Level Select CBD Patches Review

Welcome to our Level Select CBD Patches Review!

Known for their refreshingly simplified potency tiers (simply choose a level 1, 2, or 3 THC-free hemp product), Level Select continues to keep things simple with their Sport Recovery Patches, which deliver 60 mg of CBD per patch.

Though they were a bit on the smaller side for larger treatment areas, our team found these patches to help with that itchy, puffy feeling that comes with soft tissue aches and pains.

Here’s the entire breakdown of our experience with Level Select CBD Patches as well as some key stats relating to concentration, ingredients, and more.

Level Select CBD Patches Pros and Cons

Pros

• Patches allow you to target specific tissue areas 
• Noticeably reduced tissue irritation of acute soft tissue discomfort
• Botanical extracts enhance formulation strength

Cons

• Narrower, longer strips prevent treating certain areas
• Low supporting (non-CBD) cannabinoid concentration

Quality

In addition to their 3-tiered potency system that seeks to consolidate the huge range of confusing CBD product concentrations out there (from 5 to 100+ mg per serving) into practical categories, Level Select also stands out on the quality front with a vertically integrated supply chain, actually involved athlete ambassadors, and a high-profile medical advisory team.

Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the US, leads said advisory team to ensure formulations are safe and effective.

Thanks to their ownership of (USA-only) growing operations through their parent company and one of the largest CBD distributors in the US, Kadenwood, Level Select has complete control over production, testing, distribution (they sell CBD isolate to other brands), and more.

Finally, Level Select athlete ambassadors don’t just smile for the picture, take their check, and bounce—they actually participate in meetings as part owners of the company, adding a key layer of insight into recovery-focused CBD products that only pro athletes can.

To learn more about Level Select’s quality standards and products, here’s our more in-depth review—but what’s up with these patches? Let’s start with concentration.

Concentration

Level Select Sport Recovery Patches are only available at the “level 3” tier of potency, which makes sense considering the target application—relief, recovery, etc. from sports-related activity.

Each patch contains 60 milligrams of CBD, and Level Select claims the THC content is at 0%.

According to the certificate of analysis we accessed directly from the test results page on Level Select’s site, our batch of patches contained 61.25 mg of CBD per unit, and “non-detectable” (below what the lab instruments are calibrated to detect) amounts of THC.

The results also reported 1.15 mg of cannabidivarin (CBDV) and 2.35 mg of cannabigerol (CBG) per patch, which are considered “supporting cannabinoids” that may enhance and/or broaden the effects of mainline cannabinoids like CBD and THC. 

Though we haven’t reviewed as many transdermal patches as oils and tinctures, 60 milligrams still seems like a well-above-average dose, especially considering a much larger proportion of the CBD goes to a localized area. 

As for this batch, Level Select over-delivers slightly on the CBD, but not problematically so, keeps the THC to non-detectable amounts, and peppers in a ~5% concentration of supporting cannabinoids—all boxes checked so far.

Value

A box of 8 Level Select Sport Recovery Patches, totaling 480 mg of CBD, costs $32, which reduces to just under $0.07 per milligram.

Though we have less context for price comparison purposes in the realm of transdermal CBD patches, most oils and edibles from premium brands range from about $0.05-$0.12 per milligram. 

The supporting cannabinoid concentration is relatively low, and the THC content is nil, but these patches do contain the following enhancers:

• Menthol
• Camphor
• Aloe vera leaf gel extract
• Lemongrass essential oil
• Beta-caryophyllene
• Horse chestnut
• Rosemary extract

Balancing the pros and the cons on the value front, we consider this soundly formulated, third-party tested supplement as part of the upper-third of hemp products in terms of value.

Packaging

The packaging is simple: 8 patches come in a single box, paired up and stuck onto four pieces of backing paper. 

On the box are featured directions, warnings, ingredients, a QR code for accessing lab reports, some claims (0% THC, third-party tested, etc.), and other basic information.

Our particular order arrived on time and with no damage to either the box or the product within. 

The box is made from that smoother, yet durable material that doesn’t feel cheap or crinkly, and all the information we wanted to see (especially the QR code) was presented.

Overall, there were no red flags whatsoever with our order on the packaging and labeling fronts, which makes the packaging situation consistent with the majority of premium products we review.

Ingredients

Here is the full ingredient list for Level Select Sport Recovery Patches:

Cannabidiol (CBD from Hemp Extract), Menthol, Camphor, Aloe Vera Leaf Gel Extract, Caffeine, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Beta-Caryophyllene, Horse Chestnut, Organic Comfrey SNO, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Cosmoperine, Rosemary Extract

Natural extracts dominate the list, featuring mostly plant-based anti-inflammatory agents. One ingredient that probably pops out as a potentially harmful, lab-made concoction is MSM (methylsulfonylmethane). 

And indeed, MSM can be synthesized in a lab, but it occurs naturally in many life forms, including humans. Like the other ingredients, MSM is purported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, in addition to the helping hand it provides in making collagen and glucosamine, which are both vital for healthy structural tissues and joints.

While they may fade into the background noise purely on the cannabinoid level (no THC, small-to-medium supporting cannabinoid presence), if you want a botanically boosted hemp topical that fights inflammation on a completely different level, Level Select Sport Recovery Patches are no lightweight.

Effectiveness

Fate would have it that this semi-foolhardy, 30-something weekend warrior had just acquired a large, fresh bruise on the hip right when our review period for these patches came along.

This particular application revealed a balance of pros and cons when it came to the usefulness of Level Select Sport Recovery Patches, namely, effective relief of discomfort balanced with a less-than-convenient shape (of the patches, which are really strips).

While we get that Level Select made the decision to have longer, flexible strips that can easily be applied over most smaller areas of soft tissue without too much crinkling, it seems that a larger, more circular bruise on the hip, quads, torso, etc. may not be adequately covered by a single patch.

Still, one patch did produce a marked improvement in discomfort in the area, with more emphasis on the latter—that “puffy, itchy” feeling that comes with the body’s healing process.

The relief was significant, quick to come on (patches mostly bypass the liver’s first-pass metabolism), and lasted for what felt like significantly longer than most CBD oils and tinctures—about 6-7 hours.

If you have a larger area of tissue irritation to address, we would still recommend one of Level Select’s sport creams and sport rolls, but otherwise, these patches definitely made a difference in discomfort.

Key Takeaways

Level Select Sports Recovery Level 3 Patches are made under high standards of quality from a vertically integrated brand that practices third-party testing.

The hemp concentration is moderately above the per-dose average for most product types, though there is no (detectable) THC and a smaller proportion of supporting cannabinoids.

The botanical extracts, however, support the hemp in fighting tissue discomfort.

The strips may be a bit small for larger areas of discomfort, but they still provided relief in our case, and would be ideal for smaller joints, bruises, etc. 

We recommend Level Select Sports Recovery Patches to anyone looking for a safe and reliable hemp topical from a trusted brand