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Is CBD skincare legal in Australia?

Hemp seed oil skincare is lawful. The Poisons Standard has no exemption for cosmetics with added CBD, and CBD skincare ordered from overseas can be seized.

Facts checked 13 November 20262 min readHow we research

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

What is the difference between hemp 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 exempt when it contains 75 mg/kg or less of CBD and 10 mg/kg or less of THC.1
  • CBD skincare contains CBD 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

What is confirmed about CBD skincare?

  • The CBD, cannabis and THC entries contain no exemption for cosmetics or external use.1
  • CBD “in preparations for therapeutic use” is a Schedule 4 prescription medicine.1
  • The pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) entry covers only “oral, oromucosal and sublingual preparations”, so it does not cover creams.1

What is 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, and the cannabis and THC entries are not limited in that way.1 We could not find a published position from the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme, which regulates cosmetic ingredients. Until a regulator says otherwise, the safe reading is that a cream with added CBD is not exempt just because it is sold as a cosmetic.

Can you order CBD skincare from overseas?

It can be seized. In 2021 the Australian Border Force reported “a marked increase” in interceptions of “hemp or CBD gummies, oils and skin care products” and said they would be seized and importers may face prosecution.3

Are older figures still right?

No. Some sources say Australia allows 50 mg/kg of CBD and 20 mg/kg of THC in cosmetics. That reflects limits that have since been replaced.41

What should you look for on a label?

  • “Cannabis sativa seed oil” or “hemp seed oil” means the pressed seed oil.
  • A CBD amount in milligrams signals added CBD, which the hemp seed oil exemption does not cover.1
  • A claim to treat a condition is a therapeutic claim, and therapeutic goods have their own rules.5

Whether CBD on the skin does anything is a separate question. See do CBD creams work?

Read the full guide: hemp and CBD in skincare and cosmetics.

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

  4. 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 ↩

  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 ↩

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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