Where Is The Best Place To Buy CBD In London?
We all know CBD has risen to fame in recent years as the wellness supplement of choice for the masses, but where is the best place to buy it? There's been pop up shops, online superstores, department store additions, and men on the street. Can you trust these places, can you guarantee quality, is it a scam? I'm sure many of you have asked these questions, and rightly so. There has been many questions over the quality of CBD in local publications around the UK, and sadly some of them have proved (after testing) that you can't always be sure that CBD inside the bottle is exactly what is supposed to be in there. Sometimes the zero THC products actually contain THC, sometimes the 1200mg only contains 600mg, and sometimes it contains no CBD at all. This might be worrying to read, but hopefully I'm writing this blog to help make sure our readers never have to worry about these pitfalls when buying from us!
So, once again we ask, where is the best place to buy CBD in London?
Well, before we get onto that, there's a few things that you should be looking out for. Firstly keep an eye out for novel foods application numbers. Over the last couple of years the FSA have started to regulate the CBD market to prevent it from becoming the wild west of supplements. So to keep things simple, to launch a new CBD brand you have to get authorisation from the FSA for any product that is ingested, which will include CBD tinctures, CBD gummies, and any other fun CBD product that you might ingest, like Naturecan protein or 1 Step marshmallows. Most brands don't actually have approval yet as the process takes so long, but you'll notice that on many of our product pages we list the novel foods application number, that means that the brand has submitted their products for approval. If you find yourself dealing with a brand or product that cant provide you with this, then that might be what you would consider to be 'red flag'. Having this application number is usually an indication that the brand is confident about their products and cares about their customers, that's a green flag in our eyes.
Next is a bit more of an obvious one, but always check the reviews. Try to read between the lines because you will always see the occasional 1 star review, some people expect to get 'high', some people think CBD is too expensive, some people simply haven't done any research, but if you look at the general reviews and they hold up, then that's another green flag. We do our best to make sure we get 5* reviews as much as possible but it's not always the case, despite our best efforts and that only helps us to become a stronger company. Being good friends with many of the leading CBD brands in the UK, we know this struggle is real!
So anyway, I've gotten a little distracted. Where is the best place to buy CBD in London?
The Good Level
One of our favourite brands, jolly good chaps, and London has been fortunate enough to have them grace our streets with their Notting Hill Store (We hear there might be a few more locations in the works, but we'll tell you more about that as/when we've got more juicy gossip).
Everything you need from a conventional CBD brand is on offer here. CBD gummies, CBD oils, CBD muscle balm, CBD cosmetics. I was lucky enough for these cheeky chappies to send us a freebie (thanks guys) and I'm pleased to report that it was rather good indeed. One thing that is particularly different about these guys is that their CBD is cold pressed. Essentially this means you get lots of extra benefits from their wellness products and because of the way that it's produced (not novel), you do need an FSA novel foods application number like our other brands. I just wanted to touch on this because of my previous mentions of how important this is. Another excellent differentiation from the Good Level, is that they use extra virgin olive oil as their carrier oil. Now, this isn't necessarily a must, but from a personal preference, this is a great choice. It just makes everything a bit nicer. One last comment on the Good Level (and they would probably kill me for not mentioning this... They're vegan friendly, so everyone can feel free to dig in!
The London Botanists
Another brand we're big fans of. We haven't managed to actually stock them yet but if you ask them kindly then they might drop us an email... Who knows ;-)
These guys are great, they've had some strong PR coverage, mainly because ethical business is at the heart of what they do. All of their ingredients are organic, pure ingredients, and from sustainable sources. That in itself deserves a big clap. I'm not sure if they heard me from their EC1 offices, but we applaud you! Good job guys. The CBD industry has a notoriously bad reputation, so it's our job to collectively pull our socks up and make sure customers have faith in the CBD that they buy.
Kloris CBD
If you haven't heard of these guys yet, then you're missing out. BIG TIME. Located on London's most prestigious retail area of Carnaby Street, these guys aren't messing about. Kloris have been on the scene as big player of CBD for some time now, having tried many of their products myself, I'm happy to report that their reputation didn't come from thin air. From traditional CBD oils to private treatment rooms, Kloris have it covered. The private treatment rooms aren't exactly common, so watching such a great brand lead the way is a great sign for consumers, but also for the industry as a whole. Thanks for keeping it real, Kloris.
LDN CBD
Another simply brilliant brand, bringing power to the people, their tagline being "a London based company dedicated to providing people with plant-based products that improve their lives"
With such a strong statement, Associated CBD was scepticle. However, i'm (once again) happy to report that they delivered. Health and happy living is at the forefront of what they stand for, and this can been seen immediately from their ingredients. Mental health, happiness, healthiness, and honesty is clear to anyone that visits their website. There is still some humanity out there, and LND CBD is a fanastic example that the good guys can still win.
Camden Town CBD
Now, I'm going to try not to be bias here, simply because Camden is my favourite part of London, and It's absolutely no surprise that a CBD community can thrive in this wonderfully vibrant area. But let's stick to the facts rather than my "Camden can do no wrong" heartstrings. You'll find these happy chappies nestled in Camden Market and whilst their website might be brief, their mission is clear. Lets be the best, and take no prisoners. Like most small or boutique firms, their approach is extremely personal and they are always on hand to offer advice or guidance. With a relatively new product like CBD, many of us have a lot of questions, and dealing with a company like this can be really helpful to help you find your feet. Especially if its your first attempt at the rodeo.
Graces London
Being platinum award winners, the bar starts quite high here, and there's no need to become a limbo pro because the bar stays high on this occasion. They've been featured in Forbes, The Telegraph, The Metro, and OK (just to name a few), and this kind of PR coverage came with good reason. "#Beautyrunsdeep Plant-powered organic skincare & crystal wellness" is a great starting point, but do they come up with goods? Well the Telegraph certainly thinks so, and so do we. We've been secret customers for over a year now and it sure is a treat when our Grace London goodies arrive, sometimes when the household (or office) knows that a Grace London order is on the way, it can mysteriously disappear before it gets to me. If the kind folks at Grace feel like treating me, then we'll have to come up with a code name to make sure it actually gets to me #boringbookdelivery ;-)
Supermarkets
A much more recent and positive development is also how many top London supermarkets are now looking at stocking CBD. Tesco have recently increased their range to many top brands we sell online! The likes of Goodrays CBD, Love Hemp, Trip, and Cannaray CBD are now all finding their way onto the shelves of Tescos. This is great for the industry and brands involved, but more even more so for the consumers who can pick up trusted CBD now in their weekly shop! Whilst you certainly pay a premium compared to shopping for these oils on our site, it is still brilliant for the exposure and ease! Other supermarkets also appear to be taking steps too, with the likes of Morrisons also taking on some of the CBD brands listed above!
So there you have it. Where is the best place to buy CBD in London? Well these are my 6 choices (plus the supermarkets!), and I can promise there are plenty more. London is really embracing the CBD movement and seeing some of the hard work paying off for these brands is so pleasing to see. We can see first hand from our customers at Associated CBD that CBD really can make a difference to people's lives, whether it is stress, anxiety, sleep, pain relief or more serious issues, knowing that there are great businesses out there that are ready to support you, it's a great feeling.
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to get in touch if you have any comments or questions. You can reach me directly at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-deavin-03043571/