Trait Companion
The companion animal CBD market is transitioning into evidence-based clinical therapeutics. Recent high-quality studies demonstrate that targeted cannabinoid formulations are positively impacting many wellness and health indications for pets. CBD has shown excellent therapeutic efficacy in pet wellness for several health conditions. Some of the pet health conditions where CBD showed superior efficacy include chronic pain and mobility issues like arthritis, seizures and skin itching.
Conventional CBD is not soluble in water, which limits its applications and benefits for pet health. For example, research in dogs showed very low (0–19%) and inconsistent absorption which leads to lower and unpredictable therapeutic efficacy. The water insolubility of CBD makes pet health formulations more difficult to process and usually requires adding oils to dissolve it. Even when CBD is dissolved in oils, its absorption is still very low. Active ingredients still need to dissolve in body fluids (water-based fluids) in order to be absorbed.
Trait Biosciences (Trait) has developed Trait Companion, the company’s proprietary line of structurally modified CBD molecules created through advanced enzymatic and chemical processes that convert conventional water-insoluble CBD into true water-soluble active ingredients. These are genuinely water-soluble molecules — not emulsified, suspended, or microencapsulation-based modifications. Trait has scaled up production of its water-soluble CBDs into GMP-grade active ingredients using patented technologies.
Trait Companion is Trait’s branded water-soluble CBD specifically developed for companion animal health applications.
Because it is truly soluble in water, Trait Companion is easy to formulate into veterinary medicines or incorporate into food supplements, delivering improved and more predictable health benefits compared to conventional CBD.
How water-soluble Trait CBDs impact pet formulation
- Simplicity: Unlike water-insoluble conventional CBD, water-soluble Trait CBD (Trait Companion) does not need additional chemicals to be incorporated into the formulation to address water-insolubility, resulting in cleaner-label formulations and simpler manufacturing processes.
- Stability: Reduced risk of formulation instabilities related to the use of oils.
- Efficacy: Water-soluble Trait CBD (Trait Companion) has higher absorption and bioavailability than conventional CBD. The absorption is more predictable and consistent and less affected by food intake, resulting in more consistent and predictable therapeutic efficacy.
Suitable for different formulations and routes of administration
The true water solubility feature allows Trait Companion to be easily incorporated into different forms of pet products: oral, topical, injectables, etc.
In oral products like tablets and chews where precise active ingredient amounts and highly predictable efficacy are needed, Trait Companion provides that due to its water solubility, which allows it to dissolve readily after ingestion, then be absorbed and become bioavailable.
In liquid formulations, Trait Companion forms true aqueous solutions which are inherently more stable than emulsified formulations required for oils. It is well known that water solubility is the first step toward absorption, bioavailability, and efficacy. Being in true aqueous solutions, Trait Companion surpasses conventional CBD in achieving higher absorption.
In topical formulations, thanks to its water solubility, Trait Companion incorporates easily not only in water-oil mixed formulations like creams but also in completely water-based formulations like gels and aqueous sprays. Absorption through the skin requires the ingredient to have water solubility with some lipophilic properties (oil-loving properties). Unlike conventional CBD, which is water-insoluble, Trait Companion is soluble in water while maintaining some lipophilic properties. As a result, Trait Companion readily permeates through the skin to deliver therapeutic effects.
