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CBD for acne, eczema and psoriasis

There is not enough evidence that CBD creams help acne, eczema or psoriasis. The largest acne trial has no peer-reviewed results and other studies are small.

Facts checked 13 November 20264 min readHow we research
Not enough evidence

The largest trial of topical CBD for acne (368 people, 12 weeks) has no peer-reviewed efficacy results, and eczema and psoriasis studies are small and cover mixed cannabinoid products.

How we grade evidence

There is not enough evidence to say that CBD helps acne, eczema or psoriasis. The largest trial of a CBD skin product has never had its results published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the remaining studies are small. Skin products are also the least studied way of using CBD.

What the research shows

Acne

The biggest study is a phase 2 trial of a topical CBD solution in people with moderate to severe acne. It enrolled 368 participants and ran for 12 weeks. The comparison was the “vehicle”, meaning the same solution without the CBD.1

No peer-reviewed publication of the efficacy results was found in our research. The efficacy figures that are publicly available are subgroups selected by the company that developed the product, which is a weak form of evidence. Until the full results are published and checked by independent reviewers, this trial cannot support a claim that CBD helps acne.

Eczema and psoriasis

A systematic review published in 2023 rated the evidence for cannabinoid products in atopic dermatitis (the most common type of eczema) and psoriasis as moderate quality. Two cautions apply. The studies were small. And the review covered cannabinoid products as a group, not only CBD applied to the skin.2 That makes it hard to say what CBD itself contributed.

Why laboratory findings are not enough

Claims about CBD and skin often lean on laboratory studies of cells. Our page on how we grade evidence explains why results in cells often fail to carry over to people.

What doses were tested

Dose is hard to pin down for skin products. What matters is the strength of the product, how much is applied and how well it gets into the skin, and these vary from study to study.

CBD applied to the skin is poorly absorbed into the body. Creams and balms are used for a local effect. Transdermal systems, such as patches built to drive a drug through the skin, are engineered differently and reach the bloodstream to a limited degree.3

No trial of swallowed CBD for acne, eczema or psoriasis was found in our research.

What Australian medical bodies say

No Australian medical body recommends CBD for skin conditions.

  • The TGA’s pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) category for low-dose CBD covers oral products only. Topical products are excluded.45 So there is no lawful over-the-counter route for a CBD skin product in Australia.
  • RACGP (the GPs’ college) describes the evidence for medicinal cannabis as “limited and inconclusive” and does not recommend or encourage it.6
  • As of November 2026, only two cannabis medicines are registered in Australia, and neither is a skin treatment.7

Skincare made with hemp seed oil is a different thing. Hemp seed oil is a food and cosmetic oil with negligible cannabinoids. See CBD oil vs hemp seed oil and hemp and CBD in skincare.

Risks to know about

  • Mislabelled products. A 2024 US study of hemp-derived cosmetics, haircare and edible products found only 12.7% were accurately labelled. About 49% contained more than the label said and 38% contained less.8 Products bought online from overseas may not contain what they claim. See is what is on the label in the bottle?
  • Importing. CBD skin products sold by overseas websites are covered by Australia’s import rules. See importing CBD from overseas for the rules.
  • Rash. In epilepsy trials of high-dose CBD taken by mouth, rash was reported in 13% of people on the higher dose and 3% on placebo.9 This was with swallowed CBD at large doses, not creams.
  • Other ingredients. Creams contain many ingredients besides CBD, and any of them can irritate the skin.
  • Delay. Severe acne, eczema and psoriasis have established treatments. Relying on an unproven product can delay them.

If you are considering it

  • See your GP or dermatologist about the skin condition first.
  • Ask what evidence exists for the specific product, and whether it has been tested against a version without CBD.
  • If you take any CBD product by mouth, tell your doctor and pharmacist about your other medicines so interactions can be checked. See CBD drug interactions.
  • Read more about CBD creams and topicals.

Footnotes

  1. ClinicalTrials.gov. Evaluation of BTX 1503 in patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris, NCT03573518. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03573518 ↩

  2. Systematic review of cannabinoid products in dermatology. Cosmetics, 2023. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/10/5/129/htm ↩

  3. Review of topical and transdermal delivery of cannabidiol. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11172078/ ↩

  4. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Interim decision on cannabidiol scheduling (conditions of the Schedule 3 entry), 2020. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/scheduling-decisions-interim/notice-interim-decisions-proposed-amendments-poisons-standard-acms-and-joint-acms-accs-meetings-june-2020/41-cannabidiol-private-application-and-cannabidiol-delegate-initiated ↩

  5. Retail Pharmacy Magazine. TGA announces OTC access for low-dose CBD (secondary report). https://retailpharmacymagazine.com.au/tga-announces-otc-access-for-low-dose-cbd/ ↩

  6. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Medical cannabis position statement (2019 update). https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩

  7. NPS MedicineWise. Medicinal cannabis: what you need to know. https://www.nps.org.au/professionals/medicinal-cannabis-what-you-need-to-know ↩

  8. Label accuracy of hemp-derived cosmetic, haircare and edible products, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39029473/ ↩

  9. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) US prescribing information, DailyMed, revised 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩

Common questions

Does CBD cream help acne?

It has not been shown to. The largest trial, in 368 people with moderate to severe acne, compared a CBD solution with the same solution without CBD for 12 weeks. No peer-reviewed publication of its results was found, and the only efficacy figures available are subgroups chosen by the company that ran it.

Does CBD help eczema or psoriasis?

There is not enough evidence. A 2023 systematic review rated the evidence for cannabinoid products in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis as moderate quality, but it came from small studies and covered many kinds of cannabinoid product, not just CBD creams.

Can I buy CBD skin cream in Australia?

Not over the counter. CBD is a prescription medicine in Australia, and the pharmacist-only category for low-dose CBD is limited to oral products, which excludes creams and other topicals. Hemp seed oil skincare is legal, but hemp seed oil contains negligible CBD.

Does CBD from a cream get into the bloodstream?

Very little. Absorption of CBD through the skin into the body is low, and creams are used for a local effect. Patches designed to push CBD through the skin work differently and reach the blood to a limited degree.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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