The Charlotte's Web CBD company is owned by CBD trailblazers Stanley Brothers. This company was one of the first to bring CBD to the mainstream through their work with Charlotte Figi and breeding of the landmark hemp strain Charlotte's Web. Stanley Brothers were also some of the first to find themselves in hot water with the FDA. Following their response with corrective actions they were able to spring back and become a major player in the CBD industry with products for sale online, in retail stores, and even at Petco.
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About Stanley Brothers Charlotte's Web
Charlotte Figi is by far the most famous Charlotte's Web customer, and one of their first. Stanley Brothers developed the Charlotte's Web hemp strain while working with Charlotte's mother Paige Figi to create a product that could safely help control Charlotte's severe epileptic disorder. The ability of CBD to reduce epilepsy symptoms has been controversial but surprisingly helpful. CNN produced a documentary on this phenomenon (excerpt below) that brought Charlotte's story to national attention. But with this public attention comes the attention of government regulators that do not condone medical use of any product that has not paid their extravagant clinical trial costs and passed FDA approvals.
In 2017, Stanley Brothers received an FDA warning letter. These warning letters are sent when a company is caught violating FDA regulations. Many CBD companies have received them for the same reasons as Charlotte's Web. That is mainly marketing claims. CBD companies cannot market their products as drug or dietary supplements because the FDA has not approved CBD for those uses. Likewise, CBD companies cannot make medical claims about their products even if health benefits are observed. This gets very tricky because there surely is a lot of scientific research that has observed CBD health benefits (under their research conditions), and many people anecdotally have beneficial personal experiences that they wish to share.
Josh Stanley, one part of the Stanley Brothers, has been an instrumental figure in the medical marijuana movement. Since the CNN documentary, CBD has brought cannabis to national attention and made people take a hard look at the undue demonization of the plant. From epilepsy to back pain, cannabis (hemp and marijuana) are now being nationally recognized for their benefits. In 2014, demand for the Stanley Brothers Charlotte's Web hemp products soared to the point that they decided to officially open their own CBD business. Now, in 2020, Charlotte's Web has completed its initial public offering (IPO) and is now publicly offering shares. The company has been so successful that they have even been invited to give TED talks about the benefits of CBD and medical marijuana.
Charlotte's Web Products
The Stanley Brothers CBD company Charlotte's Web publically offers a wide variety of products. These include:
- CBD tincture
- CBD capsules
- CBD gummies
- CBD topicals
- CBD for pets
Their products have been perfected with time and have had a warm reception. Charlotte's Web CBD oil tincture is one of their best selling products. They offer full-spectrum hemp oil in a variety of natural flavors. Their prices are quite high compared to competitors, but the company does have high lab testing standards, reliable CBD oil formulas, and brand recognition. All of the hemp used to make their CBD tincture is grown in Colorado where the company is based.
Charlotte's Web Original Formula Hemp Oil is made using ethanol extraction and contains 50 mg of hemp extract per 1 ml serving at a very high retail price of about $120.00. They also offer a 17 mg Hemp Extract/1 ml for about $60.00 which is CO2 extracted, and a 60 mg Hemp Extract/1 ml for about $120.00 which is also CO2 extracted. These different CBD oil extraction methods really don't impact how effective a product is, and even if a product is CO2 extracted it still needs to be purified (usually involving ethanol which is a safe food-grade alcohol).
By contrast, a 1000 mg bottle of full-spectrum CBD oil tincture from Plain Jane retails for just under $30.00. Plain Jane also offers Isolate CBD Oil in 1000 mg, 2000 mg, and 5000 mg per 30 ml bottle that range in price from $25.99 to $79.99. Finally, Plain Jane also offers Broad Spectrum CBD oil that contains CBD isolate plus natural hemp terpenes, but no THC.
The reason why Charlotte's Web products are so much more expensive is likely because they are following regulations that are not yet mandated for the CBD industry. That is, their products are produced in manufacturing facilities are registered with the FDA and their products are manufactured according to FDA guidelines for cGMP standards for dietary supplements. Formal adoption of these practices in expensive, and when the FDA finally does make this a requirement, prices are likely to increase for all products from all CBD companies.
Shopping for Products
To help you save on their products, Charlotte's Web does offer a 15% off pop-up coupon and deals if you subscribe for regular purchases of the product. With subscribe and save, you get 10% off of their retail product price. The Stanley Brothers retail website is nicely designed and easy to navigate. Charlotte's Web customer service can be reached by phone at +1(855) 790-8169. They offer free shipping on orders over $74.00. If you spend less, ground shipping is $8.99. Options for expedited shipping are available as well.
Should You Buy Charlotte's Web Products?
Despite their warning letter from the FDA, the Stanley Brothers have worked to produce top-quality CBD products with standardized formulations that customers can rely on. They have a great variety of products and have successfully grown from small business to major player. If you can't find what you are looking for with Plain Jane, Charlotte's Web hemp products would be a great brand to try. However, as far as value goes, Plain Jane's CBD oil prices are significantly more affordable.
