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CBD creams and topicals

What CBD creams, balms and patches are, how little CBD passes through the skin, what trials have found, and where topical CBD stands in Australian law.

Facts checked 13 November 20266 min readHow we research

CBD creams, balms and gels are applied to the skin and are meant to act where they are put. Very little of the CBD reaches the bloodstream, and the few human trials so far have not shown a clear benefit. In Australia CBD is regulated as a prescription medicine and the law has no exemption for CBD cosmetics, so a CBD cream is supplied on prescription rather than sold as an ordinary shop cosmetic.

What counts as a topical?

  • Topical products (creams, balms, salves, gels, lotions) are meant to act on or just under the skin where they are applied.
  • Transdermal products (patches and some gels) are engineered to push a medicine through the skin into the blood.

Both appear on the TGA’s list of dosage forms that a prescriber can select for an unapproved cannabis medicine, as “topical” and “patch, dermal”.1

Does CBD get through the skin?

Not easily. The outer layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, is a barrier of flattened cells set in fats. Substances pass through it best when they are small and only moderately fat-loving. CBD is very strongly fat-loving. A 2024 review of CBD skin delivery explains that this makes CBD “an inadequate candidate” for passing through skin on its own, because it tends to build up in the outer layer instead of moving into the deeper layers.2

Researchers are trying to get around this with penetration enhancers and carriers such as gels, microemulsions and tiny fat-based particles. In rats, a 5% CBD gel produced measurable blood levels, while 1% and 2.5% gels did not have the effect being tested.2 That is early laboratory work. It does not tell you what a shop cream or a compounded balm delivers in a person, and no human figure for how much CBD is absorbed through skin has been properly measured.3

Low absorption cuts both ways. It means a cream is unlikely to produce the whole-body effects, good or bad, of a swallowed dose. It also means claims that a cream “delivers CBD to the joint” are not supported by measurements.

What have trials of CBD creams found?

Much less than the marketing suggests.

  • Muscle soreness and recovery. Two randomised pilot studies of CBD cream or gel found no meaningful effect on muscle soreness or recovery after exercise.45
  • Arthritis and joint pain. Our research found no adequate randomised trial of topical CBD for arthritis in people. Trials of swallowed CBD for arthritis pain found no benefit over placebo.6 See CBD for arthritis.
  • Acne. A 12-week, 368-person phase 2 trial of a CBD solution applied to the skin was registered and run. We found no peer-reviewed publication of its efficacy results.7
  • Eczema and psoriasis. A 2023 systematic review rated the evidence for cannabinoid products as moderate quality for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. It drew on small studies and covered cannabinoid products generally, not CBD creams alone.8 See CBD for acne, eczema and psoriasis.

The TGA’s summary, in its 2025 review of unapproved cannabis medicines, is that there is “limited evidence to support the safety and efficacy of other dosage forms such as sprays, suppositories, topicals and edibles”.1

A cream can feel soothing for reasons that have nothing to do with CBD: the massage, the base, or added ingredients such as menthol. Only a trial against the same cream without CBD can separate those effects. See how we grade the evidence.

As of November 2026:

  • CBD is a prescription medicine. The Schedule 4 entry covers CBD “in preparations for therapeutic use” where CBD is 98% or more of the cannabinoid content.9
  • The pharmacist-only category does not include topicals. The Schedule 3 entry is limited to “oral, oromucosal and sublingual preparations”.9
  • There is no exemption for cosmetics. The only carve-out in the cannabis and CBD entries is for hemp seed oil containing 75 mg/kg or less of CBD and 10 mg/kg or less of THC.9 Whether a CBD product that makes no therapeutic claims could fall outside Schedule 4 is a question our research could not resolve, and we do not suggest it does.
  • A topical can be prescribed. A doctor or nurse practitioner can apply to supply an unapproved topical cannabis medicine through the TGA’s access pathways.1 It may be made by a manufacturer or compounded by a pharmacist.
  • Imported products are not lawful. The Australian Border Force has warned that hemp and CBD “skin care products” ordered from overseas will be seized.10

So where does “hemp skincare” on a shop shelf fit? Lawful products are made with hemp seed oil, a moisturising oil pressed from the seed, which contains only a trace of CBD. See hemp and CBD in skincare and cosmetics and CBD oil vs hemp seed oil.

How reliable are topical products?

For unregulated products sold overseas, not very.

  • In a 2024 United States study of hemp-derived cosmetic, haircare and edible products, only 12.7% were accurately labelled for CBD. Forty-nine per cent contained more than the label said and 38% contained less.11
  • In a separate study of 202 CBD products, which included 20 topicals, the topicals were more likely than other formats to contain more CBD than labelled.12

Prescription products supplied in Australia must comply with the quality standard TGO 93, which requires the content of each active ingredient to be within 90% to 110% of the label and sets limits for contaminants. One detail is worth knowing: the standard’s microbiological section applies to products taken by mouth or inhaled, and it does not name topical products.13 See is what is on the label in the bottle?

Safety points

  • Skin reactions. Any cream can irritate skin or trigger an allergy, from the base as much as the active ingredient. The trials of topical CBD have been too small to say how common this is. Stop and seek advice if a rash develops.
  • Broken skin. Damaged skin absorbs more of whatever is put on it. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist before applying a medicine to broken or inflamed skin.
  • Children and pets. Keep creams out of reach, and stop pets licking treated skin. Products that contain THC are a particular concern for dogs. See pet safety.
  • Do not swap a cream for treatment that works. For a skin condition or ongoing pain, talk to your GP about the range of treatment options and the evidence for each.
  • Other medicines. Swallowed CBD interacts with several medicines. Tell your prescriber about everything you take. See CBD drug interactions.

Footnotes

  1. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Consultation: Reviewing the safety and regulatory oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products, version 1.0, August 2025. https://consultations.tga.gov.au/medicines-regulation-division/test-soms/user_uploads/final---consultation-paper---medicinal-cannabis-review---august-2025.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Lefebvre È, Tawil N, Yahia L. Transdermal delivery of cannabidiol for the management of acute inflammatory pain: a comprehensive review of the literature. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11172078/ ↩ ↩2

  3. Millar SA, et al. Systematic review of the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol in humans, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30534073/ ↩

  4. Randomised pilot study of topical cannabidiol and muscle soreness. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38980809/ ↩

  5. Randomised pilot study of topical cannabidiol and recovery after exercise. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41877261/ ↩

  6. Pramhas S, et al. Oral cannabidiol (600 mg a day) for knee osteoarthritis pain, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Regional Health Europe, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10682664/ ↩

  7. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT03573518, phase 2 trial of a topical cannabidiol solution in acne. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03573518 ↩

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

  9. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, cannabidiol and cannabis entries. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

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

  11. Study of label accuracy in hemp-derived cosmetic, haircare and edible products, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39029473/ ↩

  12. Gidal BE, et al. Product labeling accuracy and contamination analysis of commercially available cannabidiol product samples. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10982813/ ↩

  13. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Medicinal Cannabis) (TGO 93) Order 2017, compilation of 6 December 2022, sections 12 and 16 and Schedule 1. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2017L00286/latest/text ↩

Common questions

Do CBD creams work for pain?

There is no good evidence that they do. Two small randomised pilot studies of CBD cream or gel found no meaningful effect on muscle soreness or recovery, and no adequate trial of topical CBD for arthritis pain in people was found. The TGA says evidence for the safety and efficacy of topical cannabis products is limited.

Does CBD cream get absorbed into the bloodstream?

Very little. CBD is strongly fat-loving, so it collects in the outer layer of the skin instead of passing through to the blood. Patches and gels designed to carry more CBD through the skin are being studied, mostly in the laboratory and in animals.

Can I buy CBD cream over the counter in Australia?

Not lawfully, as of November 2026. CBD is a prescription medicine, and the pharmacist-only category that exists in law is limited to products taken by mouth. Skincare sold in shops as hemp is usually made with hemp seed oil, which contains only a trace of CBD.

Will CBD cream make me fail a drug test?

We did not find a study that tested this. Drug tests look for THC, not CBD, and little of what is applied to skin reaches the blood. A product that contains THC is the main concern, so ask what is in it if you are tested for work, driving or sport.

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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