A R TI C LE
WHY CBD DESERVES BETTER THAN MCT
I first discovered MCT oil working in the cosmetics industry, where it was officially listed as capric/caprylic triglyceride, hiding its true form, masquerading around under the trade name "Fractionated Coconut Oil". MCT oil, short for medium-chain triglycerides, is a blanket term that encompasses a range of fatty acids that are synthesised from coconut and palm fruits. It's one of the most common carrier oils for cannabis extracts, alongside hemp seed oil.
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The popularity of MCT is easily understandable, as these oils are cheap to produce and easy to obtain. The issue arises when we start to care about transparency. MCT could contain caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid and/or lauric acid. These fatty acids are prevalent in both coconut and palm kernel oils, where they make up 55% and 54% of their respective fatty acid profiles. As a CBD consumer, it is difficult to know what fatty acids are present in the MCT oil without independent laboratory testing. Finding out whether your MCT is produced from coconut or palm oil is impossible without having a strong relationship with a reputable supplier that has full auditability of their product. Being able to ensure full traceability, in turn, increases prices, voiding the primary allure of MCT.
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Transparency when dealing in MCT is a rarity, which becomes a real problem in a consumer-lead market. MCT doesn't scream palm oil unless you really do your research. It's impossible to tell just by looking at a label whether your oil contains palm oil or palm derivatives, or whether the palm oil is RSPO certified (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). Google Trends shows an increase of approximately 95% in searches for "palm oil free products" since December 2017. Palm oil has received a lot of media attention due to the ecocide caused by extensive monoculture (we've all seen the Rang-Tan in my bedroom animation), but few would suspect that coconut oil is a ticking media time bomb for unsustainable and unethical agricultural practices.
