OriginalsCBD vs SimplyCBD vs Cannaray CBD: Top UK CBD Oil Brands Compared

Quick Answer

All three brands sell legal CBD oil in the UK. SimplyCBD is good for budget shoppers who want a wide range of strengths. Cannaray CBD is a high-street option for beginners who want flavoured, isolate-based drops. OriginalsCBD is the standout pick. It is the only brand here selling full-spectrum, strain-specific, cold-pressed CBD oil made from actual hemp flowers, tested at two stages, with a documented terpene profile. If you want real plant-based CBD oil, OriginalsCBD wins with a good margin among all 3 brands.

OriginalsCBD vs SimplyCBD vs Cannaray CBD: Brand Overviews

1. SimplyCBD

SimplyCBD has been selling CBD oil in the UK for over ten years. The brand runs on one idea: give people a high-quality product at a low price, without confusing marketing. They do this well.

Their CBD oil range uses a colour-coded system. Each colour matches a strength, starting from 2% and going up to 20%. Prices start at £9.99. The oils use organic Dutch hemp in a hempseed oil base. They stock full-spectrum, isolate, CBG, and water-soluble formats, so there is something for most needs.

SimplyCBD has over 3,600 reviews with a 4.71 average rating. Lab reports are available on their website. They also run subscription pricing with a 10% discount. For a budget-focused brand, its quality control is solid.

What does SimplyCBD do well?

Price, range of strengths, long track record, and honest brand positioning.

2. Cannaray CBD

Cannaray CBD was built by a team of doctors, scientists, and wellness experts. The brand sits at the premium end of the high-street market and is stocked in Holland and Barrett. Their products are award-winning and designed to be easy to use.

Their CBD oil range splits into two categories. Bright Days oils are for daytime use, available in Juicy Orange, Lime, and Juniper flavours. Night-Time oils are for sleep support, in Soothing Peppermint and Forest Fruits flavours. Strengths run from 500mg to 3000mg per 30ml bottle.

All Cannaray oils use purified CBD isolate. That means no other cannabinoids, no terpenes, just CBD in a flavoured carrier. The isolate approach makes each dose predictable and keeps THC at zero. The trade-off is that you miss the entourage effect that comes from full-spectrum oil.

Their prices currently have a winter sale. The 1500mg Bright Days oil is £14.50, down from £36.00. The 3000mg Night-Time oil is £27.00 down from £45.00.

What Cannaray CBD does well?

Mainstream accessibility, clean branding, simple dosing, and flavour variety.

3. OriginalsCBD

OriginalsCBD started as the UK's most respected CBD flower shop. The brand has over 15 years of hands-on experience in the cannabis space. That background matters because their CBD oil is built on plant knowledge that most oil brands simply do not have.

Their CBD oils are a UK first. They use a cold-pressing method to press actual hemp flowers directly into organic MCT oil. No solvents. No isolates. No added terpenes. The Bubba Kush 59 CBD Oil and Lemon Octane CBD Oil each preserve the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of the original strain, exactly as it grew.

The Bubba Kush 59 CBD Oil delivers approximately 122mg of CBD per ml and around 3,949mg of total cannabinoids across the full 30ml bottle. The terpene content is documented. Every batch is tested before extraction and again after, giving you two COAs per product instead of one. The oils were developed in collaboration with Improved Health, bringing pharmaceutical-grade formulation expertise to a product rooted in real plant science. You can read more about the full oil range in the CBD Flowers vs CBD Hash vs CBD Oil guide on the OriginalsCBD blog.

What Does OriginalsCBD Do Well?

Full-spectrum formulation, strain-specific plant character, double-stage testing, complete terpene documentation, and genuine entourage effect.

OriginalsCBD vs SimplyCBD vs Cannaray CBD: Full Comparison Table

OriginalsCBD vs SimplyCBD vs Cannaray CBD: CBD Oil Compared

SimplyCBD Oil Range

Cannaray CBD Oil Range

OriginalsCBD Oil Range

The Originals CBD oils are the only products in this comparison whose terpene content is documented at the batch level. No other brand here tests for terpenes at all. For more context on why that matters, the OriginalsCBD blog has a full breakdown in their full spectrum vs broad spectrum vs CBD isolate guide.

Testing and Transparency

Good testing means the brand can prove what is in the bottle. The Food Standards Agency requires all CBD products sold in the UK to be registered as novel foods and to meet safety standards. Lab testing sits on top of that as the main way brands show you the actual cannabinoid content per batch.

Here is how all three brands compare on testing:

SimplyCBD and Cannaray CBD both test at the finished product stage. That is the standard approach, and it meets the legal requirement. OriginalsCBD goes a step further by testing the raw flower before pressing and then testing the finished oil again after cold-pressing. That two-stage approach gives you traceability at both ends of the process.

The NHS notes that CBD products vary widely in quality and content across the UK market. Two-stage COA testing is the most reliable way to know your oil matches its label at every step of production.

Formulation Quality

How a CBD oil is made determines what ends up in the bottle. There are three main approaches used across these brands.

• Isolate: 

Cannaray CBD uses purified CBD isolate. This means all plant material is stripped away until only CBD remains. The result is a product with zero THC and a predictable dose. You lose every other cannabinoid and all terpenes in the process. There is no entourage effect.

• Standard full spectrum: 

SimplyCBD uses standard solvent-based extraction for its full-spectrum range. This keeps multiple cannabinoids in the oil, which gives a partial entourage effect. Terpenes are not preserved in meaningful quantities through this method and are not documented.

• Cold-pressed whole flower: 

OriginalsCBD uses a solvent-free cold-pressing process. The actual hemp flower is pressed directly into organic MCT oil. No chemicals strip the plant. The full cannabinoid and terpene profile transfers to the oil intact. This is the same method used for extra-virgin olive oil, applied to hemp.

Research published on PubMed supports the entourage effect theory, showing that full-plant CBD extracts with terpenes and minor cannabinoids produce stronger and broader effects than isolated CBD at the same dose.

The table below shows what each formulation method preserves:

If you want to understand how this affects the experience of taking CBD oil daily, the OriginalsCBD blog covers it in detail in their guide on CBD oil for anxiety and which types of CBD work best for different needs.

Value per mg of CBD

Price per mg is the most useful way to compare CBD oils across different brands and strengths. Here is how these three brands stack up across their most popular products:

The Cannaray sale prices look strong per mg on paper. You need to remember that those sale prices are temporary. Their standard prices sit between £36 and £45 for 1500mg to 3000mg oils, making them £0.015 to £0.024 per mg. That is competitive for isolate oil.

OriginalsCBD at £0.011 per mg of CBD looks excellent when you factor in the total cannabinoid content. The bottle contains approximately 3,949mg of total cannabinoids, not just CBD. When you price the full cannabinoid and terpene package together, no other brand in this comparison comes close to what you actually receive. For a detailed look at the strongest oils in the UK market, see the OriginalsCBD guide to the top 9 strongest CBD oils in the UK.

Who Should Choose Each Brand?

OriginalsCBD's oils are right for you whether you are after daily wellness support, sleep, or relaxation. The Bubba Kush 59 strain profile suits winding down. Lemon Octane suits a more uplifting daytime experience. Both are made from whole flower and give you the full plant in each drop.

You can also explore OriginalsCBD's premium CBD flower range or their full sungrown CBD flower collection if you want to try the source material that goes into the oils.

Final Verdict

SimplyCBD earns its place in the market. Ten years of honest pricing and a wide strength range make it a good choice for anyone watching their budget. Cannaray CBD has done well to get into major UK retailers, and their flavoured isolate oils suit people who want simplicity and a familiar shopping experience.

OriginalsCBD operates at a different level. Strain-specific, cold-pressed, double-tested, terpene-forward CBD oil is not something any other UK brand currently produces. The Allium OG CBD Flower and the oils share the same commitment to the plant that OriginalsCBD has built over 15 years. When you buy their CBD oil, you are getting the whole plant pressed into a bottle, with documentation to prove it.

If you have spent money on CBD oil before and wondered why it did not seem to work, the answer is often in the formulation. Isolate and basic broad-spectrum oils miss the compounds that make CBD effective. OriginalsCBD fixes that.

FAQ

• Is OriginalsCBD better than SimplyCBD for daily use?

Yes, for most people. SimplyCBD is a fine entry-level option, and their full-spectrum range is decent for the price. OriginalsCBD delivers a complete plant profile with documented terpenes and a full cannabinoid panel, which gives you a stronger and more consistent daily experience. The price difference reflects a meaningfully better product.

• Does Cannaray CBD use full spectrum oil?

No. Cannaray CBD uses purified CBD isolate across their oil range. That means 0% THC and no other cannabinoids or terpenes. It is a clean, predictable product, but it does not produce the entourage effect that full-spectrum oil does. According to Healthline's review of CBD research, whole-plant CBD extracts tend to produce more consistent effects than isolates at the same CBD dose.

• What is the legal THC limit in UK CBD oil?

The legal limit for finished CBD products sold in the UK is 1mg of THC per container. This is set by the Food Standards Agency and applies to all brands. The 0.2% figure you see on some labels refers to hemp cultivation rules, not the finished product limit. All three brands in this comparison meet the legal standard.

• Why is OriginalsCBD more expensive than SimplyCBD?

The price difference comes from the production method. Cold-pressing whole hemp flowers is more labour-intensive and resource-heavy than standard extraction. You also pay for two-stage COA testing, documented terpene analysis, and strain-specific genetics from named farms in Oregon. SimplyCBD uses standard extraction from bulk Dutch hemp, which costs less to produce. The two products are not equivalent in quality or content.

• Which brand is best for sleep support?

Cannaray's Night-Time oil is built specifically for sleep, with Soothing Peppermint or Forest Fruits flavour and 1800mg to 3000mg strengths. It is a straightforward isolate product designed for that one use case.

OriginalsCBD's Bubba Kush 59 CBD Oil is a full-spectrum indica-profile oil that delivers the whole cannabinoid and terpene profile associated with deep calm and relaxation. For genuine sleep support backed by full-plant science, OriginalsCBD is the stronger pick.

• Is cold-pressed CBD oil better than extracted CBD oil?

Cold-pressing preserves terpenes and minor cannabinoids that are damaged or removed during standard solvent extraction. The result is an oil that more closely reflects the full chemical profile of the original plant. For users who want the entourage effect, cold-pressed oil is the better method. OriginalsCBD is the only brand in this comparison using it.