Cannabis sativa – eat it, vape it, roll it, smoke it, there are plenty of ways to ingest and absorb all the goodness found in hemp to aid recovery and feel your best.
Now there’s a new method at your fingertips, CBD Cream, lotions, balms, and tinctures.
Topical CBD products offer localised natural pain relief without any of the smell or fuss incurred by vaporising or baking your greens.
Are you ready to join the CBD lotion motion?
Read on to discover the lowdown of CBD cream, including what is CBD cream, how CBD cream works and where to source topical CBD products in Australia.
What is CBD Cream?
Cannabidiol or CBD is commonly infused into oils and tinctures for oral consumption, it can be vaporised in the form of CBD vape solutions or dried CBD flower harvested from CBD dominant Cannabis Varietals.
While oral intake and vaporisation form the most popular consumption methods, many patients are now turning to CBD infused creams, salves and lotions to provide relief from pains, strains and skin conditions.
Topical CBD products provide quick relief that can be directly administered to the source of pain and distress, allowing more targeted relief over other methods of consumption.
Patients who are uncomfortable with vaporisation or are sensitive to oils may find a topical cream more suited to their needs.
CBD is absorbed through the skin in what is referred to as transdermal absorption
Transdermal CBD comes in a range of forms – lotions, balms, salves and creams, however in the emerging Australian medicinal market, options are presently limited.
How Does CBD Cream Work?
CBD affects humans through the Endocannabinoid System or ECS, an array of receptors abundant throughout the body. These receptors interact with cannabinoids to provide a range of therapeutic effects and promote homeostasis. [1]
Consuming CBD in different forms offers different levels of effectiveness or bioavailability, vaporisation offers the highest bioavailability, followed by sublingual absorption, ingestion and finally topical application.
While Ingested and vaporised CBD is absorbed by the liver and bloodstream, topical CBD seeps through the pores where it interacts with receptors located within the inner layers of the skin. [2]
Transdermal CBD is still being studied, and while topical bioavailability appears to be low, trials report encouraging therapeutic value suggesting topical CBD treatments may offer effective relief for conditions such as arthritis [3], peripheral neuropathy [4] and dermatitis [5].
Purchasing CBD Topical Cream Australia
Seeking CBD cream for arthritis pain in Australia? CBD Cream for back pain? Before you rush down to your local pharmacy, it’s important to note that cannabidiol is still a controlled substance requiring a prescription from a GP or specialist.
If you think a CBD cream may be the right choice for you, chatting to your doctor or cannabis clinic is the best place to start.
These days it’s a common occurrence to find a range of health promoting hemp-based products in your pharmacy or supermarket, including serums, lotions and oils.
While hemp is another name for cannabis sativa, the varieties grown for food – Seeds, Hearts & Oil, are restricted to non drug-type cultivars naturally low in CBD and THC [6].
While hemp skincare products offer a range of other benefits, with low concentrations of active ingredients present, you’re unlikely to find much relief from products purchased in a local store.
Presently doctors can prescribe topical CBD solutions approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration [7]. These products meet stringent production and purity requirements to ensure quality and safety of consumers.
The Best TGA Approved CBD Topical Cream In Australia – Reviews:

Ananda Endo Relief Cream (S8) – 60ml, $99RRP
Ananda’s Endo Relief Cream contains 1500mg of full-spectrum active cannabinoids formulated in a waterless cream comprised of CBD, Australian Hemp Seed Oil and Shea Butter [8]. This product is designed for internal application to alleviate endometriosis-related symptoms, featuring ‘Clinician selected botanicals and a high concentration of cannabinoids to support your body’s natural system, reducing chronic and monthly discomfort’ [9].
Isospec CBD Lotion (S4) – 50ml, $100RRP
This formulation contains a total of 1500mg of full spectrum CBD suspended in a water-based lotion ‘that absorbs quickly into the skin leaving little to no residue’.
 Boasting 30mg/ml CBD, it isn’t an insignificant quantity and is formulated with menthol to provide additional cooling relief. [10]
Isospec CBD Salve (S4) – 60ml, $120
Another Isospec product, this formulation contains 2000mg of full spectrum CBD at a slightly higher concentration of 33.3mg/ml. However, the biggest difference is it’s infused into a 100% natural beeswax based salve offering ‘Tremendous Glide, slowly absorbed leaving an aromatic residue’. [11]
These products are purported to provide relief from:
 Inflammation
, arthritis
, psoriasis
, chronic pain
, muscle pain
 and back pain. 

Unfortunately, topical CBD creams are still fairly new to the Australian Medicinal Cannabis framework and few approved products exist. However bespoke CBD Salves and lotions can also be prescribed and formulated by specialist compounding pharmacies.
Purchasing CBD Cream & Lotion Online
Searching online, it’s easy to find vendors selling CBD creams both locally and abroad, unfortunately, it is still legally prohibited to purchase or import these products without a valid prescription.
It’s a reality that people choose to take the risk, and some parcels do get through. Purchasing online offers little guarantee of quality or contents, to read more about the benefits of legally obtained CBD read here.
Looking abroad to the United States, hemp and CBD products were federally decriminalised in 2018 [12], creating a burgeoning industry of topical CBD massage oil, lotions, creams, and balms.
These products have quickly exploded in popularity, finding their way into supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies nationwide. With Australia down scheduling low dose oral CBD in 2020 [13], perhaps we could see a similar, albeit highly regulated lotion movement in the future.
If you choose to purchase green market CBD Cream online, preference trusted vendors, products containing whole plant CBD extract and presenting a third-party Certificate Of Analysis confirming active contents.


Rubbing it in – Final Thoughts
CBD creams offer a fuss-free alternative to conventional cannabis consumption, best suited to localised pain and injuries like arthritis, back pain, inflammation and neuropathy, and providing some relief for skin conditions including psoriasis and dermatitis.
While topical CBD formulations are readily available online, CBD is still a controlled substance in Australia. If you believe CBD balm may benefit you, get in touch with your GP or cannabis clinic to discuss further.
The CBD salve is fantastic. I’ve been using it for two months for my bursitis. It genuinely works and gives long relief from pain.
Hey Dee, that’s so awesome to hear! There’s a lot of research coming out about the benefits of topical CBD, great to see science is catching up to what people are already experiencing 🙂