A CBD product is any consumer good whose active ingredient is cannabidiol (CBD) — a non-intoxicating cannabinoid extracted from hemp. Unlike THC, CBD does not produce a high, which is why it became the commercial face of the hemp wellness boom: oils and tinctures, capsules, gummies, drinks, vapes, balms and cosmetics.
Products are usually described by how much of the plant they keep. Full-spectrum extracts retain the plant's other cannabinoids and terpenes, including trace THC within legal limits; broad-spectrum keeps the supporting compounds but strips the THC; and isolate is purified CBD alone. Many sellers invoke the entourage effect — the idea that the compounds work better together — though the evidence is still debated.
The hard part is rarely the chemistry; it is the legal status. The same bottle of CBD oil can be a freely sold cosmetic, a restricted novel food, or an unapproved drug depending on the country, the dose, and the health claims printed on the label.
- US FDA — Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabidiol (CBD)
- EFSA — Cannabidiol as a novel food (safety assessment)
