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How to store CBD oil and how long it lasts

Heat and air break CBD down, and oil loses strength faster than powder. What stability studies found, what labels require and how to store CBD safely.

Facts checked 13 November 20267 min readHow we research

Store CBD the way its label says, use it before the expiry date, and keep it cool, closed and away from children and pets. Stability studies show that heat and air are what break CBD down, and that CBD dissolved in oil is less stable than pure CBD powder.

What does the label tell you?

Prescribed medicinal cannabis products in Australia must comply with the standard TGO 93. Since 1 July 2023 it has required the label to show the storage conditions that apply to the product and an expiry date. A “best before” date is specifically not acceptable in place of an expiry date.1

An expiry date comes from stability testing, in which the maker stores the product under controlled conditions and tests it over time. The international guideline on stability testing (ICH Q1A) defines shelf life as the period during which a product is expected to stay within its approved specification, “provided that it is stored under the conditions defined on the container label”.2 The date only holds if you follow the storage instructions.

Each product is different, so the label and the pharmacist are the first source. As an example, this is what is published for the registered CBD oil, Epidyolex:

Australian product information (2021 version) United States label
Temperature Store below 25 °C3 Store at 20 °C to 25 °C. Do not freeze4
Position and closure Not stated Keep upright with the cap tightly closed4
Unopened shelf life 2 years3 Not stated in our source
After first opening Use within 8 weeks3 Use within 12 weeks, then discard the remainder4
Container Amber glass bottle with a child-resistant cap3 Not stated in our source

The Australian document is the version published in 2021 and may have been updated since. Check the leaflet that comes with the medicine.

What breaks CBD down?

The clearest study stored CBD for a year in two forms, as a solid powder and dissolved in sunflower oil, under standard stability-testing conditions in the dark. It compared open vials with closed ones, and room conditions (25 °C and 60% humidity) with hot, humid conditions (40 °C and 75% humidity).5

Form and conditions CBD lost
Powder, 25 °C, closed vial, 1 year About 8%
Powder, 25 °C, open vial, 1 year About 10%
Oil, 25 °C, first 6 months No significant loss
Oil, 25 °C, 1 year About 42% (open and closed vials averaged)
Oil, 40 °C, closed vial, 1 year About 76%
Oil, 40 °C, open vial, 3 months About 20%
Oil, 40 °C, open vial, 1 year About 99%

What this shows:

  • Oil is less stable than powder. The authors concluded that CBD powder was “significantly more stable” than CBD in oil.
  • Heat speeds things up. At 40 °C the oil lost far more than at 25 °C.
  • Air matters, most of all when it is warm. At 40 °C, the open vials lost 20% in three months while the closed vials showed no significant loss over the same period.
  • Light alone did less than expected. Five days of strong artificial light did not cause measurable loss at 25 °C. The authors concluded that light by itself does not have a strong adverse effect on CBD, but may speed up breakdown in combination with heat, oxygen and the solvent used.

Older research on cannabis more broadly points in the same direction. A four-year study of cannabis resin and extract found that cannabinoid stability is affected by temperature, light and air. Extract stored at 4 °C degraded more slowly than at room temperature, and at minus 20 °C the measured cannabinoids were unchanged over the study. That study measured THC and related compounds in cannabis extract, not a CBD medicine, so it shows the general pattern and not a rule for your product.6

One caution about all of this. These studies used a particular oil, particular containers and laboratory conditions. Your product has a different formula and its own stability testing behind its label. The label takes priority.

What does CBD turn into?

In the one-year study, the breakdown products included cannabinol (CBN) and several oxidation products. THC was not detected.5 So the practical result of poor storage is an oil that is weaker than its label says, not one that has become intoxicating.

The carrier changes too. In the open vials kept at 40 °C, the sunflower oil thickened dramatically over the year.5 An oil that has changed in thickness, smell or appearance may no longer match its label. Ask your pharmacist about it. Do not rely on your senses to judge whether it is still good.

How should you store CBD at home?

These points follow from the evidence above. Where the label says something different, follow the label.

  1. Keep it in the original container. That keeps the batch number, expiry date and dispensing label with the medicine, and the container was chosen for the product. The registered oil comes in amber glass.3
  2. Close the cap firmly after each use. Air exposure sped up breakdown in the stability study.5
  3. Keep it cool and away from heat. Avoid parked cars, windowsills and spots near the stove or a heater. Heat was the biggest factor in testing.5
  4. Keep it out of direct sun. Light is a smaller factor than heat and air, but it can add to them.5
  5. Do not refrigerate or freeze unless told to. Storage instructions are product-specific. The United States label for the registered oil says not to freeze it.4
  6. Write the opening date on the pack. Some products must be used within a set period after opening.3
  7. Do not use it past the expiry date.

How do you keep it away from children and pets?

Treat CBD like any prescription medicine.

  • Use the child-resistant pack. TGO 93 requires child-resistant packaging for medicinal cannabis products other than plant material such as dried flower.1 Dried flower therefore needs particular care. Child-resistant does not mean child-proof.
  • Store it up high and out of sight, ideally locked away.
  • Be most careful with products that look like food. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs does not fund pastilles or gummies, citing “the risk of harm from accidental ingestion of edible medicinal cannabis products by children and animals”.7
  • Know why THC matters. The serious child poisonings from cannabis edibles described in the medical literature involve THC. One 2024 case report describes a seven-year-old who needed intensive care observation after eating THC gummies.8 A CBD-only medicine may lawfully contain a small amount of other cannabinoids, and products described as CBD-dominant contain more THC.9
  • Keep it away from pets. THC is toxic to dogs.10 See pet safety.

If a child swallows a cannabis medicine, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. It answers 24 hours a day from anywhere in Australia.11 Call 000 in an emergency.

Travelling with CBD

Heat is the main storage risk when travelling, so keep the medicine with you and not in a parked car. Carry it in its original packaging with the dispensing label and your prescription.12 The legal rules for carrying CBD between states and overseas are a separate matter. See travelling with CBD.

How should you dispose of old CBD?

Do not keep expired or unwanted medicine in the house. Ask your pharmacist how to return it for safe disposal. Do not pass it on to anyone else. A prescribed medicine is for the person it was prescribed for.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Medicinal Cannabis) (TGO 93) Order 2017, compilation of 6 December 2022, sections 4, 14, 15 and 17. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2017L00286/latest/text ↩ ↩2

  2. International Council for Harmonisation. ICH Q1A(R2) Stability testing of new drug substances and products. https://database.ich.org/sites/default/files/Q1A%28R2%29%20Guideline.pdf ↩

  3. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version published with the AusPAR, January 2021 (may have been superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. US National Library of Medicine, DailyMed. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution prescribing information. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. Kosović E, Sýkora D, Kuchař M. Stability study of cannabidiol in the form of solid powder and sunflower oil solution. Pharmaceutics, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8003596/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  6. Lazarjani MP, Young O, Kebede L, Seyfoddin A. Processing and extraction methods of medicinal cannabis: a narrative review (describing Lindholst, 2010). Journal of Cannabis Research, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8290527/ ↩

  7. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Updated medicinal cannabis framework supports safe and effective prescribing practices. https://www.dva.gov.au/providers/provider-news/updated-medicinal-cannabis-framework-supports-safe-and-effective-prescribing-practices ↩

  8. Masilamani MSJ, Leff R, Kawai Y. Asystole in a young child with tetrahydrocannabinol overdose: a case report and review of literature. Frontiers in Toxicology, 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ftox.2024.1371651/full ↩

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

  10. Study of 223 dogs with THC toxicosis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38608656/ ↩

  11. Healthdirect Australia. Poisoning. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩

  12. Office of Drug Control. Information for travellers carrying medicines. https://www.odc.gov.au/node/1215 ↩

Common questions

Does CBD oil expire?

Yes. CBD slowly breaks down, and prescribed products carry an expiry date that reflects how long the product is expected to stay within specification when stored as labelled. Do not use a product past that date. Some products also have a shorter use-by period once opened.

Should CBD oil be kept in the fridge?

Only if the label or your pharmacist says so. Storage instructions are specific to each product. The registered CBD oil is stored below 25 °C, and its United States label says it should not be frozen. Cooler storage slows the breakdown of cannabinoids in general, but some oils thicken or turn cloudy when chilled.

How long does CBD oil last once opened?

It depends on the product, so check the label and ask the pharmacist. For the registered CBD oil, the Australian product information published in 2021 says to use it within 8 weeks of first opening, and the United States label says 12 weeks. Other products set their own in-use period.

Does old CBD oil turn into THC?

A one-year stability study of CBD in oil found breakdown products including cannabinol and several oxidation products, and did not detect THC. Old oil is more likely to be weaker than labelled than to be intoxicating. The carrier oil can also go off.

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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