For this review, we will be testing and experiencing the Reliva which we came across in, of all places, a Circle K (gas station/convenience shop) outlet. Yep, there it was, staring right at us on the counter (in a clear locked case) as we were paying for our gas; we love that CBD is becoming so mainstream that it now appears in regular retail stores directly in view. We had not heard of the company, Reliva, but its sudden and unexpected appearance in Circle K elevated it to an immediate and automatic secret shop status and is now included in our growing list of quality third-party CBD product reviews.
Reliva CBD Wellness
Even though we were introduced to this product outside our usual source (i.e., dispensaries able to share their experience and knowledge of the company and product), we were pleased to find a professional and comprehensive website displaying a line of products focusing on consumables (drink mixes, gummies, shots, oral sprays, and tinctures) and topical preparations (cream stick, or lip balm). Their company history may be short but it is long on impressiveness; having established a production facility in Long Island, New York, in 2018, their products are already distributed in over 20,000 retail stores across America. (Their deliberate choice to maintain a 0%-THC policy gave them the boost they needed to eliminate any possible hesitation from leading retailers to promote the Reliva CBD Wellness products.)
Our review also appears at a propitious moment in the young life of Reliva CBD Wellness: they just announced their acquisition by Aurora Cannabis Inc., a major Canadian cannabis player eager to gain entry into the United States. As their announcement stated, with this acquisition “Aurora is expected to be positioned as a meaningful player in the United States, the world’s largest cannabinoid market.” Apparently Aurora investigated a series of American cannabinoid producers before deciding upon Reliva CBD Wellness, stating the following reasons for selecting this company:
- Impressed by their focus on regulatory, testing, and compliance protocols
- A proven and profitable track record
- Strong relationships with valued trade partners which established a clear US distribution footprint
- Proven management team with background and experience in distributing regulated consumer goods
We have reviewed a couple other CBD companies that arose out of the blue, one which was completely sketchy (Pro Naturals CBD) and the other which was curiously mysterious but not terribly disappointing (Good Things Coming); this is the first time we stumbled across an unknown CBD producer who impressed us so deeply at the first stage of our routine investigative experience. Needless to say, we proceeded, feeling quite encouraged!
CBD Tincture – Relax (250 MG)
We next headed to the product section of their website to learn more about the tincture we purchased and planned to test along with their general approach to product development. On the tincture page, we were provided with a general overview of the product, a simple instruction for use, and, what we love to examine the closest, an ingredient list.
The description section explains they use coconut oil as their carrier oil for better absorption, and derives its CBD oil from hemp which is grown traditionally and processed using leading industry extraction methodologies. It goes on to emphasize their commitment to quality and safety for their customers through multiple layers of quality control and assurance testing before going to retail outlets.
The section explaining how to use is quite brief, as this is a tincture which means you put a drop under your tongue. Short and simple, which we appreciate!
Note: Finding the best way to consume CBD can be tough, so we prepared a guide going over the best ways to take CBD.
The ingredients section delivered good clear information. This 250 mg bottle contains 30 servings (30 drops from the dropper); a single serving contains the following supplements:
- Hemp Derived Crystalline Cannabidiol – this is your CBD oil, a full 8.33 mg worth
- Turmeric Extract Complex – you get 0.33 mg which contains the compound curcumin, known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
- Beta Caryophyllene – a terpene with a reputation for battling anxiety and depression
Those people looking for gluten-free and/or vegetarian CBD products have to love Reliva, as their products and practices adhere to guidelines practiced by both groups; also, all of their CBD is derived from traditionally-grown hemp plants. Even more impressive is that every batch produced is numbered and can be searched on their website, where you can review the Certificate of Analysis for any batch in distribution. We don’t know of any other company who goes so far in their transparency efforts and commitment, and we hope they set a new standard which other companies will quickly follow!
After uncovering such a wealth of positive information and facts from their website, we were more than raring to run this product through our own hoops to see how it stands closer scrutiny by our seasoned testers and outside lab.
The CBD Informative Testing and Rating
As is our standard practice, our first step is to send the product to our ever-reliable, always professional, third-party testing lab, Level One Labs in Arizona, to obtain our own unbiased analysis. Of course, during our tour of the Reliva CBD Wellness website, we took advantage of their COA (Certificate of Analysis) search service and looked up their results for our own batch (273.93 mg CBD content in our 250 mg tincture). We were itching to see how Level One would compare!
Third Party Test Results
We know that Level One is consistent and highly accurate in their previous analyses, so even though we allow a 10% deviation between company claims and our own third-party results, we were especially anxious to do a side-by-side comparison of the COAs. When we received our Level One Certificate of Analysis, we were floored by the bare difference between the company’s COA and our own personally ordered analysis: namely, a Level One result of 273.93 mg CBD as against their own COA report of 271.5 mg CBD – a mere 2.43 mg difference or a minuscule 0.88% variance. In other words, WOW and congrats on earning a solid 10 out of 10 in this important category!
CBD Informative Assessment
With the third-party analysis done and reviewed, we were more than ready to share with you our own perspective on the company and their product…
The Manufacturer – Reliva CBD Wellness
There is no doubt in our minds that a smart company will expend the effort and money necessary to ensure their website presents them in a positive light. However, the website is merely another medium in which to get their product into the hands of the consumer. Once there, it’s the product’s turn to do the impressing, namely through packaging.
Regular subscribers to our reviews know how much import we place on packaging. Yes, we understand the consumer is seeking the end result, consumption of the product, but we refuse to back off our insistence that a good package leaves a good impression. In this case, we agreed the bottle was nice (nothing extra-special, though), but the labeling was just ho-hum. The overall effect for our team brought the total points down to 8.75 out of 10 on packaging.
The Product – CBD Tincture – Relax
The final, and always the most anticipated, stage of our vigorous testing process is to try out the product ourselves, with an eye to both taste and effect.
The Relax tincture has “MINT” printed at the right-hand top of the front of the label, so we were prepared for a peppermint flavor. Readers may recall our earlier review of Dr. Burns’ ReLeaf CBD Pure PAIN Review, another peppermint-flavored product; this gave us a fair “apple-to-apple” comparison for the taste component of our testing. As reported in the Dr. Burns’ ReLeaf review, we found the peppermint flavor acceptable; not too overwhelming and no noticeable aftertaste. With this tincture, the taste was also acceptable, but we noticed a subtle, mildly unappealing aftertaste. For that reason, we scored them with a 9.2 out of 10 in the taste category, only earning a modest ding for the slight aftertaste.
Finally, there was unanimous agreement that this isolate CBD did a quite good job in delivering the anticipated and promoted effects, especially for a product selling for $19.99 in a convenience store. We further agreed that more experienced and sophisticated consumers used to purchasing CBD products from qualified dispensaries may notice a slight difference in effects, but nothing too noticeable or disappointing. For new users, we believe this product serves as a positive and welcome introduction to the world of CBD for wellness purposes! Final rating for the effects section was a solid 9.5 out of 10.
The CBD Informative Overall Rating for Reliva CBD Wellness CBD Tincture – Relax – 9.68
Considering the fact that this is a massively produced product distributed to more than 20,000 outlets across the United States, we are truly impressed. We are also pleased to finally see CBD products becoming this mainstream in our consumer marketplace; this also offers our citizens better and healthier choices for well-care lifestyles! We can say without any hesitation, if you are gassing up on the road somewhere and happen to find a Reliva CBD Wellness product for $19.99 at the counter, grab one! You won’t regret it and it could make the rest of your road trip that much easier and smoother. We confidently endorse this tincture with its solid 9.68 rating!
