Nano-Hemp Water Test: What It Can and Cannot Show

“Water-dispersible.” “Nano-enhanced.” “Fast-dispersing.”

These terms appear on a growing number of hemp wellness products, but what can consumers actually observe for themselves?

A simple glass of water can reveal something meaningful about how a liquid hemp formulation behaves. When a product disperses evenly instead of leaving floating oil, visible droplets, clumps or a surface slick, that is evidence of water dispersibility and physical stability under those test conditions.

It is not, however, a substitute for laboratory particle-size testing.

Here is what the science says, what to look for and how to conduct a fair side-by-side comparison at home.

Why conventional hemp oil floats

Many hemp-derived compounds are lipophilic, meaning they associate more readily with oils than with water. In a conventional oil tincture, the hemp extract is commonly carried in an oil such as MCT oil.

When that oil is dropped into water, it may:

• Remain on the surface
• Form visible droplets
• Create an oily ring around the glass
• Temporarily break apart when stirred and then recombine
• Separate into a distinct layer over time

That does not necessarily mean the oil-based product is defective. It means the formulation is behaving like an oil in water.

A water-dispersible formulation is engineered differently. The oil-compatible hemp extract is incorporated into a stabilized aqueous dispersion, often through emulsification, encapsulation or related formulation technology, so it can distribute more uniformly throughout water.

What does “nano” mean?

The FDA uses approximately 1 to 100 nanometers as an important nanoscale range when evaluating whether an FDA-regulated product involves nanotechnology. The agency may also consider engineered, size-dependent properties at dimensions extending as high as 1,000 nanometers.

For perspective, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Individual nanoscale droplets or particles are far too small to identify with the naked eye.

The FDA recommends evaluating nanomaterials using characteristics that include particle-size distribution, aggregation, surface charge, morphology, solubility and stability. Appearance alone is not sufficient. See the FDA’s Guidance for Industry: Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products.

Why smaller droplets may look more uniform in water

Visible light has wavelengths of roughly 400 to 700 nanometers. As dispersed droplets become much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, they generally scatter less visible light and may appear increasingly transparent.

In an experimental study of oil-in-water nanoemulsions, Graves and Mason found that emulsions became progressively more transparent at visible wavelengths as droplet sizes fell substantially below 100 nanometers. Read the study in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Transparency is only an indicator. It is not a particle-size measurement.

A formulation’s appearance is also affected by:

• Droplet concentration
• The difference between the refractive indexes of the oil and water phases
• Natural color from ingredients
• Emulsifiers and carrier materials
• Flavoring or botanical components
• The width of the particle-size distribution
• Aggregation during storage
• The amount of product added to the water

Researchers recently produced a hemp-extract nanoemulsion with a measured average particle size of approximately 39 nanometers that nevertheless had a milky-white appearance. That result demonstrates why a cloudy but uniform dispersion can still be nanoscale. See the 2025 ACS Omega study.

Uniform water dispersion is consistent with a finely dispersed formulation. Clarity can support that observation, but neither clarity nor invisibility proves nanoscale size.

Try the Wild Roots Water-Dispersion Test

You can compare the visible behavior of Wild Roots with another liquid hemp product using identical glasses and controlled conditions.

For the fairest comparison, choose:

1. A Wild Roots liquid formula intended for the same type of use as the comparison product
2. Another product marketed as nano, water-dispersible or water-compatible
3. A conventional oil-based tincture as a control

The conventional oil is useful as a control, but it should not be portrayed as defective merely because it floats. An oil tincture was not necessarily designed to disperse in water.

What you will need

• Three identical clear glasses
• Eight fluid ounces of room-temperature distilled water in each glass
• A Wild Roots liquid formula
• A comparable nano or water-dispersible product
• A conventional oil tincture
• A measuring dropper or marked pipette
• A timer
• A white background and a dark background
• A smartphone for photographs

Distilled water provides a more consistent comparison because minerals, acidity and salts can affect colloidal stability. Researchers studying a hemp-extract nanoemulsion found that dilution and carbonation were generally tolerated, while highly acidic conditions and higher salt concentrations could contribute to destabilization. See the peer-reviewed 2021 formulation study.

Step 1: Standardize the samples

Bring the water and products to the same room temperature. Shake each bottle only if its label directs you to do so.

Ideally, add an amount of each product containing the same labeled quantity of hemp extract. Because concentrations differ, using the same number of drops may not produce a scientifically fair comparison.

If equal active amounts cannot be calculated from the labels, use the same liquid volume and clearly disclose that limitation.

Step 2: Observe without stirring

Add each sample gently to the center of its glass. Do not stir for the first 30 seconds.

Look for:

• Floating droplets
• An oily surface lens
• String-like trails
• Clumps
• Material sinking to the bottom
• Immediate uniform distribution

Photograph all three glasses under the same lighting.

Step 3: Mix consistently

Stir each glass exactly 10 times using identical utensils, or gently invert each sealed test container exactly 10 times.

Do not mix one sample more aggressively than another.

Photograph the glasses immediately after mixing and again after:

• 5 minutes
• 30 minutes
• 60 minutes

For a longer stability demonstration, repeat the observations after four hours.

Step 4: Record what you see

Test Wild Roots and test the alternatives

We invite consumers to perform this comparison themselves.

Place Wild Roots in one glass, a competing product making a comparable water-dispersible or nano claim in another, and a conventional oil-based tincture in a third. Use the same water, temperature, active amount, mixing procedure, lighting and observation times.

Then watch what happens.

A formulation that disperses rapidly and remains evenly distributed, without an obvious floating oil layer, large droplets, clumping or sediment, demonstrates water-compatible behavior that a conventional oil formulation may not.

That visible result is meaningful. It shows how the finished product behaves when introduced into water.

The water test demonstrates dispersion. Laboratory analysis measures particle size.

What actually confirms that a product is nanoscale?

Particle size cannot be established with a drinking glass, smartphone or ordinary household microscope.

Dynamic light scattering, commonly called DLS, is frequently used to measure the hydrodynamic diameter and size distribution of particles or droplets suspended in liquid. A DLS report should ordinarily include:

• Average hydrodynamic diameter
• Particle-size distribution
• Polydispersity index
• Test temperature
• Dilution medium and dilution factor
• Sample concentration
• Number of replicate measurements
• Instrument and analytical method
• Product lot and test date

Because every measurement technique has limitations, particularly with formulations containing multiple particle populations, strong characterization may pair DLS with another method such as nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy or cryogenic TEM.

An experimental comparison of DLS, TEM, SEM and atomic-force microscopy found that different techniques measure different aspects of a sample and that DLS can be unreliable for highly polydisperse or mixed-size populations. See Eaton et al., Ultramicroscopy, 2017.

A credible nano claim is strongest when supported by:

1. Particle-size testing of the finished commercial formulation
2. Results from more than one production lot
3. A reported size distribution rather than only a single average
4. Stability testing over the product’s shelf life
5. An independent or appropriately qualified laboratory
6. A second analytical technique when practical

The Wild Roots standard: visible performance and measurable science

Consumers should not have to rely on a buzzword.

The water-dispersion test provides an accessible way to observe whether a formulation distributes evenly or behaves like a conventional floating oil. Laboratory characterization provides the quantitative evidence needed to determine whether that dispersion is nanoscale.

Together, those forms of evidence tell a more complete story:

• The glass shows how the product behaves.
• The laboratory measures what the eye cannot see.
• Transparent reporting gives consumers the confidence to understand the difference.

Try the test with Wild Roots. Repeat it with another nano-labeled product. Include a conventional oil tincture as a control. Photograph the results under the same conditions and let the behavior in the glass speak for itself.

Just remember what the test establishes and what it does not.

No floating oil is evidence of water dispersibility. Only validated particle-size testing can establish nanoscale dimensions.

Scientific references

• Graves SM and Mason TG. Visible-light transmission through nanoemulsions. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2008.
• Lee Y, Kim SH, Song HY and Byun EB. Hemp-extract nanoemulsion particle-size and stability study. ACS Omega. 2025.
• Peer-reviewed nanoemulsion formulation and stability study. 2021.
• Eaton P, et al. Comparison of experimental nanoparticle-measurement methods. Ultramicroscopy. 2017.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry: Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products.
• Federal Trade Commission. Health Products Compliance Guidance.

This demonstration evaluates visible dispersion only. It does not measure particle size, potency, purity, safety, absorption, bioavailability or clinical effectiveness. Results can vary based on formulation concentration, water chemistry, temperature, product age and mixing conditions.