CBD isolate and CBD distillate come from the same plant and start with the same extraction, but they end up as two very different raw materials. Isolate is a white powder that is almost nothing but CBD. Distillate is a thick, golden oil with several cannabinoids. Which one suits you depends on what you want to do with it.
Here we go through how they are made, what sets them apart and what they are usually used for.
In short
- CBD isolate is a crystalline powder with 99 percent CBD or more. It has no taste or smell and contains no other cannabinoids or terpenes.
- CBD distillate is a concentrated oil with several cannabinoids, often 80 percent or more. In broad-spectrum distillate the THC has been removed.
- Isolate is made by crystallising and washing distillate. In other words, distillate is the step before isolate.
- Isolate is easier to weigh out precisely for your own blends. Distillate has a broader profile and a clearer taste of hemp.
What is CBD isolate?
CBD isolate is cannabidiol in the purest form you can get. It consists of white crystals or a fine powder, and good quality holds 99 percent CBD or more. The lab report for our own isolate shows 99.7 percent, and you can read more about the product on the page for our CBD isolate.
Everything else in the hemp has been removed: the other cannabinoids, the terpenes, the flavonoids, the waxes and the chlorophyll. What remains is a raw material with no taste or smell that dissolves in fat and alcohol.
How isolate is made
The process starts with extracting the hemp, usually with supercritical carbon dioxide or ethanol. The crude extract is winterised, which means it is mixed with a solvent and chilled so that waxes and fats drop out and can be filtered off. It is then distilled, and the distillate is crystallised in a solvent. The crystals are washed and dried until only CBD remains.
In 2025, an Italian research team described such a process on a larger scale. Using carbon dioxide extraction, winterisation, purification and crystallisation in hexane, they reached a purity of more than 99 percent, with negligible THC levels.
What is CBD distillate?
CBD distillate is the step before isolate. The extract is winterised and distilled under vacuum, often in what is called wiped-film or short-path distillation. The oil is heated gently so that the cannabinoids evaporate and are collected, while heavier substances stay behind.
The result is a thick, golden to amber oil with a high cannabinoid content, often between 80 and 95 percent. In a 2023 study, researchers got just over 93 percent of the main cannabinoid into the distillate after optimising the settings of such a distillation.
Full spectrum and broad spectrum
Distillate comes in two main types. Full-spectrum distillate contains all the cannabinoids that were in the extract, including THC. In broad-spectrum distillate the THC has been removed in an extra step, while the other cannabinoids, such as CBG and CBN, remain. The distillate we sell is broad spectrum, and you will find it on the page for our CBD distillate.
Most of the terpenes are lost during distillation, as they are more volatile than the cannabinoids. That is why they are often added afterwards when the distillate is used in vapes, for example.
The differences at a glance
- Purity: Isolate is 99 percent CBD or more. Distillate contains several cannabinoids and usually lands at 80 to 95 percent in total.
- Form: Isolate is a dry powder. Distillate is a viscous oil that needs warming to become easy to handle.
- Taste and smell: Isolate is neutral. Distillate has a faint taste of hemp, even when the terpenes are gone.
- Other cannabinoids: Isolate has only CBD. Distillate also has smaller amounts of CBG, CBN and CBC, for example.
- Precision: With isolate you know exactly how much CBD you are adding. The make-up of distillate varies more between batches, so the lab report matters more.
The entourage effect is a theory
A common argument for distillate is the so-called entourage effect, the theory that cannabinoids and terpenes interact and influence each other. The idea was put forward in the late 1990s and has spread widely, but it is still a hypothesis. Research has not shown that it holds in practice, so treat it as a possible difference rather than a fact.
What are they used for?
Isolate is popular when you want full control. It is used in homemade oils, in cosmetics and in blends where the taste must not be affected. Because it dissolves in fat, it can be mixed with a carrier oil, and we describe how in our guide on how to make CBD oil.
Distillate is used when you want a broader profile or a more concentrated oil. It is also the base of many vapes, where it is mixed with terpenes for taste and aroma. More on how it is handled can be found in our guide on CBD distillate.
There are also isolates of other cannabinoids, such as CBG and CBN. They are made the same way and are just as pure, but contain a different cannabinoid than CBD. More on CBG can be found in our article on CBG. We go through the difference between CBN and CBD in our article on CBN and CBD.
How to choose
- Choose isolate if you want pure CBD with no taste, an exact concentration and a raw material that is easy to weigh and mix.
- Choose distillate if you want several cannabinoids, a more concentrated oil or a base to mix with terpenes.
- Whichever you choose, there should be a lab report from an independent lab showing the CBD content and that THC is below the limit. We explain how to read one in our guide on CBD lab reports.
Does CBD isolate contain THC?
A good-quality isolate contains no measurable THC. Always check the lab report, which should show both the CBD content and that THC is below the detection limit.
Is distillate stronger than isolate?
No, isolate has a higher CBD content. Distillate has a lower share of CBD but also contains other cannabinoids, so the total cannabinoid content can be 80 to 95 percent.
Why does distillate smell of hemp when isolate does not?
Isolate is so pure that no aromas or flavours remain. Distillate contains more substances from the plant, and even though most terpenes disappear during distillation, a faint hemp character remains.
Can isolate be made from distillate?
Yes, that is how isolate is made. The distillate is dissolved in a solvent and crystallised, and the crystals are then washed until only CBD remains.
Sources
- Calmanti, R., Selva, M. and Perosa, A. (2025). From Hemp to CBD Crystals: A Scaled-Up Procedure for the Selective Extraction, Isolation, and Purification of Cannabidiol. ACS Agricultural Science & Technology.
- Sagili, S. U. K. R. et al. (2023). Optimization of wiped-film short path molecular distillation for recovery of cannabinoids from cannabis oil using response surface methodology. Industrial Crops and Products, 195.
- Russo, E. B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7).
