Broad-spectrum CBD: what “THC-free” really means
Broad-spectrum CBD is a hemp extract from which a purification step has removed the THC, while other cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN or CBC and part of the terpenes stay in. No French or EU text defines the term, and “THC-free” means “below what the laboratory can measure”, a threshold that sits above zero. In 2024, 3 of 28 broad-spectrum products tested in the United States contained THC.
Key takeaways
- Broad spectrum lies between full spectrum, which keeps its THC (up to 0.30% in France), and isolate, which is purified CBD alone.
- Chromatography takes the THC out, yet a “broad-spectrum” extract made in a 2025 pilot study still held 0.2%.
- The label is confirmed only by the certificate of analysis, through its minor-cannabinoid profile and its THC quantification limit.
- Broad spectrum cuts THC exposure, can still give a positive drug test, and contains cannabinoids banned in sports competition.
- Whatever the spectrum, a CBD product meant to be swallowed is not authorised in France.
Definition: the full extract, minus the THC
CBD extracts are sorted into three families according to what they keep from the plant. A 2024 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology told them apart with simple analytical definitions: full spectrum contains CBD, THC and at least one other cannabinoid; broad spectrum contains CBD and at least one other cannabinoid, with no THC; an isolate is more than 95% CBD. These definitions serve research and carry no regulatory weight.
| Family | What it contains | THC | What the analysis should show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full spectrum | CBD, minor cannabinoids, terpenes, THC | Present, up to 0.30% in France | A quantified Δ⁹-THC line |
| Broad spectrum | CBD, minor cannabinoids, some of the terpenes | Removed, below the quantification limit | CBG, CBN or CBC quantified, THC “ND” or “< LOQ” |
| Isolate | CBD alone, crystallised | Absent in practice | More than 95% CBD, nothing else of note |
Full spectrum keeps everything, and an isolate keeps a single molecule. Broad spectrum aims to keep the variety of the first while dropping the THC. The term names a manufacturing process; it is neither a hemp variety nor a legal category.
How THC is removed from an extract
Every broad-spectrum extract begins as a full-spectrum one. Extraction with supercritical CO₂ or ethanol yields a crude extract; winterisation strips its waxes, heat decarboxylates the acidic forms, and the result is then distilled. These steps are described in our article on how a CBD oil is made.
THC and CBD have the same molecular formula and similar properties, so distillation cannot pull them apart. Chromatography can: the extract runs through a system that holds molecules back at different speeds, and the fraction carrying the THC is set aside.
No separation is perfect. A pilot study published in 2025 in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids purified an extract by centrifugal partition chromatography. Its authors define broad spectrum as an extract “with minimal or no Δ⁹-THC”, and their final product held 73.3% CBD and 0.2% THC. Note the word “minimal”: it lets a manufacturer sell as broad spectrum an extract that still contains measurable THC.
“THC-free”: what product testing shows
For the 2024 study cited above, researchers bought and tested 202 CBD products sold in the United States. The results put numbers on the gap between label and content:
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Products that did not match their claimed type (full, broad, isolate) | 26% |
| Products whose CBD content was at least 10% off the label | 74% |
| Products sold as broad spectrum | 28 |
| Of which containing THC | 3 |
| Of which above 0.3% THC | 2 |
These are figures from the US market and cannot be carried over to France as they stand. One lesson applies everywhere, though: without the batch analysis, the words “broad spectrum” prove nothing.
On a certificate, “ND” (not detected) and “< LOQ” (below the limit of quantification) describe how sensitive the method is, and neither means zero. A lab whose quantification limit is 0.01% and another working at 0.001% may both print “< LOQ” for two different products. Ask what that limit is. Check as well that CBG, CBN or CBC are quantified, because a “broad spectrum” whose analysis shows only CBD is an isolate. Our guide to reading a certificate of analysis goes through each line, and the laboratory page describes the measurement methods.
Drug tests and sport: what broad spectrum changes
On the road, French law takes no account of the dose. On 21 June 2023 (no. 22-85.530), the Cour de cassation held that the offence of driving after using narcotics is made out “regardless of the dose absorbed”, even when the product was sold legally. A well-purified broad spectrum exposes you to less THC than a full spectrum. It still cannot promise a negative test, since nothing guarantees that THC is entirely absent.
Repeated use adds up. In a study published in 2020 in JAMA Psychiatry, 14 adults took a full-spectrum extract with 0.02% THC for four weeks. Half of them (7 of 14) then had a THC metabolite in their urine. We found no comparable study on a broad-spectrum product. The detection windows are set out in our guide to saliva, blood and urine testing.
Athletes face a different problem. The World Anti-Doping Agency took CBD off its list, but all other cannabinoids, natural or synthetic, remain banned in competition, as a 2019 review in Sports notes. For THC, the urinary threshold is 150 ng/mL of carboxy-THC. A broad spectrum contains CBG, CBN or CBC by definition, which rules it out for a tested athlete; an isolate fits the rule best.
The entourage effect: a hypothesis, not proof
Broad spectrum is sold on the “entourage effect”, the idea that minor cannabinoids and terpenes would strengthen the action of CBD. That idea is still a research hypothesis. Our article on the entourage effect reviews the data, most of which come from cell and animal models. In France, MILDECA points out that products containing CBD may not make any therapeutic claim, on pain of criminal penalties. No seller can therefore present a broad spectrum as “more effective” than an isolate.
The real choice comes down to two options. One keeps the aromas and minor cannabinoids of hemp, with less THC and no guarantee of zero. The other is a single, predictable molecule.
Broad-spectrum CBD and the law in France
Broad spectrum has no legal category of its own and follows the common rule. The order of 30 December 2021 sets 0.30% as the maximum Δ⁹-THC content of hemp varieties, hemp extracts and the products that contain them.
For anything swallowed, the spectrum makes no difference. On 20 May 2026, the French Ministry of Agriculture restated that foods containing CBD, food supplements included, are not authorised under the novel food regulation and have to be withdrawn from the market. Our update on CBD regulation in 2026 explains where things stand.
One benchmark comes up often: on 9 February 2026 EFSA set a provisional safe level of 0.0275 mg/kg/day, about 2 mg a day for an adult of 70 kg. The level covers only supplements made with CBD of at least 98% purity, which means isolates, so a broad spectrum falls outside it. EFSA adds that the safety of CBD cannot be established under 25, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or for people on medication.
Lastly, on 21 March 2025 ANSES proposed classifying CBD as a “presumed human reproductive toxicant” (category 1B), on the basis of animal studies. The proposal is going through the European classification procedure and concerns CBD itself, whatever the spectrum.
The oils in the Phytogrammes catalogue are full-spectrum extracts sold for external use, with Δ⁹-THC stated below 0.30%. When checked on 23 September 2026, the CBD oils page listed no broad spectrum.
Frequently asked questions
An isolate exposes you to the least THC. Broad spectrum lowers the amount compared with full spectrum without bringing it to a guaranteed zero, and French case law penalises driving after use whatever the dose. If you drive, the only safe precaution is to avoid any product that may contain THC.
Yes, on the conditions that apply to every hemp product: an authorised variety and at most 0.30% Δ⁹-THC in the finished product. Like any CBD food, a broad spectrum meant to be swallowed is still banned.
Read the certificate of analysis for the batch. It should quantify at least one minor cannabinoid (CBG, CBN, CBC) and give THC as “ND” or “< LOQ”, along with the value of the quantification limit. If no minor cannabinoid appears, the product is an isolate.
Full spectrum keeps the THC it started with, up to 0.30% in France. Broad spectrum goes through a chromatography step that removes most of it. What remains depends on the manufacturer, from undetectable to 0.2% in the 2025 pilot study.
Not in competition. CBD is the only cannabinoid the World Anti-Doping Agency allows, and the CBG, CBN and CBC in a broad spectrum are still on its list of banned substances.
Written by the Phytogrammes team
Each journal article draws on cited primary sources: ANSM, EFSA, EUR-Lex and peer-reviewed publications. Product profiles are distinguished from documented laboratory results. Our approach.
Article published on . CBD is not a medicine.