

Imagine the anticipation of trying potent market-leading gummies, expecting a steep climb into the clouds. But as you wait, the excitement fizzles out. The gummies don’t get you high. Nothing. Not even a tiny buzz.

It’s like gearing up for a thrilling rollercoaster ride, only to find yourself on a slow-moving carousel. The promised high never arrives, leaving you grounded in disappointment—a stark reminder that not all that glitters is gold in the world of cannabis edibles.

Peach Gelato Gummies Example
Full Panel COA Summary Page

That’s where a Certificate of Analysis (COA) becomes your trusted companion. It’s not just any cannabis enthusiast who would be comfortable knowing their products might harbor toxic contaminants.

A COA is like a guardian, ensuring that what you consume is exactly what you signed up for – no nasty surprises, no unwanted additives. It’s the assurance that keeps your cannabis journey safe and enjoyable.

A third-party lab issues them, and they verify cannabinoid levels and (the best COAs) include information about any potential contaminants in the final product. 

So, If you love getting high, you must keep reading to learn more about COAs. 

We’ll even teach you how to read a COA so you can always make sure you’re not left waiting for a set of effects that never arrives.  

Trust us. We’ve reviewed hundreds of hemp products and have tried our share of duds. Because in this industry, it’s not just “puff, puff, pass” – it’s about knowing what you puff. 

Why Is A COA Important? 

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is critically important in the Cannabis industry as it ensures product safety and integrity.

According to research conducted in 2020 and published in The Journal of Missouri Medicine, CBD and Hemp derived products are frequently subject to mislabeling. Including being too potent, containing little to no active ingredients (cannabinoids) or contaminants such as heavy metals.

We’ve reviewed hundreds of hemp products and scruitnzed the same number of COAs and we’ll be first to tell you, an attached COA doesn’t set you out in the clear. There’s much more to it. Yup. You need to open it and analyze it, each and every time you buy. If you want to be 100% sure that is.

Nonetheless, we would never recommend anything to our readers that doesn’t have a Certificate of Analysis.

Yes, a COA is that important. 

Think of it like this. 

A Certificate of Analysis isn’t just run-of-the-mill product paperwork. It’s your product resume, and you’re the hiring manager.

You wouldn’t hire anyone who didn’t meet or exceed your expectations. The same thing should be expected of your cannabis products. 

When done right, COAs ensure the quality and transparency of cannabis products. The best in class COAs let you know the product is safe to consume and contains what the label suggests. Like a background check, but for nasty byproducts and chemicals your product contains.

THC Gummies Overhead Shot

Cannabinoid Percentage

At the very least, a Certificate of Analysis will contain the cannabinoid level of your product. Known as potency testing, this is the most common information most brands offer in COAs. 

It ensures you’re getting exactly what’s listed on the label. For example, If the label on your gummies says each gummy contains 10mg CBD and 10mg THC, the COA is how you’ll find out it’s true. 

Potency testing also ensures your product falls within the legal limit of less than 0.3% THC outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill

Some COAs also provide terpene content, letting you know which of these aromatic, potentially therapeutic compounds your product contains. 

Potential Contaminants

We like brands take third-party testing a step further by having their products tested for potential contaminants. 

These are known as full-panel tests, and they provide COAs that include the presence of residual solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, and mycotoxins in the final product. 

Why is this so important? 

You want your product to be safe, of course. But did you know cannabis plants soak up everything in the soil they’re planted in? 

Cannabis plants (both hemp and marijuana) are known as bioaccumulators. This means they absorb everything from their growing environment, including potentially harmful heavy metals and other contaminants in the soil. 

In science talk, this is known as phytoremediation. And Hemp happens to be one of the best bioaccumulators that exists. 

Hemp is so skilled at soaking up toxic sh*t from the soil that it was planted to remove radioactive waste from Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in the 1990s. Of the several crops planted with the same intention (sunflowers were another), hemp was shown to be the most beneficial.  

Consider a product COA the only way to ensure your hemp products haven’t picked up anything nasty along the way. Nuclear waste included. 

crescent thc seltzers

Residual Solvents

A Certificate of Analysis is the only thing you have to let you know that the solvents used in the extraction process have been fully purged from your product. 

Aside from solventless concentrates (we love you, live rosin), transforming raw cannabis into a consumable product typically uses some type of solvent. The most common include: 

  • Ethanol
  • Butane
  • Hexane
  • High pressured (supercritical) CO2

Some (like CO2) are safe. Others (like butane and hexane) can be harmful if remnants are left in the product post-extraction. 

The Certificate of Analysis is crucial for confirming that your product is free from any residual solvents. 

How To Read a Certificate of Analysis

Reading a Certificate of Analysis might initially seem intimidating, but it’s effortless when you know how to do it. 

Well, it should be effortless. Before you can read it, you need to be able to find the thing. 

Reputable brands make COAs easy to find, whether with a QR code on the packaging or putting it somewhere accessible on their website. We love it when brands put lab results right on the product page. 

If it feels more challenging to find a COA than deciding what to watch on Netflix after using your dab rig to get down on some THCA diamonds, there’s a problem. 

Trustworthy brands don’t play around when it comes to COAs. They display them proudly. 

You need to steer clear of the shady brands that claim to test their product but keep their COAs hidden (or don’t offer them at all). 

You also want to pay close attention to the COA date. Six months is the sweet spot for an up-to-date COA. Anything older than a year should be considered obsolete. 

If a COA is older than your last dentist appointment (you know, the one you’ve been putting off for months?), your product is well past its prime. 

Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to learn how easy reading a COA is. Follow along with the COA below for Hometown Hero’s Live Rosin Delta 9 Indica Gummies. You can find the actual copy here.

Hometown Hero is one of the most trusted brands in the game, so it’s not surprising that all of their COAs are easy to find on their website. Select the product, click “Batch Test Results (COA),” and look for your batch date. 

In the upper right corner to the left below “Certificate of Analysis” (circled in red in pics below), you can see that the COA for our Hometown Hero gummies is dated May 11, 2023. 

Certificate of Analysis Hometown Hero
Red Circles Denote Dates

Next, you’ll want to locate the brand name on the COA.

In the image below, you can see “Hometown Hero” next to the date on the left, its logo in the center, and the product name in the upper right next to the QR code (circled in blue in pics below). 

While this might seem like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised how many brands use a random COA to (falsely) claim their products are legit. 

Now for the lab details. 

If the lab is DEA-certified, the brand gets extra points because the labs are subject to much more stringent testing standards. 

In the upper left, you can see that Hometown Hero’s COA was conducted by Labstat, a DEA-certified lab (circled in orange).

You also want to look for the batch number of your product. You can find the batch number for Hometown Hero’s Live Rosin Gummies on the upper right.

HH COA
Blue Circles Denote Brand & Product

Then it’s time to look at the test results themselves. 

First, check that the sample size is large enough to represent the entire batch. 

Directly under the batch number, you can see that Hometown Hero’s batch number and sample size (circled in green) was 100g for a 100g retail product size – perfect. 

Next, you’re on to checking for the cannabinoid content in the product. Below, you’ll see the COA says the product has 2.384mg/g of delta-9 THC. This translates to about 24mg per gummy. The label claims to have 25mg per gummy. 

While not exact, an acceptable variance range is around 10%. This is a small enough variance that’s considered to be okay when determining the cannabinoid content of your product. 

Note: Ideally, Hometown Hero would also include terpene testing. This is the only bummer about this set of COAs. But, to be clear, this is a nice to have not a necessity.

Hometown COA Analysis

After looking at the product cannabinoid profile, you can see if the test is full-panel. 

While most brands only test for potency, we’re most interested in the ones that also test for potential contaminants.

On Hometown Hero’s COA, you can see it is a full-panel test (circled in purple).

Full Panel Summary
Purple Circle Denotes Full Panel Summary

After determining the product is full-panel tested, you’ll want to compare the front-page results to the other pages in the COA. These pages go in depth for each set of tests, should you wish to deep dive into the results.

This way, you can be sure the product is free from all pesticides, heavy metals, etc. 

COA Red Flags

While COAs are your first line of defense regarding the quality of your cannabis products, it’s essential to know that not all COAs are created equal. 

There are five critical red flags to look out for that signal a product might not be everything it claims to be.  

1. Accessibility 

You should have zero problem finding the COA for your product. If you run into accessibility issues, think twice. Difficulty accessing the document suggests a lack of transparency or that there’s something to hide. 

2. Date

The date of the COA should never be more than six months old. Anything over this half-year mark is cause for concern. It’s just like freshly cured bud. The fresher, the better. 

3. Missing Brand or Product Names

If the COA is missing the brand or product name, it’s a problem, people. The COA should always specify the brand and the exact product tested. How else are you supposed to know that it was actually your product that was tested?

4. Missing Batch Numbers

If there’s no batch number, you also have an issue. Without it, there’s no definitive link between the COA and your product. 

You just know that a product type has been tested but you have no idea if that’s related to the product you’re buying. The batch originally tested could have been sold months ago.

5. Accurate Sample Size

The COA should reference a proper sample size. Like the 100g used for the Hometown Hero gummies, for example. If the sample is too small, there’s a possibility it won’t accurately represent the entire batch.  Ultimately, this can lead to skewed results. 

You don’t want to go into it just reading the first page and think you’re good to go. 

Look for discrepancies in the pages that follow. If the front page of the COA says no heavy metals were detected, the following pages should say the same.

Finally (and maybe most importantly), ensure the COA matches the label for cannabinoid content!

With Hometown Hero, we were close. The COA tested at about 24mg/gummy, while the brand marketed it as 25mg. 

Discrepancies within a 10% +/- range are okay, but larger ones are a sign to reevaluate your product. 

Wrapping Up: The Critical Cannabis Certificate of Analysis

Certificate of Analysis isn’t just a fancy term tossed around in the cannabis industry. It’s your golden ticket to quality, safety, and purity. 

The COA is the only document to prove your product is legit. 

Remember, a COA is like your product’s resume. You wouldn’t hire someone sketchy, so why invite suspect cannabis into your sessions? 

Always check for cannabinoid content and date. And if you want to ensure your green is clean, insist on COAs with full-panel lab test results.