Original research · 2026 edition
The Kava Transparency Report
Caffeine drinks print their caffeine. Beer prints its ABV. So we asked one question of every major ready-to-drink kava on the market: does the label tell you, in milligrams, how many kavalactones you are buying? Here is the brand-by-brand answer.
- 8
- RTD kavas audited
- 5
- publish kavalactones
- 3
- print extract weight instead
- 6.4x
- price spread per 100 mg among honest brands
Finding 1
Five brands print the number. Three print a decoy.
Every product below was tested and reviewed by the Kava Review desk, with label claims checked against the brand's published lab documentation. "Discloses" means a kavalactone milligram figure appears on the label or the brand's own materials.
| Product | What the label says | Verdict | Cost / 100 mg | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root of Happiness KavaShot | 500 mg kavalactones / 2 oz shot | ✓ Discloses | $1.20 to $1.30 / 100 mg | Our review |
| Kaviva Sparkling Kava | 300 mg kavalactones / can | ✓ Discloses | ≈ $1.67 / 100 mg | Our review |
| Mitra9 Kava Seltzer | 150 mg kavalactones / can | ✓ Discloses | ≈ $4.03 to $4.17 / 100 mg | Our review |
| MELO Sparkling Kava | 100 mg kavalactones / can | ✓ Discloses | $4.17 / 100 mg | Our review |
| TRU KAVA | 65 to 75 mg kavalactones / can (published average) | ✓ Discloses | ≈ $6.65 to $7.68 / 100 mg | Our review |
| Leilo | “1,000 mg kava extract” (extract weight, not kavalactones) | ⚑ Extract weight only | Cannot be computed | Our review |
| Kalm with Kava Seltzer | “Kavalactone Extract 1500mg” (extract weight, not kavalactones) | ⚑ Extract weight only | Cannot be computed | Our review |
| DaHonu Life | “Kavalactone Extract 1500mg” (extract weight, not kavalactones) | ⚑ Extract weight only | Cannot be computed | Our review |
Finding 2
The "kavalactone extract" label trick
The category's favorite sleight of hand: printing "1,000 mg kava extract" or "Kavalactone Extract 1500mg" in a way that reads like potency. Those are extract weights, the mass of the ingredient that went in, not the kavalactone content of the drink. 1,500 mg of extract is not 1,500 mg of kavalactones, and no brand using that wording told us the actual purity. Two of the three non-disclosing labels we audited carry line-for-line identical "Kavalactone Extract 1500mg" panels.
Finding 3
Honesty costs anywhere from $1.20 to $7.68
Among the five brands that do publish a number, the verified cost per 100 mg of kavalactones spans from about $1.20 (a 2 oz concentrated shot) to about $7.68 (a low-dose sipping can): a 6.4x spread for the same active compounds. Format, flavor, and brand explain the gap; the milligrams do not. Run any label through our free value calculator to see where it lands.
The brands that tell you (and where to get them)
Transparency should win customers. These five publish their kavalactones; each link is a live price check.
Methodology
Scope: major ready-to-drink kava products (cans, seltzers, and shots) tested and reviewed by the Kava Review desk as of mid-2026. A brand counts as disclosing when a kavalactone milligram figure per serving appears on the label or in the brand's own published materials, verified against lab documentation where provided. Extract weight is not kavalactone content and does not count. Full standards: how we test. Kava is for adults 21 and up; never mix kava with alcohol; nothing here is medical advice.
Cite this report
Journalists, researchers, and kava communities may cite these findings with a link to this page as the source: "Kava Transparency Report, Kava Review, 2026." The audit is updated as brands change labels, start publishing numbers, or new products earn a review. Corrections welcome: contact the desk. Brands: if you start printing your kavalactones, we will update your row. Get reviewed.