You’re a cannabis brand, and you’re developing a new line of cannabis beverages. How do you choose your emulsion provider? The problem is that they all seem to make the same marketing claims—small particle size, lasting stability, reliable potency. You could choose based soley on price, but that carries risks further down the line.
So before you commit, how do you know if all emulsions are in fact created equal?
I’m a data nerd, so the answer to me is obvious: ask for the data. If a provider can show a full year’s worth of stability data not just for their emulsion but also for its performance in existing, real-world beverages, I would trust that science.
In this post, Michael and I will show how I evaluate emulsion and beverage stability, particle size, and potency claims.
What stability in a cannabis emulsion really means
As a quick refresher, an emulsion is what happens when two liquids that naturally resist mixing, like oil and water, are coaxed into behaving as one. Left to their own devices, these liquids will always be inherently unstable, separating at any shift in the environment. But with the proper emulsification process, they can be held in a uniform mixture, with the flavor, appearance, and effects stable for months or even years after production.
For cannabis beverages, emulsification has traditionally been challenging. Naturally hydrophilic, oil-based cannabinoids resist mixing with water for the production of stable, consumer-friendly formulations.
What happens when a cannabis emulsion fails
All too often, cannabis beverages suffer when an unstable emulsion breaks, resulting in a drink that’s bitter and weedy-tasting, and may result in inconsistent dosing. With the beverage hidden inside a can, consumers don’t realize they’re buying a less effective and less delicious product—not until they’ve taken that first sip.
The enemy of every emulsion: gravity
The greatest impact on the long-term stability of a THC or CBD beverage’s emulsion is gravity. Over time, gravity may result in several issues, including creaming and sedimentation, as well as flocculation or coalescence (the transformation or clumping of cannabinoid molecules). Storage temperatures, reactive packaging, and individual ingredients can further destabilize an emulsion.
Working with a stable cannabinoid emulsion is essential for preserving the flavor, effects, and appearance of cannabis beverages. And while many emulsion providers claim to offer lasting stability, is there any way to put these claims to the test?
What they don’t tell you about cannabinoid emulsions and stability claims
Right now, almost all cannabis brands producing (or planning to produce) cannabinoid-infused drinks work with ancillary companies that specialize in emulsion production. Emulsion providers tend to claim that their processes create the smallest, most effective cannabinoid particles for the rapid onset of effects. They also contend that their formulations offer lasting stability with reliable potency.
As marketing claims, these can sound convincing—but how do you actually verify them? If you’re in the middle of research for your own cannabis beverage line, it’s not enough to simply understand these promises. You need a way to critically evaluate and measure them to know whether an emulsion can truly deliver the long-term stability your customers are looking for.
Claim 1: Small particle size
Particle size is one of the most common selling points used in emulsion marketing. The theory asserts that smaller droplets generally improve clarity, increase bioavailability, reduce turbidity, and increase stability. A narrow particle size distribution also supports better uniformity, meaning cannabinoids are more evenly dispersed throughout the beverage.
The catch for claim 1: time
But here’s the catch: particle size tests just offer a brief snapshot in time. If the test was performed off the production line, it doesn’t prove the molecules will still be that size a month, six months, or a year later.
Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable by nature, and without proper formulation and testing, those “small” particles will eventually grow, combine, and separate. A claim about particle size only matters if it’s backed by long-term data showing the emulsion remains stable well beyond the bottling line.
Claim 2: lasting stability
The premise of lasting stability is that the emulsion remains the same from the moment it’s made, all the way until your customer opens the can. But ironically, stability is not a fixed state.
Emulsions are constantly under pressure from outside forces, including temperature swings during storage or transport, potential chemical reactions caused by added flavors and sweeteners, the oxygen permeability of packaging, and, as we mentioned above, even the force of gravity itself.
The catch for claim 2: real-world temperatures
Stability in the real world is under a constant barrage of environmental impacts that can change an emulsion’s molecular makeup. If the product was tested only at room temperature but stored at 30 degrees Celcius, the lab results won’t match the real world. It’s the same if the product was tested at refrigeration temperature but stored at room temperature.
Again, it all comes back to taking repeated measurements over months and across different temperature conditions to confirm that the cannabinoids remain evenly dispersed. Stability testing must take into consideration real-world conditions and cover the entire duration of a product’s shelf life.
Claim 3: reliable potency
In other product categories, homogeneity might be a matter of aesthetics; no one complains if the pulp floats to the top of a carton of orange juice. But with cannabinoids, consistency is a matter of safety.
The catch for claim 3: time
The dispersion of THC within a drink could change the taste of the beverage as the cannabinoids settle to the bottom, or worse, lead to miscalculations about potency. Think of a container of caffeine: if 1000mg settled at the bottom, a single serving could unintentionally deliver the entire dose in one gulp. The same risk applies to cannabinoids, specifically THC.
As we’ve seen, cannabinoid distribution can drift over time due to any number of environmental impacts. A beverage that claims to contain 10mg THC per serving might actually deliver double or nothing at all, depending on where the cannabinoids have migrated or transformed in the weeks and months after bottling.
If an emulsion provider is making claims about potency, you’ll want to take a closer look at how — and when — the potency testing was done and measured. Can they make the same claim eight months down the line?
Future-proof your beverages: how to evaluate stability
If you’re serious about launching a new line of cannabis drinks, you must perform stability testing. And it’s smart to think beyond a snapshot under perfect lab conditions right after production.
To protect your brand, ask for testing that demonstrate performance over time in real-world scenarios. That means data from stability testing that accounts for temperature swings, packaging types, and even interactions with specific flavor systems.
Here are the specific tests I recommend requesting during the supplier selection and R&D process:
Particle size and distribution analysis
Considering particle size is one of the main marketing claims made by emulsion producers, it’s important to evaluate these claims through particle size analysis and distribution testing. Yes, particle size is important for stability, but as we’ve learned, particle size isn’t always stable.
Using tools like a Horiba LA-960 laser diffraction analyzer, it’s possible to measure droplet size by detecting wavelength, refractive index, and scattering angle. Assessed through a histogram, this data confirms emulsion uniformity and can also provide intel about long-term stability.
Tip: A one-time measurement taken on production day won’t tell you if the THC droplets remain stable six months later. Repeated measurements, taken at different intervals, are essential to validate any particle size claims.
Turbiscan analysis
The Turbiscan test tracks how particles move within an emulsion as well as how they interact with each other, and it specifically tests this over time. Turbiscan uses light scattering to detect even the smallest shifts in stability.
Unlike the naked eye, it can identify early signs of emulsion problems, providing accurate predictions for shelf life. Turbiscan testing is the gold standard for detecting instability in emulsions.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) testing
HPLC is a precise method for measuring how much THC, CBD, or other cannabinoids remain evenly dispersed in the product over time. During this lab test, the sample is pushed through a column packed with a special material to separate it into its individual components. In this case, it’s typically cannabinoids.
As each compound moves through at a different rate, detectors measure its concentration, allowing for precise identification and quantification of cannabinoids over time. The cannabis industry relies on HPLC testing to determine product potency as part of general compliance regulations; however, here it is used to ensure that potency remains stable on day one through to 365.
Microbial and safety testing
Stability doesn’t matter if the product isn’t safe to drink. Cannabis drinks don’t exist in a vacuum, which means there is a risk that each ingredient may also contain microbes, pesticides, or even heavy metals. That’s why microbial limit testing is critical to detect contamination.
Natural ingredients, whether cannabinoids or fruit flavoring, inherently contain a microbial load, which means microbial testing is required to ensure the formulation’s preservatives are doing their job. In most markets, microbial testing is a requirement of doing business, but critically, it only happens once during a product’s life cycle.
Beverage makers should be testing their products at several intervals to confirm that their products aren’t just stable in appearance and potency, but also safe for consumers throughout their entire shelf life.
Best practices for stability testing of cannabis drinks
For any cannabis brands that are considering building out a line of cannabis-infused drinks, or are in the early phases of supplier sourcing and R&D, what would a proper, future-proof testing protocol look like? From the production line to a forgotten drink sitting in the back of a customer’s refrigerator, how do you ensure the first sip is as good as the last?
Best practices testing protocol: 12 months at 3 temperatures
For the best results, run studies over at least 12 months at three temperature conditions (refrigerated, room temperature, hot day).
Testing should capture how cannabinoids, flavor systems, and packaging all behave over time across an array of conditions. Without this, you risk beverages that separate, lose potency, and don’t deliver consistent or predictable experiences for the end consumer.
Here is what to look for in a testing partner:
- Time-course studies: Samples are tested at regular intervals for up to 12 months, simulating shelf life with multiple checkpoints (30, 60, 90, 120, and 360 days).
- Stress test across conditions: Stability evaluations are conducted at various temperatures to assess how formulations perform under different conditions, including transit, storage, retail shelves, and in a customer’s refrigerator at home.
- All SKUs & flavors: Tests are run for every SKU to capture data on how cannabinoids and other ingredients perform over time.
Test it, track it, and future-proof your brand
In this post, Michael and I gave our recommendations for evaluating emulsion providers based on their testing protocols and their ability to back up their marketing claims.
There’s no point in developing a cannabis beverage if it separates or loses potency after a month or two. Marketing claims may sell a product today, but only proven stability will keep your customers coming back tomorrow. No one will reach for a brand with flavor, potency, and effects that change within a few months of production—at least not more than once!
Rigorous testing across time, flavors, and conditions is how cannabis beverage brands stay consistent, compliant, and prepared for whatever future regulations are to come for cannabis.
