Leilo centers its identity on kava-infused offerings, which are positioned to help promote relaxation and provide mild mood enhancement benefits. Its lineup includes ready-to-drink kava drinks, drink mixes, variety packs, and sugar-free variants.
The brand claims that its offerings may support calmness, focus, and balance. It states that the drinks can help you wind down and work as alcohol-free options.
In this review, we examine the brand’s background, its core offerings, flavor profile, and potential brand limitations. The review also discusses the legality of the brand’s kava-based offerings and potential safety implications.
Founded by Sol in 2018, Leilo aims to provide a non-alcoholic means for relaxation and social occasions through its range of kava-infused products.
The brand’s lineup is built around canned kava tonics and a powdered drink mix, organized across Classics, Mocktails, and Variety Packs categories.
Some featured canned kave drinks from the brand include flavor options, such as Lime Margarita, Raspberry Hibiscus, Blackberry Orange, Pina Colada, Tangerine Mango, and Moscow Mule. Pack sizes typically include six-pack, ten-pack, and twelve-pack formats. The brand also offers bundles such as the Variety Sampler, Classic Variety, and Mocktail Variety packs.
As per the manufacturer, all offerings are made using standardized noble kava extract blended with carbonated water, natural flavors, and light sweeteners, followed by canning and pasteurization for shelf stability.
The brand states that its drinks are alcohol free with 0% ABV and no artificial colors or flavors. Packaging materials such as aluminum cans and cardboard are described as recyclable, and can liners are stated to be BPA-free.
Mocktails by Leilo are formulated as non-alcoholic kava drinks intended to support relaxation and social ease without stimulant effects or added sugar.
As per its official website, the lineup includes cocktail-inspired flavors such as Moscow Mule, Piña Colada, and Lime Margarita, packaged in 12-can pack formats. One serving provides zero sugar content and 1,000 mg of a proprietary noble kava root extract blend.
Kava root extract contains kavalactones, bioactive compounds that act on multiple neurological pathways related to stress and relaxation. These compounds modulate GABAergic signaling and interact with monoamine systems involved in mood regulation. The combined activity may support a calm mental state without sedation.
Citric acid is added to the mocktails, which functions as a pH stabilizer and flavor-balancing agent. Its presence may enhance perceived freshness and salivation, which could improve tolerance in carbonated drinks.
Natural flavor extracts, including ginger and lime, are used to enhance sensory appeal without sugar or alcohol. Ginger-derived compounds may contribute warming sensory notes and digestive comfort.
As per its official website, the Classic Variety Pack combines Raspberry Hibiscus, Tangerine Mango, and Blackberry Orange flavors into a single pack. As a variety format, the Classic Variety Pack allows you to experience the same kava-driven relaxation across different flavor variants.
Leilo’s Drink Mix is formulated as a portable offering intended to deliver consistent, clear-headed calm without alcohol or added sugar. It's one berry-flavored stick pack provides a standardized 1,000 mg dose of a proprietary noble kava root extract in a low-calorie powder format that dissolves in water.
Kava features bioactive compounds like kavalactones, which may support dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling. They may support relaxation and provide a reduced stress perception and emotional resilience.
Acacia gum serves as the structural base of the powder, which may support digestive tolerance and help stabilize the dispersion of the kava extract in water, creating a smoother mouthfeel. Natural flavors and fruit, and vegetable juice concentrates are used for taste and color, avoiding synthetic dyes or sweeteners. Stevia leaf extract provides sweetness without contributing to glycemic load, supporting stable blood sugar levels and minimizing energy fluctuations.
Leilo’s brand identity is built around the cultural heritage of noble kava, a root traditionally used for relaxation and social connection in Pacific Island communities for thousands of years. The brand highlights sourcing ties to regions such as Vanuatu and Fiji, and references broader South Pacific traditions, including Samoa and Tonga.
Leilo differentiates itself from relaxation beverages that rely on generic functional ingredients or modern compounds without cultural context by grounding its messaging in these long-standing ceremonial and communal practices.
The brand positions its products as modern, non alcoholic interpretations of these traditions rather than direct replicas. It emphasizes the use of proprietary noble kava extracts, formulated to deliver a consistent kavalactone profile intended to support a calm, clear-headed experience suitable for social settings. This highlights Leilo's approach, which mentions traditional use while adapting the format and flavor profiles to contemporary consumer expectations.
This heritage-based positioning is applied consistently across the product range. Leilo Mocktails are designed to mirror familiar cocktail styles such as Lime Margarita, Piña Colada, and Moscow Mule, while remaining alcohol free and centered on noble kava.
The Classic Variety Pack, featuring flavors like Raspberry Hibiscus, Tangerine Mango, and Blackberry Orange, reinforces the same kava-focused philosophy across multiple taste profiles. Drink Mix By Leilo extends this approach into a powdered format, maintaining the emphasis on noble kava and traditional roots while offering flexibility in preparation.
Leilo has achieved meaningful retail distribution, with products available in multiple retailers across multiple U.S. states, including national chains like Sprouts Farmers Market and select Walmart locations. Stores such as Sprouts Farmers Market, which operates hundreds of locations nationwide, illustrate the brand’s focus on reaching health-conscious consumers through curated retail placement.
This retail strategy highlights Leilo’s positioning as a modern, non-alcoholic relaxation drink brand suited for social and lifestyle use. Leilo Mocktails are commonly placed in stores known for premium beverage selections, allowing you to discover cocktail style formats without alcohol.
The Classic Variety Pack, featuring flavors such as Raspberry Hibiscus and Tangerine Mango, supports in-store exploration by offering multiple expressions of the brand’s noble kava-based approach within a single purchase.
While ready-to-drink cans remain the primary retail focus, Drink Mix By Leilo extends the brand into at-home and online use, complementing the canned lineup without shifting away from the core retail strategy. This multi-format presence highlights maintaining consistency in ingredient philosophy while adapting to different consumption occasions.
Leilo’s brand identity relies heavily on kava root extract as the core functional ingredient across its entire product lineup. While this narrow focus helps establish a clear position around relaxation and alcohol alternatives, it also introduces meaningful scientific, regulatory, and scalability challenges.
From a scientific perspective, kava is a biologically active botanical, not a passive wellness ingredient. Scientific literature has consistently raised concerns about potential liver-related risks, particularly with frequent use, improper extraction methods, or use alongside other substances. These concerns have contributed to ongoing regulatory scrutiny and, at times, market restrictions in certain regions, creating uncertainty around long-term safety perceptions.
Kava’s effects are also inherently inconsistent. Outcomes might vary widely based on factors such as plant variety, extraction technique, dosage, and individual metabolism. This lack of consistency makes it difficult to deliver predictable experiences, increasing the likelihood of mixed results that may range from mild relaxation to excessive sedation, numbness, or general discomfort.
From a strategic standpoint, tying the brand so closely to kava limits its ability to expand into adjacent categories. As the functional drinks market continues to shift toward multi-benefit offerings, such as energy, hydration, cognitive support, or adaptogen-based blends, Leilo’s positioning remains narrowly focused on a relaxation-only use case linked to a debated ingredient.
When comparing the brands, both Mitra9 and Leilo function in the non-alcoholic functional drinks space, emphasizing support for relaxation and social ease without stimulants. However, the brands differ in terms of their core focus, range of offerings, transparency around testing and quality standards, and accessibility.
Mitra9 operates as a U.S.-based brand built around non-alcoholic, caffeine-free drinks formulated with extracts of kratom and kava. The brand positions its offerings for relaxation, mood support, and social occasions where alcohol is typically consumed. Meanwhile, Leilo centers its entire identity on kava-infused products rather than a dual botanical system, positioning calm, social ease, and mental clarity.
In terms of product range, Mitra9’s lineup is extensive, covering kratom seltzers, kava seltzers, drink mixes, powder GoPaks, shots, and bundled starter kits and variety packs. Its kratom seltzer lineup includes flavors such as Berry, Black Cherry, Dragon Fruit, Raspberry Lime, Tangerine, Tropical, and Watermelon. The brand’s kava seltzers and kava variety packs center on lemonade-style and dessert-inspired flavor options such as Orange Dreamsicle, Lemonade, Paradise Lychee, and Strawberry Watermelon. Beyond carbonated drinks, Mitra9 extends into Mitragynine drink mixes, kratom powders, kava mixes, and combined kratom and kava shots in flavors including Crisp Apple, Blue Razz, Cool Breeze, Lavender Sunrise, and Purple Rush.
On the other hand, Leilo’s portfolio remains more streamlined and drinks-focused, built primarily around canned kava tonics grouped into classics, mocktails, and sampler variety packs. They come in multiple flavor options, including Piña Colada, Lime Margarita, Blackberry Orange, Raspberry Hibiscus, Tangerine Mango, and Moscow Mule. The brand also offers Drink Mix (powder) in Berry flavor, alongside Variety packs such as the Classic Variety, Variety Sampler, and Mocktail Variety packs.
Formulation strategy further distinguishes the two. Mitra9 emphasizes extract-based formulations using standardized mitragynine levels in kratom products and controlled kava extracts. The brand claims that its offerings undergo third-party testing, for which it also provides Certificates of Analysis. Meanwhile, Leilo’s formulation approach centers on standardized noble kava extract blended with carbonated water, natural flavors, and light sweetening from organic cane sugar and stevia. The brand emphasizes consistent kavalactone delivery per serving and shelf stability through pasteurization.
Botanical Brewing Co. operates as a U.S.-based brand built around non-alcoholic botanical drinks that integrate kava, kratom, and hemp-derived ingredients. The brand frames its identity around replacing alcohol in social settings through what it describes as plant-based euphoria and mindful socialization.
The brand’s product ecosystem is broad and segmented across multiple categories, including kratom, kava, and hemp. Some featured offerings from the brand include sparkling kava drinks with flavors such as Peach on the Beach, Orange Dream, and Brewer Series Unicorn Piss. The brand also offers kratom elixirs organized by white, green, and red strain profiles, including options such as Red Elixir Blueberry Lemonade, White Elixir Island Breeze, and Green Elixir Tiki Apple. Botanical Brewing Co. also offers hemp-infused seltzers, available in Lemon Poundcake and Perfect Pear flavors.
From a formulation perspective, Botanical Brewing Co. emphasizes handcrafted, taste-forward recipes built around kava root, kratom leaf extracts, and natural botanicals designed to replicate cocktail-style experiences. While the brand references research-backed formulation and clean ingredients, detailed lab testing protocols are not specified explicitly. Distribution remains constrained by state-level regulations, with shipping exclusions and product availability varying by botanical category.
Leilo operates within the same non-alcoholic functional drinks category but with a narrower botanical scope and a more tradition-driven narrative. The brand centers exclusively on kava-infused offerings. Its product range is intentionally streamlined, consisting primarily of canned kava tonics and a single powdered drink mix. Canned flavors such as Raspberry Hibiscus, Blackberry Orange, Tangerine Mango, Piña Colada, Lime Margarita, and Moscow Mule are framed as mocktail-inspired options designed to mirror familiar social drinks. Variety packs and samplers provide exposure across flavors, while the Berry drink mix offers a simple at-home preparation format. The catalog remains focused on drink formats and does not expand into shots, strain-based differentiation, or added botanicals.
Leilo’s formulation approach prioritizes standardization and predictability. Its products are built around standardized noble kava extract combined with carbonated water and natural flavors. Quality and safety communication is more explicit, with references to lab testing and batch-level consistency.
Botanical Brewing Co. delivers a wide, experimental botanical portfolio rooted in kava bar culture, appealing to those interested in varied plant effects, cocktail-style flavors, and multi-botanical exploration while accepting regulatory complexity and regional limitations. Leilo delivers a focused, standardized kava experience designed for mainstream social settings, prioritizing clarity, consistency, and cultural lineage over botanical breadth.
Leilo operates in a legal framework where kava, the main botanical used in its drinks and drink mixes, is federally legal across the United States. Kava (Piper methysticum) is not classified as a controlled substance under U.S. federal law and is commonly sold as a supplement or botanical ingredient.
At the state level, legality depends more on how kava products are sold than on the ingredient itself. In the U.S. states of Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas, kava products are generally allowed with no statewide bans.
However, some states apply additional rules rather than full bans. For instance, states like Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Rhode Island typically require extra permits, closer oversight, or limits on commercial kava product sales.
Leilo claims to provide kava-based, non-alcoholic drinks and powder intended for relaxation and calmness. Standardized noble kava extract, low-calorie counts, and alcohol-free formulations shape the structure of the brand’s lineup, while mocktail-style flavors and variety packs support familiarity and ease of use.
However, it is important to note that the brand’s formulation may trigger drowsiness, digestive discomfort, headaches, or oral numbness due to known kava-related reactions. Carbonation, sweeteners such as stevia, and individual metabolic differences may further influence tolerance and overall experience.
Kava remains federally legal in the United States, but state-level rules, retail classifications, and local permitting might impact accessibility. Scientific discussion around long-term kava use, particularly related to liver health, continues to shape cautionary guidance for frequent consumption. Its suitability depends on your health status, sensitivity to kava, and local regulatory conditions.
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