Love Always, Liz CBD Attempts To Stand Out From The CBD Crowds With Affordability, Quality And Femininity

Liz Sprinkle doesn’t think women should have to overpay or settle when it comes to CBD products. At her brand Love Always, Liz CBD, quality is king (or should we say queen?)—and its quality comes from high-caliber sourcing and strict ingredient testing.

“Anyone can put CBD oil in a bottle, slap a label on it and charge you $150. Because FDA regulation isn’t currently there, we do a third round of independent testing,” she says. “Our hemp is raised without any alcohol or pesticides, so you’re putting the purest CBD oil in your body.”

Raleigh, N.C.-based Love Always, Liz CBD offers 600-mg., 900-mg. and 1200-mg. tinctures with full-spectrum CBD in 1-oz. bottles priced from $49 to $99. CBD, the cannabis constituent that doesn’t create a high, was legalized by the passage of the Farm Bill last year, but the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t determined how it’s going to regulate products with it yet.

“There are a lot of CBD companies that are charging an arm and a leg for CBD. It blows my mind. They’re taking advantage of the laws of supply and demand,” says Sprinkle. “I think taking care of yourself should be affordable.”

“There are a lot of CBD companies that are charging an arm and a leg for CBD. It blows my mind. They’re taking advantage of the laws of supply and demand. I think taking care of yourself should be affordable.”

Love Always, Liz CBD gets its CBD from a farm in Colorado. “People associate Colorado with high-quality CBD. Until CBD regulation comes along, I’m only interested in working with the highest-quality farm and products. That’s where I decide to set myself apart,” says Sprinkle. “The hemp is cultivated with no pesticides, solvents or alcohols and from there. They do a high-infusion extraction technique. We’re one of the very few CBD companies that don’t even do a CO2 extraction.”

The brand’s name is an ode to Sprinkle’s signature sign-off in handwritten cards. She incorporates cards in every customer’s order. “I’m going to try do it for as long as possible, until I can’t maintain it anymore,” says Sprinkle. In each box, customers receive a promo code for and a dosage guide to help them identify the level of CBD that’s right for them. The finishing touch is a spritz of perfume. Sprinkle explains, “I want to include every sensory experience as possible. I wanted people to feel like they’ve gifted themselves their own present.”

Love Always, Liz CBD is targeting women with its packaging and branding. The packaging features soft blue and purple labels, and a flower-adorned logo for a feminine accent. “It’s really important for women to put themselves first and not feel bad or ashamed about it,” says Sprinkle. “We want to encourage people to love themselves—mind, body and soul. Our whole basis is love always lives, love yourself.”

“I’m starting to learn that the wholesale retail store aspect of it requires a lot of cultivation, hand-holding and talking.”

Sprinkle, who previously made a living in corporate finance, spent roughly $50,000 to bring her CBD brand to market. “I’m fully self-funded and haven’t had to take out a single loan. I’ve been using the money I’ve been saving over the last ten years. I’m doing everything I can to continue the cash flow,” she says. “The business has taken off so fast and well. I don’t have issues selling inventory, which means I don’t have a problem buying inventory either.”

Currently, Love Always, Liz CBD can be found in Raleigh at clean beauty retailer Trellis Beauty and Sherlock’s, a smoke shop with a full CBD section. In its first two weeks at Trellis Beauty, the brand was restocked twice. While retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are on Sprinkle’s distribution wish list, she’s concerned about the remaining stigma facing CBD, and consumers’ and retailers’ reception of it. “For business in the next year, I want to get in contact with as many people as possible to educate them. I want to hit six figures with sales,” she says. “We’re kind of throwing things at the wall right now to see what’s achievable.”

Love Always, Liz CBD plans to launch two products at Indie Beauty Expo Dallas in May: a pain relief gel, and a coconut butter and beeswax balm. It also plans to introduce a .5-oz. size of a 300-mg. travel-friendly tincture as a seasonal release. Love Always, Liz CBD’s customers frequently request a smaller size. Sprinkle says, “It’s the perfect starting point for new CBD users. No one should have issues going in TSA with it.”

In 2019, Sprinkle’s ambitious goal is to expand Love Always, Liz CBD nationwide to at least 100 locations, including beauty stores, nail salons, hair salons and more, but she knows it won’t be easy. “I’m starting to learn that the wholesale retail store aspect of it requires a lot of cultivation, hand-holding and talking,” she says. “The learning curve has been that this is not going to be an overnight thing, which is why Indie Beauty Expo is going to be a good thing for me. If I [am] within 50 retail stores in a year, I’d be very happy.”