The words “gold rush” often seem to come up in association with the term “CBD” these days. That’s because the CBD market is booming. A recent study conducted by BDS Analytics and Arcview Market Research estimated that it will be worth $20 billion by 2024, outpacing growth in any other cannabis sector. Consumers in a growing number of regions can now easily order CBD products online or buy them in vape shops, grocery stores, beauty boutiques, hotels and plenty of other locations.
One of the most popular ways to take CBD is through drops. Also called oils or tinctures, CBD drops come in a small bottle accompanied by a dropper, which helps users measure their dosage accurately. Drops are popular because they’re low-fuss (there’s no need to fiddle with a vaping device or learn a new dabbing technique) and easy to combine with other products—including meals, drinks, pet food and even skin lotions. They can also be taken sublingually, which delivers them to the bloodstream quicker than other edible consumption methods.
There are now thousands of varieties of CBD drops available to consumers. The range of choices can be overwhelming, and users need to research and experiment to find what works for them. Popularity shouldn’t be the only factor in making your CBD drops decision, but knowing which products have managed to attract consumers in a crowded market can be useful. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most popular CBD drops available today.
1. Penguin CBD
Penguin CBD has been making waves since their arrival on the CBD scene last year. Their lineup of CBD products has quickly gained popularity because of their high quality and affordable prices. It has earned them endorsements from such major publications as Merry Jane, Medical Daily and Observer.
A variety of factors make Penguin’s tinctures the best CBD oil product around. The most notable is their dedication to maintaining transparency, as they openly share information about everything from their hemp sourcing to their extraction process to their third-party test results. In addition to their CBD oil, they offer CBD capsules, CBD cream and CBD gummies.
2. Bluebird Botanicals
Bluebird Botanicals has been selling CBD products since 2013, which makes them an elder statesperson in the young CBD market. Given their longevity, it’s unsurprising that this brand is also one of the most popular producers of drops. Bluebird Hemp CBD Oil Complete is the best-selling product of the 85 tinctures available on Popular CBD Brands.
It’s one of the most-mentioned brands on r/CBD, Reddit’s largest CBD-devoted community, where it shows up in almost 200 posts.
3. CW Hemp
CW Hemp was founded to distribute products derived from a high-CBD, low-THC strain of cannabis called Charlotte’s Web. That strain proved life-changing to young seizure sufferer Charlotte Figi. Press coverage ensued, followed by shifting public opinion, and CW Hemp has been a central figure in the CBD industry ever since.
A 2017 survey of hemp-derived CBD brands among CBD consumers demonstrates CW Hemp’s market dominance (respondents named them a top brand more than any other). CW Hemp Oil Extract Plus is the No. 1 selling tincture on The CBD Store, which offers over 50 tincture options. The company is now publicly traded (Charlotte’s Web Holdings), and Keith Speights of the Motley Fool expects their stock to thrive in 2019, citing their $48 million in sales and $8.7 million in profit during the first three quarters of 2018.
4. NuLeaf’s
NuLeaf’s simple, unflavored product line of six different drops may not seem very glamorous, but they’re still one of the biggest names in CBD. The brand is mentioned over 200 times in r/CBD. They’re also named one of the CBD market’s top global brands in an industry report from QY Research, which predicts the industry’s development through 2025.
NuLeaf drops may not be flashy, but users are responding to their clean, minimalist formulation, which has earned them spots on lists of top CBD tinctures put together by Ministry of Hemp, CannaInsider, Remedy Review, Rave Reviews and CBD Hacker.
5. Endoca
Founded in 2006, Endoca is probably the oldest CBD company on this list. Their longevity is almost certainly due to the high quality of their products. Consumers seem to be responding to their simple line of four CBD drops, which includes both decarboxylated tinctures and “raw” formulations that incorporate CBDa and other non-CBD cannabinoids.
A review in CBD School claims that Endoca is one of the most popular CBD companies in existence, and there’s evidence to back up that claim. Endoca Raw Hemp Oil Drops outsell every other tincture listed on CBD Oil Review and boast the site’s best customer reviews. Endoca is one of the top global market players analyzed in reports from both QY Research and Technavio.
6. Lazarus Naturals
Lazarus Naturals is another much-discussed product line on r/CBD, where over 200 posts mention their brand. Lazarus tinctures appear on editorial recommendation lists in Remedy Review, CBD Hacker, Healthy on Hemp and CannaHealth, but their impressive financial aid program probably has as much to do with their popularity as their products’ quality.
Lazarus offers veterans, people with disabilities and low-income households a 60 percent discount on their products, attracting both consumers from these high-need groups and other CBD users who support Lazarus’s devotion to making CBD accessible for everyone.
7. Plug CBD Oil
A 2017 survey of hemp-derived CBD users identified CW Hemp as the leading brand, but Plus CBD Oil came in a close second. Plus CBD Oil’s ubiquity stems in part from the size of its parent company, CV Sciences. This prominent cannabis company offers consumer goods through its Plus CBD Oil brand while also pursuing pharmaceutical applications for cannabis-derived compounds.
Analysts with the Motley Fool, Technavio and QY Research recognize this parent company’s outsized influence and significant consumer sales, achieved by getting products onto shelves at over 2,000 retail locations.
8. CBDistillery
CBD can be expensive, which explains why CBDistillery’s star is rising. This company focuses on offering affordable CBD products, including drops. CannaInsider, Remedy Review, CBD Hacker, Herb Mighty and Tuck all praise CBDistillery for its tinctures’ great value.
Not surprisingly for an affordable brand that sells their wares online, CBDistillery is also frequently discussed on r/CBD: Over 200 posts on the subreddit mention the brand.
9. Koi CBD
Koi CBD has found a loyal fanbase among CBD users looking for a wider variety of flavor experiences. That’s because, in addition to enjoying their Koi Naturals CBD Oil products, which come in orange, lemon-lime, spearmint and unflavored varieties, shoppers can use their Vape Juice as tinctures. Flavors like Tropical Popsicle or Jade (watermelon and green apple) provide welcome variety.
Koi doesn’t just offer flavor variety, though—reviewers at CannaInsider and Marijuana Break also praise its clean formulation and transparent manufacturing process. Koi is another brand mentioned in over 200 posts on r/CBD, and their tinctures won a prestigious best-in-show award at the 2018 CBD Expo Tour in Anaheim, California.
10. Lord Jones
This hip CBD company is a favorite of celebrities such as Mandy Moore, Jaimie Alexander, Olivia Wilde, Whoopie Goldberg and Sarah Paulson. Their CBD gumdrops (some formulated in collaboration with band Sigur Ros) have garnered glowing reviews in Bon Appetit, and their body lotions are sold through beauty mega-chain Sephora.
Does any of this mean Lord Jones tinctures enjoy sales comparable to the companies in the rest of the list above? Maybe not, but few CBD companies offering tinctures have managed to develop such a remarkable public profile. With so many people trying CBD for the first time through Lord Jones gumdrops and lotions, plenty of new consumers have developed a trusting relationship with the company. If those consumers are ready to try out tinctures, Lord Jones CBD drops will be waiting for them.
Final Thoughts
In the fledgling and unregulated world of CBD, it’s important to do your research. Look for products that freely share third-party laboratory testing to verify their products’ safety and accurate labeling.
Read up on CBD terminology to understand what you’re buying. For example, did you know you have a much lower chance of failing a THC-detecting drug test with an “isolate” product than a “full-spectrum” one? And keep in mind that the same CBD formulation can affect individual users differently. The product that works best for you may not be the one that works best for everyone else.