CBD and CBG, in plain English.

The front of my jar says "CBD + CBG." People ask me what that means. Some of them ask nicely. Most of them ask the way I'd ask, which is "What's this alphabet soup?"

Fair question. Here's the plain answer, with sources at the bottom so you don't have to take an old man's word for it.

What they are

CBD is short for cannabidiol. CBG is short for cannabigerol. Both are cannabinoids, which is the family name for a group of compounds the hemp plant makes. There are more than a hundred of them. These two are among the best known.

They come out of the plant as part of an extract. A maker takes that extract and blends it into a product. In our case, the product is a cooling balm in an amber glass jar.

Neither one is a new invention. They've been studied by chemists for decades, and both have public entries in PubChem, the NIH chemistry database, if you like reading that sort of thing. I do. I also read the warranty card on my snowblower.

How they're different

CBD and CBG are close cousins. Here's what you can check yourself:

• Formula: PubChem lists CBD as C21H30O2 and CBG as C21H32O2. Same number of carbons and oxygens. CBG has two more hydrogens.
• Shape: CBD has a closed ring on one end. CBG has an open chain where that ring would be. Chemists care a lot about shape. So does anyone who's tried to fit a metric bolt in an SAE nut.
• How much the plant makes: Most hemp grown for extract is bred to make lots of CBD. CBG usually shows up in smaller amounts, which is part of why it's less common on labels.

That's the honest difference. You'll find websites that go a lot further and tell you what each one does to you. I won't. More on that below.

What the law says about putting them in a balm

Here's where people get confused, and where a lot of brands get in trouble.

The FDA sorts by intended use

The FDA decides whether something is a drug or a cosmetic by what it's intended to do. A product sold to change how your body works is a drug. A product sold to be rubbed on, to clean or to make you look or smell nicer is a cosmetic. The claims a brand makes are a big part of how intent gets judged. That's on the FDA's "Is it a cosmetic, a drug, or both?" page.

Cannabinoids in cosmetics

On its cannabis page, the FDA says cosmetics don't go through premarket approval (except most color additives). It also says that, as of now, no cannabis or cannabis-derived ingredient is specifically banned or restricted in cosmetics by regulation. The catch: any cosmetic still can't be adulterated or misbranded. And if a brand sells a CBD product with drug claims, it's not a cosmetic anymore in the FDA's eyes. It's an unapproved drug.

That's why you won't see big promises on my jar or on this site. I'm not being shy. I'm following the rules.

The label rule

Cosmetics list every ingredient in order of how much is in there, heaviest first (21 CFR 701.3). That's what will be on our label at launch. If you want the label-reading basics for any jar, start here.

Hemp rules are changing

Federal and state rules for hemp products have been changing, and some changes take effect around the end of 2026. Rules also differ by state. We're building Batch 001 to the rules where we sell, and we'll publish the batch lab report so you can see what's in it. If the rules change, we'll update this page and put the date at the top.

How to read the lab report

A lab report for a batch is called a certificate of analysis, or COA. It's the closest thing to a receipt for what's inside a jar. When you look at one, check these things:

1. Batch number. It should match the batch number on your jar. If it doesn't, it's somebody else's report.
2. Lab name and date. A third-party lab, not the brand itself. A recent date.
3. Cannabinoid panel. A table of the cannabinoids the lab measured and how much it found. Look for CBD and CBG on the list.
4. Other cannabinoids. The panel will also show other cannabinoids the lab tested for. Read the whole table, not just the line the brand wants you to read.
5. Contaminant tests, if included. Some reports also cover things like heavy metals or solvents.

If a CBD brand won't show you a COA, put the jar back.

What we won't tell you

We won't tell you what CBD or CBG does in your body. Old Man Rub is a cosmetic, and we don't make drug claims. If you've got a question about a condition, a medication, pregnancy or anything like that, ask your doctor. If you get drug tested for work, ask your employer before using any hemp product. Those are real questions, and they deserve real answers from the right people.

What we will tell you: what's in the jar, where it's made, and the lab report for the batch you bought. The rest is up to you. The list gets first look at all of it.

Questions people ask