Simply CBD is an incredible ‘not for profit’ CBD brand that put all their money into a run-free, dog shelter called K9 Rescue. Not only do all their profits go to a worthy cause, but their philosophy is “We do not believe that sick people and sick animals should be ripped off”. As a result, their oils are some of the cheapest in the UK.

This 10ml bottle of 5% CBD oil is from their ‘blue’ range and holds 500mg of CBD +CBDa in a hemp seed carrier. It’s made with a full-spectrum hemp extract which is produced using CO2 extraction and is made from the tops of organically grown EU hemp.

Simply CBD says that their name comes from the simplicity with how they present their product and how they use the profits. This comes across in the straightforward packaging, although for a brand that also says they won’t “bamboozle with smoke and mirrors on product content” I found the CBD content on the label to be slightly misleading.

There was also the inclusion of several unnecessary, unsubstantiated claims, like “richest in terpenes”, “greatest cannabinoid variety” and “best entourage effect”. There are numerous oils available in the UK with large cannabinoid varieties, a broad range of terpenes and potent entourage effects, so such claims are hard to prove. If you can’t back up claims with evidence, then they shouldn’t be included.

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Contents

Who is Simply CBD?

Shortly after moving to Bulgaria in 2005, Michelle Jones and her husband Brian began finding new homes for sick and injured dogs. When they returned to the Forest of Dean in the UK, they continued and in 2012 founded the registered charity K9 Rescue.

Simply CBD was formed later when they wanted to provide their dogs with safe hemp products. It began as a way to provide it for their own dogs and for those in numerous other charities. But soon word about the quality of their oils got around and they began taking orders from customers.

Now, they import a broad range of high-grade oils from the Netherlands. All their varieties are full-spectrum and are extracted from organic Dutch hemp strains. By refusing to use extras like fancy boxes, or by staffing large offices, they’ve managed to keep costs down and offer all their products at exceptionally low prices.

Now that they supply their oils across the UK, 100% of their profits go to K9 Rescue to buy the 100 hundred acre Huckleberry Farm. They hope that this will be their new rescue headquarters, healing centre and dog accommodation.

3rd Party Lab Tests

The third-party lab tests for this oil can be found as an image on the bottom of the product page. There is only one example available and there is no batch number to match it to your oil. It’s always preferable to look through certificates for each batch so you can be sure that the information is directly relevant to the product you have purchased.

The certificate itself only shows a cannabinoid profile that is difficult to interpret. The cannabinoids are displayed on an analysis graph and the percentages of CBD, CBDa, THC and THCa are highlighted on a separate table. From the graph, it looks like other cannabinoids may be present, but they’re not mentioned in the main table.

The product page says that the oil contains CBC, CBN, CBG and several terpenes including Myrcene, Caryophyllene, Pinene, Limonene, and Linalool. Any information like this should be verified by the lab results.

The cannabinoids included in the table were:

CBD 4.088%
CBDa 1.435%
THC 0.041%
THCa 0.000%

In one place on the product page, it says “5% CBD and CBDA” but everywhere else Simply CBD gives the impression that you’re getting a full 5% of CBD. On the bottle, it explicitly says “Contains 500mg of CBD”. The actual CBD content is about 408mg (4.088%).

On the lab certificate, there is a section that says “total CBD” where a formula is used to work out how much CBD would be produced if the CBD and CBDa were combined. However, this is only the case if you were to heat and decarboxylate the oil between when the sample was taken and when you use it.

While CBDa also has its own benefits, this feels like the marketing “smoke and mirrors” that Simply CBD is against. In my opinion, any product that uses a ‘total CBD’ calculation to label its bottles should make it clear immediately and the label should show “500mg CBD + CBDa”.

The THC content is about 4mg which exceeds the UK legal limit of 1mg per container. Simply CBD recognises this and mentions it on their FAQ page: “The Home Office will say that the extract must contain no THC whatsoever but as this is unworkable, and also in such small amounts that it will not have any psychoactive effects, they tend not to act on it; they have far more important things to be doing.”

Ease of Use

This 500mg oil comes in a sturdy bottle that closes firmly as long as you don’t let the oil get on the lid. If it does, it has the tendency to slowly undo itself. The dropper has a bulb tip and is easy to use although there are no measurements marked out to help you apply a precise amount.

I found that the directions for use were very vague and didn’t mention that you can place the drops under your tongue to increase the amount of CBD absorbed into your blood. There is also a note that says, “do not exceed recommended usage”, but none is given.

The only advice about a maximum amount is “up to max usage as directed by your healthcare adviser”. It would be useful if the current Food Standards Agency’s advice were included here instead: “We recommend that healthy adults do not take more than 70mg a day unless a doctor agrees more.”

Taste

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour of this oil; it was rich and buttery with a herbal flavour. The real surprise came at the end when I was expecting a harsh, bitter aftertaste, but none came. I tried it both under and on my tongue and in both cases found it pleasant and not overpowering.

However, I did notice that when I placed it on top of my tongue, it produced a slight sharp sensation when swallowed. This is standard for strong oils with lots of beneficial substances and can easily be avoided by placing the oil under your tongue for 1 to 2 minutes before swallowing it.

If you’re not keen on the taste of hemp, Simply CBD also offers other versions in peppermint and lemon flavours.

Potency/ Effectiveness

5% isn’t a strong oil, but I still found this one to be potent and effective. I noticed a sensation of relaxation very quickly after taking it. I also experienced a reduction in anxiety and tension headaches throughout the two weeks I took it.

Value for Money

Despite my misgivings surrounding the labelling and lab results, this is without a doubt a high-quality, potent oil. The fact that it only costs £18 is absolutely incredible! The closest in price I could find was the Blue Edition 500mg Sativa oil from Original alternative which costs £21.60.

This is a product that proves that you don’t have to pay excessive amounts to get the best oils. Although I’d like to see some changes in the marketing, this is likely the best value oil I’ve tried so far.

Would I Buy Again?

No, I would not buy Simply CBD oil again. The price is reasonable and I found it to be effective, however, the lack of clear easy to understand lab reports means that I cannot be 100% confident in what they are doing.

There are oils available that are just as effective and reasonably priced, these can be found in our best UK CBD oils article. As the product only uses hemp grown without fertilisers and pesticides it cannot be included in our best organic CBD oil reviews either.

If what you seek is a high-strength oil, at 5% it is a long way off the threshold of 25% to be included in our list of the strongest CBD oils available in the UK.

Simply CBD Oil Final Scores

Simply CBD Oil 500mg Review

Overall

This is a sparkling amber oil with a mild herbal flavour and no intense bitter aftertaste. It’s surprisingly potent for a 5% oil and offers exceptional value. Unfortunately, some of the phrasing on the label comes across as misleading and claims like ‘best entourage effect’ can’t be corroborated. The 500mg refers to CBD and CBDa combined, not CBD alone.

Third-party lab results

2.5

Ease of use

Potency/ Effectiveness

Value for money

Pros

500mg of CBD and CBDa in 10mls

The third-party lab results are available on the product page.

Made with organically grown hemp from the Netherlands

CO2 extraction

Contains a full-spectrum extract

Excellent price