Welcome to our Joy Organics review!
Over a period of several weeks, the CBD Insider editorial team has been sampling Joy Organics products, testing their website and services, and touching base with staff to see what’s new.
We gave Joy Organics a score of 93.2/100, which earns them entry into our highest tier of brands.
As usual, we evaluated our findings using our six-category, 27-point ranking scale.
Here are the major categories across which we assess each brand:
These delicious gummies are made with premium-grade organic ingredients
The broad-spectrum extract brings out CBD’s benefits without the THC
Our testers were impressed with both the taste and the effectiveness of these gummies
This zesty, potent tincture brings a refreshing taste and potent extract to the table
The flavor covered up the hemp bitterness very effectively
As usual, this tincture is made with high-quality, organic ingredients
Proprietary nanoemulsion technology sets these capsules a cut above the rest
In addition to enhanced absorption, these capsules are a great 0% THC option
They’re small, easy to take, and available in 10mg or 25mg concentrations
Backing up the gentle sleep-promoting benefits of melatonin are beta-caryophyllene and roman chamomile
This softgel is a safe and effective way to enhance sleep while working around the hemp taste
Plus, they provide another alternative for customers who want zero THC
Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Joy Organics was founded by Joy Smith and husband Todd in June of 2018.
Wrestling with sleep disturbances and nagging pain, Joy eventually turned to CBD at the urging of her son, noting “miraculous” benefits after just one use.
It was from this point that Joy committed herself to sharing the benefits of CBD with others, a pursuit that drove her to form Joy Organics.
Joy Organics has expanded as their success has grown, but they’re still a family-run business, including Joy, her husband, her son, and her brother-in-law.
This consumer-first brand differentiates itself from competitors with three foundational pillars: quality, transparency, and compassion:
Quality: Though they don’t own the growing operation, Joy Organics partners closely with high-quality growers and manufacturers. They also conduct several rounds of lab testing to ensure that all hemp products are safe and effective. Finally, Joy Organics is also among a select group of industry leaders to sit on the US Hemp Roundtable Board of Directors.
Transparency: Joy Organics provides quick and convenient access to all third-party lab results for each of their products. To double down on their commitment to transparency and consumer advocacy, Joy ensures that every ingredient included in their products is tested.
Compassion: Not content to rest behind hollow claims, Joy Organics acts out their mission to lead the industry in giving back by doing just that. In addition to the brand’s monthly “give back” program, they also hold “Joy Day” once a year, donating a (very) large portion of their revenue to organizations and charities making a difference.
As usual, we will begin our comprehensive breakdown of the Joy Organics review rating with the key dynamic of quality.
Max score = 35 points.
Joy Organics = 35 points.
This is where we factor in every major attribute that can affect total user experience, including ingredients, packaging, third-party testing, brand certifications, how and from where the hemp is sourced, and various other metrics.
All Joy Organics packaging includes basic product specs (concentration, ingredients, flavor, etc.), a QR code for third-party lab report access, warnings, and use suggestions.
Overall, we’re pleased with both the amount and the quality of the information presented, and all the packaging was durable and easy to use (e.g., dropper lids and threaded lids).
It’s safe to say Joy Organics leads the field when it comes to quality and safety of additional (non-hemp) ingredients, considering their USDA organic line and complete lack of artificial flavors or cheaply manufactured sugars.
As such, they earn a full score of additional ingredients.
Every formulation archetype we look for (some form of relief, relax, and active) was available as a CBD softgel, and the brand offers plenty of options for the full-spectrum and THC-free crowds.
Finally, Joy Organics sources their hemp from Colorado, Montana, and Oregon, all of which are compliant with some of the highest standards in the US.
Joy Organics has their products tested by Stillwater Labs, who performs a full-panel test with the exception of terpenes.
The terpene analysis is nice to have, but because this well-reputed lab is covering all manner of contaminants (residual solvent, microbials, heavy metals, etc.) and providing cannabinoid density, we’re still awarding full points.
Joy Organics is cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) certified and USDA organic certified for some products.
Joy organics uses CO2 and ethanol, both of which are considered to be gold standards, to extract CBD and neighboring cannabinoids from the hemp plant.
These gentler methods allow for efficient extraction with a much lower possibility of residual solvent issues or other safety concerns.
Max score = 12.5 points.
Joy Organics = 11.75 points.
The easier it is for us to access foundational information about a CBD brand, the more we reward them.
This is because transparency translates into trust, while also providing a smoother e-commerce experience for new customers looking to learn more about the brand quickly.
We’re looking for basic information about the brand’s founding and development (who, where, why, etc.), a framework of the supply chain, product information accessibility, and more.
The five-chapter “What Is CBD Oil?” guide in itself was enough to convince us of the brand’s commitment to clear and concise consumer education, but they also have a highly informative blog that covers CBD and some non-CBD topics.
We were also impressed with the “about” pages, which featured a compelling and equally informative description of the brand’s founder, her family, Joy Organics processes, philanthropic initiatives, and more.
Finally, we made a small deduction for COA (certificate of analysis) transparency, as some inner containers didn’t contain QR codes, and scanning them did not directly lead to lab reports.
Joy is definitely one of the better brands when it comes to clearly and openly disclosing their supply chain
On their Our Process page, the brand furnishes a six-step description that goes into much more detail than average about each step in the growing, processing, extraction, and product development processes.
Max score = 7.5 points.
Joy Organics = 7.125 points.
So long as the aesthetic isn’t extreme to the point that it subtracts from the user experience, we prioritize e-commerce functionality and logical site structure over pure design.
The Joy Organics shop is well-implemented, featuring a very standard and minimalistic structure.
Hover over the “shop” link to quickly access a menu of product categories (CBD tinctures, CBD gummies, etc.), and once you’ve clicked into a category, you will see rows of product images with prices and “learn more” buttons displayed.
Click a product’s button to access one of the well-appointed product pages, and checkout in seconds when you’re ready.
We found no snags in the experience whatsoever, so it’s full points for product navigation and purchasing.
Between the robust “about” pages, the equally well-attended educational section and the blog, we have no room to make deductions for educational and consumer-focused site content.
Max score = 10 points.
Joy Organics = 10 points.
Simply having all the major customer support channels (phone, email, and messenger) isn’t enough for full credit here; we assess responsiveness and accommodation as a way of rewarding the quality of the human capital that powers each brand.
Like most consumers, when testing customer support services, we’re looking for friendly, timely, and helpful responses to our questions.
Joy Organics offers all three customer support services mentioned above, and we received almost instant responses from both the phone and live chat services.
Both responses were helpful, clearly addressing our questions in a friendly and professional manner.
Our entire experience spoke to a clear commitment of the still-growing brand to remain accessible and helpful to their customers.
Without a doubt, it’s full points for contact options and responsiveness.
We also want to recognize Joy’s well-above-average shipping and return policies.
Customers have 90-days to return products, and shipping is free—that’s all we need to say.
Max score = 10 points.
Joy Organics = 8.313 points.
In addition to the issue of raw price, we make sure to factor in the ingredient quality, since quality can drastically differentiate the value of two similarly priced products.
This gives brands that charge a premium a chance to recoup points, while also not allowing cheaper brands to skimp on quality and get away with it.
On raw price, Joy Organics earns a 32.5/100.
Since the industry is definitely not immune to higher mark-ups, this is actually right around the middle of the range for most brands we’ve reviewed.
As expected, our analysis of the hemp extract and ingredient quality (including lack of artificial ingredients/sugars) allowed no room for deductions.
When the USDA Organic line and rigorous testing standards are taken into account, it’s a 100 for ingredient quality, rounding out the category at more than 8/10 points.
Max score = 25 points.
Joy Organics = 21 points.
This category rewards brands for the larger impact they’ve made on the CBD industry, their local communities, and the world at large.
Understandably, this encompasses a broad range of efforts, including:
When something doesn’t fit easily into one of these boxes (or the several others), we use our discretion to gauge its broader impact.
Thanks to their proprietary nanoemulsion CBD and USDA organic line, Joy Organics receives full points for product innovation.
This is a great example of a brand that focused on the fundamentals first (doing what everyone else does, but better) before branching into their own innovations.
As members of the US Hemp Roundtable, Joy Organics has a direct hand in ushering in fair and more clearly defined hemp legislation.
As mentioned, the brand participates enthusiastically in a number of substantive philanthropic efforts, including monthly give-back programs and “Joy Day” among others.
Joy’s Husband Todd has 28 years of experience with a metabolic health company, and her son founded a high-profile digital marketing agency, which bodes well for their industry knowledge.
Finally, Joy oversees most of the supply chain, receiving 90/100 for the supplier oversight component of brand value (we reserve 10 points for fully vertically integrated brands).
All totaled, Joy Organics received an overall rating of 93.18/100 points.
We’re pleased with how accurately this system defines the high standards of quality and integrity upheld by Joy Organics.
To recap, here’s a brief breakdown of some major takeaway points from our Joy Organics review:
This score places Joy Organics firmly in the elite pack, and we continue to recommend their products for health-conscious consumers.
Both flavors of Joy Organics CBD gummies (Strawberry Lemonade and Green Apple) come in the same concentration: 300mg (10mg x 30 gummies).
Here is the cannabinoid breakdown (per gummy) for the Strawberry Lemonade gummies we sampled per our certificate of analysis:
The CBD content is slightly over-delivered and the THC is a non-issue for people looking to steer clear of the intoxicating cannabinoid.
However, even without THC, we would like to see a broader and more potent cast of non-CBD supporting cannabinoids—somewhere in the neighborhood of 8% percent of the CBD content.
This product retails for $39.95, which converts to $0.13 per milligram of CBD.
Normally, we would label this as “upper middling,” as most CBD gummies range from around $0.08-0.15/mg, but considering the high ingredient quality (more below), we’ll settle for middling.
There are cheaper CBD gummies from leading brands out there, but you would be hard-pressed to find an alternative with a cleaner ingredient list.
On the tub these gummies came in are featured supplement facts and other ingredients, suggested use, warnings, a QR code for lab reports, and basic product info (flavor, concentration, etc.)
The threaded lid held up throughout our entire use of the product without giving us any trouble, and all the information we needed was included on labeling.
The packaging is consistent with other top-tier brands across the industry, so we award Joy full points here.
Here is the ingredient list for the Strawberry Lemonade CBD gummies we sampled:
Hemp Extract (Leaves & Flowers), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Sugar, Pectin, Organic Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Vegetable Juice (color), Lemon Oil.
The above-average extract quality pairs perfectly with the ensuing list of natural/organic ingredients, including organic sugar and tapioca syrup.
Speaking of, each gummy provides two grams of added sugar, which is one gram below our cutoff, so no issues there.
It simply doesn’t get cleaner for CBD gummies, so we award full points.
These gummies were highly flavorful and enjoyable.
They were zesty and a tiny bit sour, but mostly sweet, and they tasted like real strawberries.
The texture was slightly on the firmer side, but still well within the realm of satisfyingly chewy.
As long as you don’t have a strong aversion to strawberry or lemon, we find it very hard to picture customers not enjoying the taste and texture.
These gummies were most effective for helping us to relax at the end of the day as well as alleviating signs of stress.
Specifically, we noticed that a dose of 2-3 gummies at around 4:30 or 5 PM helped us to decompress without going into full vegetative mode, so we could still work on light chores, reading, etc. while still feeling relaxed.
Regardless of when we took them throughout the day, a persistent sense of calm replaced any nagging feelings of stress, making for a very pleasant and productive few hours.
Overall, we’re very pleased with the results, but only when taking at least two (three is better) gummies at a time.
Let’s start with the pros:
And now the cons:
Between the seven varieties of CBD oil tinctures currently available at Joy Organics, customers can choose from the following concentrations (all in 30-mL/1oz bottles):
Here are the available products:
We sampled several of these tinctures, and will provide more specific detail for the 900mg Organic Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture + THC in Fresh Lime.
Speaking of, here is the cannabinoid breakdown for this tincture, according to the certificate of analysis on our product (values reported on a per-serving basis):
The CBD is generously over-delivered, the THC is well within the legal limit while allowing potential for therapeutic effects, and the supporting cannabinoid cast (including THC) totals an impressive 11% of the CBD content.
Considering the breadth of included cannabinoids and the overall potency, this tincture is putting up some fairly impressive numbers.
As expected, our product passed all tests for microbials, residual solvent, and other potential contaminants.
Here are the price points for all Joy Organics tinctures:
Subscribers can regularly save 20%, which amounts to double-digit savings on all but the smallest concentration.
Similar to the gummies, these moderately competitive price points are made more compelling by the sheer ingredient quality and cannabinoid profile of most Joy Organics tinctures.
Some high-quality brands have dipped as low as $0.03/mg for even smaller tinctures, but considering the ingredients used by Joy Organics, we consider the brand to be not far behind in the price department.
On our darkly tinted bottle of Joy Organics Full-Spectrum CBD Oil, we found basic product info (concentration, flavor, etc.), suggested use, warnings, supplement facts and ingredients, and a USDA organic seal.
The box contained all of this with the additions of a QR code for scanning lab reports and two blurbs entitled “our process” and “entourage blend.”
The additional info was appreciated and the dropper lid and bottle held up perfectly throughout our use, but we do like to see QR codes on bottles as well.
However, since label space is precious on 30mL bottles, it’s not a major ding by any means to include the QR code on the box only.
Excellent packaging overall, as we would expect from any high-profile CBD brand.
Here is the ingredient list for our Fresh Lime tincture:
Organic Hemp Extract (Leaves & Flowers), Organic MCT Oil, Organic Key Lime Oil, Organic Stevia.
Simply put, we couldn’t fabricate a better ingredient list; this is exactly what we want to see.
There are zero harsh preservatives, additives, or sugars to speak of, and the high-quality hemp extract adds to the allure.
The other Joy Organics tinctures differ only slightly in flavoring and extract type (no THC, etc.)
Top marks for ingredients.
As soon as we pulled the bottle out of the box, we were surprised by a wave of pleasant lime scent.
As advertised by the smell, our first taste of this strong and zesty lime-flavored tincture proved to be an equally enjoyable one.
The only audience we can see turning away from this tincture is made of people who already have aversions to lime.
The texture was consistent with the vast majority of MCT-oil-based tinctures we’ve had: thick, but not too thick.
This tincture mirrored the effects of the gummies with the added benefit of minor discomfort relief.
In addition to feeling less stressed and more relaxed towards the end of each workday, we also noticed little nagging issues (mostly joint discomfort) faded to the background.
Unlike the gummies, we only needed one serving to realize these benefits, but we did notice more sustainable and potent results with a morning-evening routine.
Overall, this is exactly what we had hoped to experience with a high-grade tincture such as this, and would expect the rest of the product line to produce very similar results.
Let’s start with the pros:
And now the cons:
Including all three formulations—Everyday, Curcumin, and Melatonin—Joy Organics CBD softgels are available in the following concentrations:
Here is the cannabinoid breakdown according to the certificate of analysis for the 25mg/capsule Everyday Formula, which our editorial team sampled:
The Everyday Formula is already advertised as containing 0.0% THC, but we would like to see a stronger showing of supporting cannabinoids.
Otherwise, the CBD is over-delivered, and the varin compound (CBDV) may provide a small opportunity for synergistic effects.
This product passed all tests for pesticides, residual solvents, microbials, and other potential contaminants.
Here are the prices for the Everyday Formula:
Considering the general trend toward lower price points for CBD capsules across the industry and the less cannabinoid-dense formulation in this case, these price points seem less competitive than the tinctures and gummies.
The Melatonin and Curcumin capsules, which only come in the 750mg concentration, are both priced at $79.95, which reduces to less than $0.11/mg.
Considering these added therapeutics, we’re leaning more towards moderately competitive with these two capsules.
It’s worth noting that Joy uses “patent-pending nanoemulsion technology” to increase the body’s ability to absorb their water-soluble CBD softgels, which adds to the value of all three products.
Between the box and the inner container, customers can quickly glean basic product info (concentration, formulation type, etc.), suggested use, warnings, supplement facts and ingredients, and three blurbs entitled “Nano-Tech,” “Our Process,” and “0.0% THC.”
As with the other products, the packaging met all our expectations without compromising on the subtle and attractive design.
Here is the ingredient list for our Everyday Formula CBD softgels:
Hemp Extract (Leaves & Flowers), Polysorbate Emulsifiers, Medium Chain Triglycerides, b-Caryophyllene, Bovine-Derived Gelatin, Glycerin, Sorbitol and Water.
The addition of β-caryophyllene, a fairly well-reviewed cannabinoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, pairs well with the lack of harsh preservatives or additives.
Once again, we find a clean, minimalistic, yet effective ingredient list.
We still review taste for capsules because, though subtle, some can leave a bitter taste on the tongue and/or an aftertaste to the point where it significantly affects the user experience (and willingness to buy again).
This was not the case here; these capsules had an extremely subtle taste that did not linger
Though slightly less potent than the tincture, we noticed similar effects with these capsules, including stress reduction, relaxation, and minor discomfort relief.
These effects felt more pronounced when taking these capsules after a meal, as CBD dissolves more efficiently in fat, upping absorption.
Accounting for the non-detectable level of THC, we still consider these capsules an effective solution for everyday stress and discomfort.
Here are the pros:
And now for the cons:
The Joy tincture catalog offers three extract types (full spectrum with THC, organic full spectrum, and organic broad spectrum) in the following flavors:
Best use: CBD tinctures allow for an easily measurable, highly versatile way to get your daily CBD in, as they can be taken directly or added to your favorite foods and beverages.
Bolstered by proprietary nanoemulsion technology, the Joy Organics CBD softgel collection merges a high-tech approach with solid fundamentals.
Joy offers three kinds of softgel formulations (Everyday Formula, Melatonin Formula, and Curcumin Formula).
Best use: CBD softgels provide a workaround for those averse to the hemp taste without compromising on dosage accuracy.
They may only have the one gummy, but it’s rated 4.9/5 by more than 200 reviewers for a reason.
This broad-spectrum, vegan-friendly gummy is filled with organic ingredients and a high-quality extract.
As mentioned in the product review section, the Strawberry Lemonade flavor is extremely tasty.
Best use: Gummies offer a more fun and familiar approach to CBD for many looking to (at least partially) sidestep the hemp taste, while still allowing for fairly accurate dosage.
Joy has amassed a fairly diverse range of CBD topicals, including the following product types:
Best Use: CBD topicals provide the opportunity to deeply and directly address areas of discomfort, but dosage is much harder to gauge.
A rare product type to be sure, CBD energy drink packets from Joy Organics offer customers a fun and functional way to access the many purported benefits of CBD.
Best Use: CBD energy drinks pair energy-boosting ingredients with CBD to create a sustainable, yet focused “buzz” for increased productivity.
Joy covers three product types in their pet offering, including CBD dog treats, a tincture, and a salve stick.
Best Use: Pet CBD products may help dogs and cats to cope with separation-related and general stress as well as discomfort.
As they continue to expand, Joy Organics has not budged the integrity bar an inch, which is evident in their production process as well as their transparency and accessibility to customers.
They put up a very solid performance in all areas, only dipping slightly for mostly technical reasons.
As such, we continue to recommend Joy Organics for health-conscious CBD consumers, and will continue to watch the brand closely to keep our readers informed of what they’re up to.