How TRIP Dropped CBD, Bagged Kendall Jenner, and Chased a $550M Valuation

LONDON, UK – September 18, 2026 – In the high-stakes theater of modern beverage strategy, few brands have executed a corporate pivot as quietly and successfully as TRIP. The London-born functional beverage company has just unveiled its largest global advertising campaign to date, titled 'Calm in the Chaos,' plastering the faces of Kendall Jenner, Joe Jonas, and TikTok sensation Madeline Argy across billboards from Times Square to Hollywood Boulevard.

But the real story isn't the star-studded television commercial or the brand's newly minted $550 million valuation. The true masterstroke is what is missing from the cans entirely: CBD.

By systematically phasing out the controversial cannabinoid in favor of a mainstream magnesium and botanical blend, TRIP has not only survived a brutal regulatory crackdown but has unlocked mass retail distribution across the United States and the United Kingdom. In doing so, the company has rewritten the playbook on how to scale a wellness brand, trading traditional celebrity endorsements for cap-table equity, and positioning "calm" as the ultimate antidote to the caffeine-fueled energy drink wars.

The Great Functional Pivot: Escaping the CBD Trap

To understand TRIP's current $200 million revenue trajectory for 2026, one must look back at the regulatory nightmare the company narrowly escaped. Just three years ago, TRIP commanded an 88 percent market share in the UK's CBD drinks segment. However, the regulatory ceiling collapsed in October 2023 when the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) slashed the acceptable daily intake of CBD for healthy adults from 70 milligrams down to a mere 10 milligrams, citing chronic toxicity concerns.

Overnight, TRIP's flagship 15-milligram cans became a compliance liability. Major health retailers temporarily pulled the products from shelves, and broad-scale European expansion was paralyzed by even stricter European Food Safety Authority guidelines. Simultaneously, the United States Food and Drug Administration maintained its rigid stance against ingestible CBD, effectively barring the brand from the aisles of conventional mega-grocers like Target and Walmart.

Rather than fight an unwinnable war against international food regulators, TRIP's founders, Olivia Ferdi and Daniel Khoury, orchestrated a brilliant substitution. In early 2024, the brand introduced its "Mindful Blend," replacing CBD with magnesium, lion's mane mushroom, ashwagandha, and L-theanine.

Because magnesium carries a "generally recognized as safe" status, the new formulation instantly bypassed the FDA's drug exclusion rules and the FSA's novel foods bottleneck. Within fourteen months, the non-CBD lines surged to account for over 90 percent of the brand's revenue. Today, CBD represents less than 3 percent of current sales as remaining stock is quietly phased out, proving that consumers were always buying the promise of relaxation, not necessarily the cannabinoid itself.

From Paid Endorsers to Cap-Table Partners

With mass-market retail unlocked, TRIP needed a marketing vehicle powerful enough to drive global velocity. Enter the equity-for-advocacy model. Rather than writing massive upfront checks for traditional celebrity endorsements, TRIP has brought its high-profile ambassadors onto the cap table.

Kendall Jenner, Joe Jonas, Madeline Argy, and British media personalities Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo have all joined the company as equity shareholders. This structure fundamentally changes the dynamic of the campaign. Jenner isn't just a hired face; she is an investor whose massive cultural footprint provides crossover appeal to her existing audience, positioning TRIP as a sophisticated evening reset or alcohol alternative.

"I've been obsessed with TRIP for a while - the product is incredible, and I've always loved how elevated and intentional the brand feels," Jenner noted regarding her new role as Global Ambassador. "It's my favorite way to stay grounded and present in my daily routine - it tastes great and makes me feel amazing. When I met Liv and Dan, I instantly connected with what they're building. I love their vision for the brand and their mission to help more people find calm in their everyday lives. I'm so excited to be part of their journey."

Jonas, who invested during the company's late 2025 growth round, echoed the sentiment of using the beverage as an antidote to modern burnout. "With everything happening right now - touring, creating, accidentally starting twelve side projects I swear I'll 'circle back' to - balance is a cute idea I've heard rumors about," Jonas said. "TRIP is my reset button. Like a spiritual Ctrl-Alt-Delete. I loved it so much I became an investor. Whatever's coming next… honestly, I'm a little scared, but also extremely excited."

Navigating the Advertising Minefield

While magnesium opened the doors to 20,000 retail locations across the US, it also exposed TRIP to intense scrutiny from consumer protection regulators. In July 2025, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned several of TRIP's online ads for breaching food and health claim codes, ruling that the brand's marketing implied disease prevention and made unauthorized physiological claims about lowering cortisol levels.

This regulatory slap on the wrist explains the creative direction of the current 'Calm in the Chaos' campaign. To comply with strict advertising codes, the brand has pivoted away from explicit medical claims and embraced surreal, subjective visual metaphors.

Instead of promising clinical anxiety relief, the commercial relies on stylistic vignettes: Jonas is transported to a pink, dream-like space surrounded by puppies; Argy finds her balance amidst a chaotic party setting, utilizing the drink as a non-alcoholic social lubricant; and Jenner reclines by a serene, illuminated seascape.

"This campaign is about showing the world what we've always known – that TRIP isn't just a drink, it's a feeling, and a community," said Olivia Ferdi, Co-Founder and CEO of TRIP. "Collaborating with Kendall, Joe and Madeline – all genuine customers and fans of the brand – lets us tell that story in a way that feels real, playful and true to who we are. Kendall perfectly embodies the way we think about calm today: not stepping away from a full life, but finding moments within it to reset, feel present and be your best authentic self."

Chasing the Giants: Velocity Versus Volume

As TRIP scales to a projected $200 million in revenue for 2026, the company's press materials boldly claim that only Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and Monster have won shelf space faster over the last year.

Beverage industry insiders point out that this metric reflects the net percentage rate of new shelf-space addition, rather than total volume. Because TRIP has rapidly expanded from specialized health aisles into conventional carbonated soft drink sections across the top 12 UK grocers, its mathematical rate of addition naturally outpaces mature brands that already saturate the market. Monster and Red Bull still generate tens of billions in global turnover, dwarfing TRIP's output by massive multiples.

However, the velocity metric signals a critical cultural shift. Functional beverage analysts note that the industry has entered a new phase. If the first era was defined by hydration, and the second by gut health, the third is undoubtedly centered on nervous system regulation. The "calm-in-a-can" category is booming, fueled by a sober-curious Gen-Z demographic and rising global stress metrics.

TRIP's latest $550 million valuation is an implied figure tied to its 2026 equity partnerships and forward-looking run rates, building upon a $40 million Series C round closed in late 2025 that valued the enterprise at over $300 million. To justify this premium, the brand must prove that its magnesium-fueled momentum is sustainable and that its high-profile equity partners can convert billboard impressions into daily habits.

By successfully shedding its CBD baggage and aligning with some of the most influential faces in modern culture, TRIP has positioned itself at the absolute forefront of the functional relaxation movement. The brand has bet a half-billion-dollar valuation on the premise that in an increasingly chaotic world, peace of mind is the ultimate consumer commodity.