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Hemp and CBD in skincare and cosmetics

Hemp seed oil skincare is lawful in Australia. The Poisons Standard has no exemption for cosmetics with added CBD, and evidence for CBD on skin is thin.

Facts checked 13 November 20265 min readHow we research

Skincare made with hemp seed oil is lawful in Australia, provided the oil meets the legal limits for CBD and THC. Skincare with added CBD is a different matter. The Poisons Standard has no exemption for cosmetics, so a cream containing CBD is not carved out of the medicine schedules.1

What is the difference between hemp skincare and CBD skincare?

Hemp skincare uses hemp seed oil, often listed as “Cannabis sativa seed oil”. The Poisons Standard defines hemp seed oil as oil “obtained by cold expression from the ripened fruits (seeds) of Cannabis sativa”.1 It is a plant oil, used like other plant oils in moisturisers, soaps and balms.

CBD skincare contains cannabidiol (CBD) that has been extracted from other parts of the plant and added to the product. The Office of Drug Control says extracts from parts of the plant other than the seed “are considered a drug”.2

The two are easy to confuse because both come from the same plant and labels do not use the words consistently. See CBD oil vs hemp seed oil.

Yes, if the oil is within the limits. As of November 2026, hemp seed oil is exempt from the cannabis, CBD and THC entries of the Poisons Standard when it contains 75 mg/kg or less of CBD and 10 mg/kg or less of THC.1 A cosmetic made with oil that meets those limits is lawful.

Older figures are still quoted. Some sources say Australia permits up to 50 mg/kg of CBD and 20 mg/kg of THC in cosmetics. That does not match the current Poisons Standard. It appears to reflect an older hemp seed oil exemption (50 mg/kg of total cannabinoids and 20 mg/kg of THC) that has since been replaced.31

This is less clear than most websites suggest, so we will set out what is confirmed and what is not.

Confirmed:

  • The CBD, cannabis and THC entries in the Poisons Standard contain no exemption for cosmetics or for external use. The only carve-out is hemp seed oil within the limits above.1
  • CBD “in preparations for therapeutic use” is a prescription medicine (Schedule 4).1
  • The pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) entry covers only “oral, oromucosal and sublingual preparations”, so it does not cover creams.1 No Schedule 3 CBD product has been registered in any case.4
  • Advertising prescription medicines to the public is prohibited, and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) guidance treats references to “CBD” as references to medicinal cannabis.5

Not confirmed:

  • The Schedule 4 entry is worded “for therapeutic use”. Whether a CBD cosmetic that makes no therapeutic claim falls outside it was not resolved in our research. The cannabis and THC entries are not limited in that way.1
  • We could not find a published position on CBD in cosmetics from the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), which regulates cosmetic ingredients.

Until a regulator states otherwise, the safe reading is that a cream with added CBD is not exempt simply because it is sold as a cosmetic. A CBD cream prescribed by a doctor and supplied by a pharmacy is a medicine and is covered in CBD creams and topicals.

Can you order CBD skincare from overseas?

It can be seized. Cannabinoids and cannabis extracts are prohibited imports unless the importer holds a licence and a permit.6 In 2021 the Australian Border Force reported “a marked increase” in interceptions of “hemp or CBD gummies, oils and skin care products”, and said the items would be seized and importers may face prosecution.7

See importing CBD from overseas.

Does CBD on the skin do anything?

The research is thin. We grade the evidence for CBD in acne, eczema and psoriasis as not enough evidence.

  • Acne. The largest trial of a CBD skin product enrolled 368 people for 12 weeks. No peer-reviewed publication of its efficacy results was found.8
  • Eczema and psoriasis. A 2023 systematic review rated the evidence for cannabinoid products as moderate quality for both conditions, based on small studies. It covered cannabinoid products broadly, not only CBD creams.9
  • Muscle soreness. Two randomised pilot studies of CBD cream or gel found no meaningful effect on soreness or recovery after exercise.10
  • Absorption. CBD applied to the skin reaches the bloodstream only in small amounts. Creams and balms act locally, if at all.11

Full detail is on the skin conditions page.

Is what is on the label in the jar?

Overseas testing suggests often not. In a 2024 United States study of hemp-derived cosmetic, haircare and edible products, only 12.7 per cent were accurately labelled for CBD. About half contained more than the label said and more than a third contained less.12

That matters for anyone who is drug tested. A product that claims to be free of THC may not be. See will CBD show up on a drug test?

How can you tell hemp seed skincare from CBD skincare?

  • The ingredient name. “Cannabis sativa seed oil” or “hemp seed oil” is the pressed seed oil.
  • A CBD amount in milligrams. This signals added CBD, which is not covered by the hemp seed oil exemption.1
  • Health claims. A cosmetic that claims to treat a condition is making a therapeutic claim, and therapeutic goods have their own rules.5
  • Overseas products. Products sent from overseas sellers face the import rules above.

For skin conditions, a GP or dermatologist can explain the treatments that have been properly tested.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, cannabidiol entries and hemp seed oil definition. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. Office of Drug Control. Information on hemp products, hemp oil and hemp seed oil. https://www.odc.gov.au/node/1372 ↩

  3. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Document released under FOI 26-2886 (scheduling history of cannabis, CBD and THC), 2026. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-06/FOI%2026-2886.PDF ↩

  4. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Consultation paper: Reviewing the safety and regulatory oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products, August 2025. https://consultations.tga.gov.au/medicines-regulation-division/test-soms/user_uploads/final---consultation-paper---medicinal-cannabis-review---august-2025.pdf ↩

  5. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Advertising guidance for businesses involved with medicinal cannabis products, December 2023. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/advertising-guidance-businesses-medicinal-cannabis-products.docx ↩ ↩2

  6. Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, regulation 5 and Schedule 4. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F1996B03651/latest/text ↩

  7. Australian Border Force media release, 5 July 2021, as republished by Mirage News. https://www.miragenews.com/increase-in-seizures-prompts-warning-to-590129/ ↩

  8. ClinicalTrials.gov. Phase 2 trial of a topical cannabidiol solution in moderate to severe acne, NCT03573518. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03573518 ↩

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

  10. Randomised pilot studies of topical CBD for muscle soreness and recovery. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38980809/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41877261/ ↩

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

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

Common questions

Is CBD skincare legal in Australia?

The Poisons Standard has no exemption for cosmetics in its CBD, cannabis or THC entries, so a cream with added CBD is not exempted from the medicine schedules. The only carve-out is hemp seed oil within set limits. Whether a CBD cosmetic making no therapeutic claims could fall outside Schedule 4 is unresolved, and we could not confirm it from a primary source.

Is hemp seed oil skincare the same as CBD skincare?

No. Hemp seed oil is pressed from the seeds and may contain no more than 75 mg of CBD per kilogram, which is a trace. Skincare made with it is a hemp seed product, not a CBD product.

What does Cannabis sativa seed oil mean on an ingredient list?

It is hemp seed oil. The Poisons Standard defines hemp seed oil as oil obtained by cold expression from the ripened seeds of Cannabis sativa. It does not mean the product contains a meaningful amount of CBD or any THC above the legal trace limits.

Does CBD cream help eczema, psoriasis or acne?

The evidence is not enough to say. One review rated the evidence for cannabinoid products in eczema and psoriasis as moderate quality but drawn from small studies, and it was not limited to CBD creams. No peer-reviewed efficacy results were found for the largest CBD acne trial.

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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