Irwin Naturals CBD Review: Why I Avoid This Brand (Feb. 2023)

Irwin Naturals is an established herbal supplement company that expanded into the CBD market. Although it has low prices, the company lacks transparency. It claims to use American hemp but doesn’t provide any details. You also can’t see the third-party test results without buying a product. On top of that, there’s a lack of customer reviews.

Summary

Although it’s an established supplement brand, Irwin Naturals isn’t transparent enough to be considered a reputable CBD vendor.

Irwin Naturals Overview

Established in 1994, Irwin Naturals is one of the largest herbal supplement brands in the United States. The company is best known for selling capsule supplements made with popular vitamin & herbal ingredients like turmeric, ginkgo, L-theanine, rhodiola, and much more.

If you’ve ever bought supplements on Amazon, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Irwin Naturals’ products. The company also sells a wide array of full-spectrum CBD products at exceptionally low prices.

Its founder Klee Irwin, who appeared in the documentary “CBD Nation“, decided to expand into the CBD market after experiencing its positive effects first-hand. But Irwin Naturals lacks transparency.

For example, the website says its products are derived from USA-grown hemp and undergo extensive third-party testing. But few details are provided, like which state the hemp is grown in and the name of the third-party lab. These details are crucial for verifying that you’re getting a safe and effective CBD product.

Irwin Naturals CBD Products Lineup

Irwin Naturals has a wide range of products, including full-spectrum CBD oil tinctures, topical balms, capsules, skincare products, and CBD-infused edibles and drinks in many potencies and flavors.

Here’s a closer look.

Irwin Naturals CBD Oil

As with most CBD companies, Irwin Naturals’ main product is its full-spectrum CBD oil. These tinctures come in 30 ml bottles and three low-to-high strengths. You can choose from natural, tangerine, and peppermint flavors.

I found one independent third-party test of Irwin Naturals’ 250 mg CBD oil. The CoA documents showed that the tincture contained 317.4 mg of CBD instead of 250 mg, which suggests that Irwin Naturals’ products may not be the most accurate.

Irwin Naturals CBD Capsules

For those who prefer the convenience of capsules, Irwin Naturals also offers full-spectrum CBD softgels in 4 strengths. Each softgel contains CBD dissolved in MCT and flaxseed oil alongside Bioperine: a black pepper extract widely used to improve the absorption of supplement ingredients.

Irwin Naturals CBD Vitamins & Supplements

These CBD-infused supplement softgels combine CBD with standard supplement ingredients that Irwin Naturals has been offering for decades, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs like turmeric, ginkgo, rhodiola, and ashwagandha.

Each version is designed for a specific purpose. For example, the +Power to Sleep formula combines CBD with melatonin and L-theanine, two natural compounds that can help with sleep. But the CBD strength is too low.

Irwin Naturals CBD Topicals

Irwin Naturals also offers topical products, including full-spectrum CBD balms, creams, roll-ons, and gels. They’re available in multiple strengths and contain standard skincare ingredients.

Price & Value

The easiest way to compare the prices of different CBD products to see if you’re getting a good deal is to divide the total cost by the amount of CBD. For example, if you have a 1500 mg CBD oil that costs $100, its price per mg would be 100/1500 = $0.07.

For Irwin Naturals, the costs are:

• CBD oil: 3-6 cents per mg of CBD
• CBD capsules: 2-4 cents per mg
• CBD supplements: 5-10 cents per mg
• CBD topicals: 5-10 cents per mg

The CBD oil and regular capsules are quite cheap while the supplements and topicals are cheaper than average. Still, the brand is lacking in value since you don’t know what you’re getting due to the lack of transparency.

Hemp Source and Production Process

Irwin Naturals’ products are derived from hemp cultivated in the United States. However, the company doesn’t explain whether this hemp is organic.

Furthermore, it doesn’t specify which particular U.S. state the hemp comes from, which is also helpful to know.

As for the extraction process, Irwin Naturals claims to use carbon dioxide (CO2), the most popular method used by the CBD industry.

Third-Party Testing

Irwin Naturals’ claims its CBD products undergo comprehensive third-party testing for potency and contaminants. Unfortunately, Irwin Naturals is not very transparent about these tests.

For one thing, aside from one sample test, you can’t look up the third-party reports unless you have the lot number that comes with the product. This is a huge minus because it means you can’t check the third-party test results before you purchase a CBD product from Irwin Naturals to confirm its authenticity.

Furthermore, Irwin Naturals’ third-party Certificate of Analysis (CoA) documents are not as detailed as most other companies and don’t list the name of the third-party lab, which also raises some doubts. 

Third-Party Test Results

Irwin Naturals claims that all of its products are made with full-spectrum hemp extract, which should provide CBD, THC (<0.3%), and minor cannabinoids.

The only third-party certificate of analysis I could find appears to confirm these claims, showing the presence of CBD, THC, and multiple minor cannabinoids. Unfortunately, the amounts of minor cannabinoids are relatively low.

This means the full-spectrum CBD formula used by Irwin Naturals’ products is not as effective as it can be.

All in all, this is one of the least transparent CBD brands I’ve come across.

Shipping & Returns

Irwin Naturals ships throughout the United States for $6.95 and offers free shipping on orders over $49.

The company offers a 60-day return guarantee; even if you used the CBD products, you can return them for a full refund (minus shipping costs) within 60 days of purchase.

Customer Service & Reputation

As for customer service, I emailed the company to see their third-party lab test reports before purchasing a product. They responded four days later and didn’t provide a helpful answer, telling me to view a page that requires you to purchase an item before seeing the test results.

Another red flag is that I couldn’t find any customer reviews for Irwin Naturals’ CBD products on its website. Reading these is another helpful way to see if you’re getting a legit CBD product.

While the company does hold an average 4.2/5 rating on the independent review website Trustpilot, many of these reviews are for its non-CBD products.

Still, the company does have a fairly good reputation because it’s been offering supplements for over 25 years.

My Verdict: Not Transparent Enough To Earn Your Trust

Despite its experience in the supplement market, I don’t recommend Irwin Naturals as a CBD company.

Although it provides what appears to be third-party tested CBD at exceptionally low prices, the company falls short in several key areas. Most importantly, its third-party lab test results aren’t accessible unless you purchase a product.

This prevents us from confirming the potency and safety of its CBD products. It’s also hard to confirm that Irwin Naturals uses full-spectrum hemp extract when we can’t look at the test results. The only available document shows a weak formula with few minor cannabinoids.

And the company doesn’t list the name of the lab that does its independent testing, which is suspicious. It also doesn’t provide many details about its production process, like where the hemp is grown. Worse yet, the CBD section of its website has little information and lacks any customer product reviews.

All in all, Irwin Naturals needs to be much more transparent to be considered a reputable CBD brand.