Plant People is one of the renowned online CBD stores specializing in hemp & plant-based alternatives to promote wellness. It was started by Gabe Kennedy, a trained chef, and Hudson Gaines-Ross, a man well-versed with plants and their application in wellness. Having a shared conventional experience of undergoing surgery due to spinal injury, the two were inspired to begin a company that would help people heal using plant-based alternative medicine, hence the birth of Plant People, a company based in New York.
The brand currently offers a limited product range, including tinctures, topicals, and capsules, but it hopes to expand the lines. We appreciated many factors about Plant People, including its responsive customer service where representatives respond within 24 hours, FDA, USDA, and GMP-certification of the hemp plants and processing facilities, updated lab results being sent upon demand, free shipping, and the clean forms of extraction methods used, i.e., CO2 and ethanol extraction techniques. However, we noticed that the products have no batch numbers, making it hard to trust third-party results, the average price point was above the average market value, and the website needed to be redesigned to streamline a few things and avail the batch numbers.
About the Company
Plant People is a New York-based company founded by Gabe Kennedy, a professional chef, and Hudson Gaines-Ross, a plant expert. The two individuals hard traumatic spinal injuries and were forced to undergo conventional surgeries. Following the shared experience, Kenneth and Hudson set to launch Plant People, a brand that aims to promote wellness using plant-based alternative medicine. Although Kenneth operates from Colorado, the company is based in New York to ease operation and access legal hemp. It uses hemp from Colorado farms that abide by the FDA, GMP, and USDA safe practices, and all the three organizations have certified Plant People. The company uses ethanol or CO2 extraction methods to get off cannabinoids from plant fibers, and the extracts are then used to manufacture full-spectrum and isolate tinctures, topicals, and capsules.
Our experience with the Plant People website was great, and we could easily navigate through the page. However, the site needs to be redesigned to make the somehow hidden tabs, including Contacts and FAQ, more conspicuous. Currently, the tabs are only a click away, and a person who is not tech-savvy would find it difficult to access them, especially if he cannot find the single button to click. Otherwise, the customer service was experience was on point because when we chatted with the representatives, they were active and responded almost immediately. We asked them for updated lab results, and they promised to deliver them within 24 hours, and they just did so. Still, the brand needs to work on its results and post them based on batch numbers and not just the general results available on the site, whose credibility are questionable.
Plant People is an environmentally-conscious company that takes part in eco-friendly practices, which is part of its fast growth and popularity. For every product sold, it plants a tree, and it has even gone ahead to partner with non-profit-making American forest bodies to take this initiative to new heights. Currently, major bodies, such as Forbes, goops, and The Daily Beast, have recognized its conservative initiatives, helping the brand realize new circles. Plant People strives to live by its mission, ‘to heal and connect through the power of plants,’ and so it tries to plant more trees for sustainability. If a client buys a product with the brand and is dissatisfied with it for whatever reasons, he is free to return it within 30 days from the day of purchase and claim a full refund. Besides, it offers free shipping for all sales, although one can pay for the Next Day, 2- Day, and UPS Ground air expeditions for air shipping and faster delivery.
Consuming Plant People products, you are likely to worry about nothing. The company uses non-GMO, organic hemp; hence the controversial GMO products do not find their way to the human body. In addition, third-party testing is run by the ACS Lab and Botanacor, all of which are ISO 17025-certified. This ISO certification ensures precise and accurate lab results, and bodies that are certified for this ISO are highly reputable. Through the tests, clients get to know the potency of CBD and THC contents in the products they are consuming and clearance for additives and pathogens. Nonetheless, the fact that the brand did not arrange the results based on batch numbers made it hard to trust the reports, but they promised to redesign their website to provide updated third-party lab results based on batch numbers, something we really will appreciate.
Specs
Here are the specific characteristics that define the Plant People CBD brand;
- The company deals in full-spectrum and isolate tinctures, creams, capsules, and drops.
- The extraction method used is ethanol or CO2 extraction techniques, methods that are deemed safe and clean.
- The product range includes tinctures, topicals, and capsules for now
- The 30-day money-back guarantee through which the brand refunds dissatisfied clients within 30 days from the day of purchase.
- The ACS Labs and Botanacor (ISO 17025-certified) facilities entrusted to conduct third-party testing
- It uses USA-grown and legalized hemp, specially sourced from Colorado farms.
- The company’s hemp farms and manufacturing facilities comply with the FDA, USDA, and GMP requirements, assuring consumers of safety.
- The price of products ranges from $39.99 to $119.99.
- The average price points are well above the standard market values and between $0.07 and $0.23 per mg CBD.
- There is no arrangement for military veteran community discounts.
- Shipping happens worldwide from the United States of America.
- Free shipping is offered for all purchases, although one can pay for the UPS Ground, 2- Day, or Next-Day air expeditions for faster delivery.
Manufacturing Process
Plant People claims to constantly communicate with the US Colorado farms to facilitate the transportation of hemp from Colorado to the New York CBD manufacturing facility. According to the brand, it uses 100% organic, non-GMO hemp grown in farms that comply with the standard practices, including the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the USDA organic practices. Once the hemp reaches the manufacturing facility in New York, ethanol or CO2 extraction techniques are applied to get off the cannabinoids from the plant fibers. These two techniques are deemed clean and safe. During the process, Kenneth applies his taste knowledge and experience to bring out the best isolates and full-spectrum CBD products that guarantee taste. Adaptogens are also incorporated at this stage to boost the products’ stress-relieving capacity.
The next stage in the process features third-party testing where the Botanacor and the ACS Laboratories, all of which are ISO 17025-certified, can test the products for additives and pathogens. Besides, it is at this stage that the products are examined to ensure that the THC and CBD potencies indicated on the labels match the actual contents. Although Plant People conduct these tests, the results are not provided on the website based on batch numbers. Rather, you find general results, and this puts the credibility of the reports in question. We checked the Sleep Tincture, which according to the label, had 24 mg CBD, but test results showed that the actual amount was 18.842 mg, which was 27% far from the acceptable variance limit of 10%. In addition, third-party test results should be accompanied by QR codes that can be scanned for information, but Plant People lacked batch numbers for the codes, meaning that it needs to improve in this regard to improve the credibility of the results.
Range of Products
Plant People has a relatively narrow product range and currently features;
i. Plant People Tinctures
The Plant People brand deals in some of the premium tinctures that are ethanol or CO2 extracted. The tinctures are available in three categories, Mind + Body (315 mg, 630 mg, and 1260 mg), Relief, and Sleep (the last two are packaged in 360 mg, 720 mg, and 1440 mg). Relief tinctures feature CBG, while sleep tinctures feature CBN. The potencies vary between 12 and 50 mg/ml, while the costs of the tinctures range from $39.99 to $119.99.
ii. Plant People Capsules
The brand also features capsules that are available in two lines, Stay Sharp and Be Calm. Both have a potency of 15 mg/ml (30 capsules for the 450 mg package) and cost $58.99, revealing a price point of $0.13 per mg. The Be Calm capsules feature adaptogen and nervine herbs that help you relax throughout the day, while the Stay Sharp line of products has nervine, nootropics, and adaptogen herbs to boost cognitive function.
iii. Plant People Topicals and Skincare products
You can also shop for Plant People’s topicals and skincare products formulated with pleasant herbs to sweeten the products’ smell. They include the Nourish Body Lotion (300 mg CBD, 2.5 mg/ml potency at $54.99 (an average price point of $0.18/ mg CBD), the 750 mg CBD Relief+ Cooling Body Cream (with a 7.65 mg/ml potency at $54.99, giving an price point of $0.07/ mg CBD), the 300 mg CBD Restore Face Mask (with a 5.08 mg/ml CBD potency at $59.99 revealing a $0.2/ mg CBD price point), and the 300 mg CBD Revive Face Serum (with a 10 mg/ml CBD potency at $69.99 and an overall price point of $0.23/ mg CBD), and the Soothe+ which has 450 mg CBD and costs $48.99.
What We Like About the Company
We appreciated the following factors about the Plant People CBD brand;
- The 30-day money-back guarantee assures clients of a full refund within 30 days in case they are dissatisfied with a product
- Free shipping for all purchases to all locations
- The use of organic non-GMO hemp, especially because GMO product use is quite controversial.
- The 15% discount for first-time clients
- GMP and USDA certifications of the hemp farms and the manufacturing facilities
- ISO 17025 certification of the third-party testing labs, meaning that the facilities provide precise and accurate lab results
- Wonderful customer care service whereby the representatives respond fast, typically within 24 hours
- Several means of reaching the company, including the email, addresses, and phone numbers, all of whose representatives are active
- A lightweight official that’s easy to navigate through
What We Do Not Like About the Company
We did not like the following about Plant People and should the company improve in these areas, it will scale new heights;
- Although the website was easily navigable, it was difficult to reach some sections, such as Contacts and FAQ, since they were somewhat hidden beneath tabs.
- There were no batch numbers to match the QR codes, putting the credibility of third-party lab results into question.
- The product range is limited and only features tinctures, topicals, and capsules.
- There are no discounts for people with suboptimal financial situations or the military veteran communities.
Our Verdict
After reviewing the Plant People brand and testing its products, we recommend it as one of the best CBD stores specializing in isolate and full-spectrum CBD products. We tested several products, including the Sleep tincture, which, despite having 24 mg CBD as per the label, had 18.84 mg, revealing a 27% variance, way far from the acceptable 10% acceptable limit. Although the company does third-party testing for its products to check additives, pathogens, and potency accuracies, the lab results are not provided based on batch numbers, putting their credibility into question. Still, the brand upholds some of the best practices since its manufacturing facility is GMP-certified while the farms are USD-certified and produce organic non-GMO hemp. Plant People’s official website is lightweight and easily navigable, but some features are somewhat hidden beneath tabs, and people who are not tech-savvy may have a hard time accessing them. We cannot fail to mention that the brand’s customer service is on point because the online reps were active and provided the needed information within 24 hours as promised.
MS, University of Latvia
I am deeply convinced that each patient needs a unique, individual approach. Therefore, I use different psychotherapy methods in my work. During my studies, I discovered an in-depth interest in people as a whole and the belief in the inseparability of mind and body, and the importance of emotional health in physical health. In my spare time, I enjoy reading (a big fan of thrillers) and going on hikes.
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