We try to make our reviews as honest as possible. That’s the only way that people will trust them.
It’s difficult at times, though. For instance, we have to disregard companies’ claims that they have the “Best Selling CBD in America!” – since there are dozens of companies making the same claim, and it doesn’t tell you anything about the quality of their products.
And when a producer promises “all-natural and organic products!” we always check the ingredient lists for all of their products – since a surprisingly large number of those producers really have synthetic or artificial ingredients tucked away in the fine print.
A less-common issue we run into is how a CBD company markets its products. HempWorx is a perfect example.
This producer has its own website, where it sells the products it produces. But the bulk of its business comes from a multi-level marketing system; it’s part of a much larger marketing operation that recruits people to sell HempWorx in return for a cut of the profits.
In fact, this company is one of those claiming it’s “the #1 selling CBD brand.” Even if that’s true, it’s because HempWorx has so many people selling the products to their friends, relatives, and customers for other businesses, not necessarily because it makes the best CBD oil or edibles.
So that’s our dilemma. In general, we’re not big fans of multi-level marketing systems, many of which are simply pyramid schemes. But should we disregard how HempWorx operates, in order to evaluate their products just as we would any other cannabidiol producer’s? (Cannabidiol is the scientific name for CBD)
Our answer is yes. We’ll give you a little more detail on the company’s operations in the following section, but we’ve decided that the real issue is whether their CBD products are worth purchasing, not how they make their money.
Let’s get started.
HempWorx: The Background
At first glance, HempWorx had its origins in the same way that many other CBD producers get their start. Founder Jenna Zwagil was succeeding in her career but personally felt that she was losing her spark. She tried to reboot her attitude in a number of different ways, but – as you’ve probably guessed – the one that worked for her was CBD. And in order to share her discovery with the world, she created HempWorx.
Here’s the twist. Zwagil’s career was in “network marketing,” which involves setting up systems to sell products to, and through, other people. Her husband was her business mentor – and he also happened to be the owner of MyDailyChoice, a big multi-level marketing company specializing in health and wellness products.
After HempWorx was up and running, it was folded into her husband’s much-larger operation, making it part of a network that signed up individuals and businesses to resell CBD products as well as vitamin sprays, essential oils, and even budget travel packages.
Many CBD producers make a point of supporting organizations promoting cannabidiol’s benefits or helping low-income customers with the relatively-high cost of CBD. HempWorx appears to have a different mission: creating a financial opportunity for those who want to sell a variety of products for a profit.
We have no reason to doubt Zwagil’s belief in the benefits of CBD or her desire to “spread the word” about it. It does seem, though, that this company is more dedicated to building its marketing network. One other note: HempWorx “partners” get a discount on the products they buy, even if they’re purchased for personal use instead of resale – and of course, they have to pay to become partners.
That doesn’t mean, though, that HempWorx products aren’t worth buying. Let’s find out if they are.
HempWorx: The Approach
The company sources its hemp from American farms. Many of its resellers claim that the hemp is either certified organic or organically-grown, but HempWorx itself makes no such representation – just that they “diligently source” the “highest-quality hemp” from “specially-selected hemp cultivars.” Similarly, there are claims on various websites that the crops are grown in Kentucky, but no such representations from the company itself. In other words, it seems that HempWorx extracts cannabidiol from hemp that’s not necessarily organic, grown by U.S. farmers in undisclosed locations. Good, not great.
Speaking of extraction, many reseller websites say that the company uses the supercritical CO2 method considered the “gold standard” by most industry experts. There’s no such claim from HempWorx itself, though, which just says it uses the CO2 process; that usually means standard CO2 extraction is slightly less effective and definitely less expensive. Once again, that’s good but not the best.
We do like the fact that the company offers products containing a choice of full-spectrum and broad-spectrum cannabidiol. Full-spectrum is the right choice for maximizing effectiveness because it contains all of the hemp plant’s components including a minuscule amount of THC (not enough to make you high); those components boost the performance of CBD. By contrast, broad-spectrum has the THC removed – that lessens effectiveness slightly but ensures there’s no chance a user will flunk a drug test.
One interesting decision by HempWorx is to use hemp seed oil instead of MCT oil as a carrier. It’s widely believed that MCT oil is a better choice because it provides better distribution of cannabidiol. The company says it prefers hempseed oil, claiming it contributes more of the benefits of hemp. We’re not scientists so we can’t judge on our own, but it’s not the same approach or reasoning used by most high-end CBD producers.
HempWorx does use all-natural ingredients as promised, however, so that’s a plus. And just as all reputable CBD companies do, they make third-party testing reports (COAs) available with their products.
To sum it all up, HempWorx’s approach puts them squarely in the middle range of CBD producers. Their products aren’t the highest-quality available, but they’re decent and sold at a reasonable price.
HempWorx CBD Oils
The company sells full-spectrum (with the full entourage effect) and broad-spectrum (all hemp components except the THC) versions of its CBD oil.
Each version is available in 16.67, 25, and 50mg/ml potencies, although HempWorx doesn’t disclose that on their website. You have to run the numbers yourself. They don’t make it easy to find a list of ingredients, either – you have to enlarge the photo of the product label to see them. That’s somewhat surprising because there’s nothing to hide; there’s only cannabidiol, hempseed oil, and natural flavoring. Speaking of flavors, there are six to choose from, including natural hemp.
HempWorx CBD Capsules
HempWorx doesn’t carry straight-forward CBD capsules. There are four similar vegan softgel varieties containing 25 milligrams of broad-spectrum (no THC) cannabidiol, but each has additional ingredients aimed at helping with different health and wellness issues.
The CBD+Vitality capsules include yeast fermentate and vitamin D3 for gut and bone health, CBD+Coffeeberry is designed to boost energy and brain function, CBD+Curcumin is intended to boost immunity and joint health, and CBD+Melatonin is obviously to help with sleep. MCT oil is used as a carrier in all four varieties.
HempWorx CBD Edibles
There are two broad-spectrum CBD choices in this category. The gummies contain 10mg of cannabidiol apiece along with an assortment of natural flavorings, and packets of hemp-infused instant coffee are made from Arabica beans and provide about 5 milligrams of CBD per cup.
HempWorx CBD Topicals and Skin Care Products
This lineup is centered around three types of broad-spectrum CBD cream. “Renew” is a moisturizing product with a number of natural, traditional skincare ingredients in addition to cannabidiol; “Relief” is (as you’ve undoubtedly guessed) aimed at easing tired muscles and joints with CBD, emu oil, and cooling ingredients; “Revive” is a nighttime “restorative” cream with all sorts of added natural oils.
The company offers CBD-infused bath bombs, and facial masks both with and without CBD. They also have a collection of HempWorx products that contain hemp seed oil but no cannabidiol: a trio of hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask), hydrating conditioner, and hand and body lotion. If you’re looking for the medicinal benefits of CBD, be careful when shopping for HempWorx topicals. Some don’t include it.
HempWorx Pet CBD
There are two HempWorx CBD products for pets. The CBD oil contains about 8mg/ml of full-spectrum cannabidiol, hemp seed carrier oil, and natural bacon flavor; that’s a high dosage for small pets, so administer by the drop rather than by the milliliter if you have a cat or smaller dog. The CBD dog treats are beef flavored and grain-free; they contain about 2.5 milligrams of full-spectrum cannabidiol apiece.
HempWorx: The Verdict
In a word: meh. These aren’t high-end CBD products but they’re not bad either. And the prices aren’t bad at all, especially if you sign up to be a “partner.”
We’re not impressed with the company’s lack of full transparency on where its hemp comes from, they could use a better cannabidiol extraction method and a better carrier oil, and it shouldn’t be so difficult for customers to figure out how much CBD is in each dose of some products.
Those issues could be an effort to keeping production prices low, or a result of paying more attention to their multi-level marketing strategy than their own product marketing – there’s no way to know.
What we do know is that there are many mid-range producers who are more transparent, and there are definitely producers who create higher-quality CBD products.
As for HempWorx? They’re not bad, but you can do better.