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Does CBD oil contain what the label says?

Unregulated CBD products tested overseas were often mislabelled, and some contained THC. Australian prescription products tested by the TGA were mostly accurate.

Facts checked 13 November 20263 min readHow we research

Often not, if the product is unregulated. Studies of CBD products bought online overseas keep finding that most contain noticeably more or less CBD than the label says, and that some contain undeclared THC.123 Prescription products supplied in Australia are held to a quality standard and have tested much closer to their labels.4

What have studies of unregulated products found?

“Accurate” here means within 10% of the labelled CBD.

Study Products Result
United States, 20171 84 bought online 31% accurate. 43% contained more CBD than labelled, 26% less
United States, 20222 80 46% were more than 10% off the label
United States, 20243 202 bought online 74% were at least 10% off. One had 565% of the labelled CBD

Too much is as common as too little. That matters, because side effects, liver enzyme rises and medicine interactions are dose-related. See CBD side effects.

These studies are from the United States, where CBD is widely sold without medicine-style regulation. They are not a measure of Australian pharmacy products.

Do “CBD” products contain THC?

Some do. In the 2017 study, THC was detected in 18 of 84 products.1 In a 2022 analysis, 5 of 21 products labelled “THC-free” contained THC.5 Undeclared THC can cause a positive drug test and, in a child or pet, poisoning.

What about Australian prescription products?

They must comply with the standard TGO 93, which requires each active ingredient to be within 90% to 110% of the labelled amount and sets limits for contaminants.6 When the TGA’s laboratory tested 22 high-volume products supplied under the Special Access Scheme, results were mostly close to the label. A later survey found 20 of 21 products met requirements.4

That is not a guarantee. The TGA does not test every product, and most Australian CBD products are still unapproved medicines that it has not assessed for safety or effectiveness.7

What about CBD sold without a prescription in Australia?

It sits outside the system, and nobody has checked it against TGO 93. A 2017 news report described testing of 14 unlicensed oils in which 7 contained no CBD. The laboratory was not named and the work was not peer reviewed.8

How can you check?

Look for a sponsor, batch number, expiry date, and CBD and THC amounts on the label, and ask the pharmacist about the batch certificate of analysis.

Read the full guide: is what is on the label in the bottle?

Footnotes

  1. Bonn-Miller MO, et al. Labeling accuracy of cannabidiol extracts sold online. JAMA, 2017. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2661569 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Johnson E, Kilgore M, Babalonis S. Label accuracy of unregulated cannabidiol (CBD) products: measured concentration vs. label claim. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9169299/ ↩ ↩2

  3. 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/ ↩ ↩2

  4. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Testing of medicinal cannabis products being supplied through the SAS in Australia. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/tga-laboratory-testing-reports/testing-medicinal-cannabis-products-being-supplied-sas-australia ↩ ↩2

  5. Johnson E, Kilgore M, Babalonis S. Cannabidiol (CBD) product contamination: quantitative analysis of delta-9-THC concentrations found in commercially available CBD products. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9899037/ ↩

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

  7. 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 ↩

  8. The New Daily. Report on testing of unlicensed cannabis oils, 13 October 2017. https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/10/13/fake-cannabis-oil-dealers/ ↩

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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