CBD and CBD drinks becoming UK most popular Supplements

CBD and CBD drinks becoming UK most popular Supplements

 

The Cannabis plant extract CBD has come from small beginnings in the UK to now becoming one of the most popular supplements on the high street. Originally launched as a cannabis extract and available in niche shops, its popularity grew mainly through word of mouth as there has long been a ban on advertising the extract on mainstream social media platforms and also on search engines such as Google and its shopping service. Despite this ban the power of viral marketing took over and it is now the most popular supplement in the national health food shop Holland and Barrett.

The Organic Growth

This organic growth has happened despite the fact that no health claims whatsoever can be made by those who retail the goods. This ruling was made by the Food Standards Agency in the UK who states that CBD is a novel food and thus as there are no medical studies, it is forbidden to make claims such as that it reduces anxiety and stress and helps with pain relief and sleep. This creates a real conundrum for retailers and brands, how can you promote a product when you can’t say anything positive about it? Fortunately again word of mouth has done the promotion work for CBD and users share their positive experiences with friends and relatives.

CBD Revolution

 

One of the great success stories of the CBD revolution has been its adoption by all age groups and this is perhaps because of the widely reported end-user benefits. Millennials and younger consumers have been attracted by the reputed mental health and anxiety-reducing benefits of its consumption, whilst older users and particularly the golden generation have been attracted by the pain relief benefits, particularly those suffering from painful joints such as knees and hips.

When CBD first came to the market it was available as an oil, often in its raw format which was considered to be an acquired taste. Users would simply drop into their mouth underneath their tongue, more adventurous consumers would add a couple of drops to their daily cup of coffee. As the market has become more established, entrepreneurs have come up with a never-ending stream of new products and flavours to try and become the go-to way to consume the product. Flavoured oils and tinctures such as lemon and camomile and ginger and hibiscus have been created to appeal to those with more sophisticated palates.

CBD Drinks Biggest growing Trend

Perhaps the biggest growing trend has been the CBD drinks market, and this is no surprise, we all need water every day, so a cold or hot drink makes perfect sense to add CBD too. The sheer size of the brands and variations in flavours and strengths is both testament to the popularity of CBD drinks and also the ingenuity and entrepreneurial minds of the UK business world. Whilst some companies have produced niche flavours such as cucumber and mint hoping to appeal to a narrow demographic, other companies have produced more main stream flavours such as lemon and lime, and orange, hoping to attract general consumers rather than specific ones.

As the UK market continues to develop, the dark cloud of legislation still hovers in the background. The UK Food Standards Agency has given until the end of March 2021 for producers of CBD products to go through a series of lab tests to shows that their particular items are fit and safe for human consumption. The process is highly expensive and threatens to remove many of the smaller players from the market as they can not afford to finance the expense of the process.