Full spectrum CBD oil: what it contains, THC included

A full spectrum oil starts from a hemp extract that was never purified down to a single molecule. It keeps what extraction drew from the flower: CBD as the main compound, small amounts of other cannabinoids, terpenes, and Δ⁹-THC within the legal limit. The extract is then diluted in a vegetable oil, often medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil or hemp seed oil.

The term is a marketing one. We found no French or European text that sets a minimum content for it, so two “full spectrum” oils can have very different profiles. Only the batch certificate of analysis shows whether CBG, CBN or THC are really present, and in what amount.

What sets the three formats apart is what gets removed from the extract. Broad spectrum takes out the THC and keeps the other cannabinoids and part of the terpenes. Isolate is purified CBD, often 99% or more, with no other cannabinoid or terpene.

To choose by use, see our comparison of full spectrum and isolate. Our article on supercritical CO2 extraction follows the oil from plant to bottle.

According to a 2021 review in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, hemp produces more than 100 cannabinoids. Only a few exceed trace level in an oil:

• CBD, the main compound, which has no psychoactive effect.
• CBDA, the acidic form of CBD, still present when the extract has not been heated.
• CBG, the precursor of the other cannabinoids; little of it is left in a mature flower. Our page on CBG explains its chemistry.
• CBN, formed by the breakdown of THC over time under light and air. Its level rises as a product ages.
• CBC, in small amounts.

Smell and taste come from the terpenes. Ethan Russo's 2011 review covers limonene, myrcene, α-pinene, linalool and β-caryophyllene. The last one, often shortened to BCP, gets attention because a 2020 study, cited below, noted a possible weak interaction with the CB2 receptor. Our article on hemp terpenes goes into them in detail.

Full spectrum is sold on the entourage effect, the idea that the plant's compounds would work better together than CBD on its own. The term was coined in 1998 in a study by Raphael Mechoulam's team. That study looked at lipids produced in mice that boosted the action of an endocannabinoid; the plant was not involved. In 2011 Ethan Russo extended the idea to the cannabinoids and terpenes of cannabis in a review in the British Journal of Pharmacology, as a lead still to be tested.

Direct tests have not confirmed the idea at receptor level. In 2020 a New Zealand team measured the effect of five cannabis terpenes on CB1 and CB2 receptors, alone or combined with THC or CBD. It found no effect, apart from a possible weak interaction of β-caryophyllene with CB2. No European authority has approved any claim linked to the entourage effect. A full spectrum oil differs from an isolate in composition and taste; nothing shows it is “more effective”.

The decree of 30 December 2021 applies the 0.30% Δ⁹-THC threshold to the mass of the finished product. At 0.30%, 1 g of oil holds at most 3 mg of Δ⁹-THC, and 10 g at most 30 mg. A compliant oil often holds less, which only the batch certificate can confirm.

For drivers, the decree of 13 December 2016 sets the saliva screening threshold at 15 ng/ml and the confirmation threshold at 1 ng/ml of saliva. France's Court of Cassation ruled on 21 June 2023 that driving after using a narcotic is punishable even when the product was sold legally. If you drive, pick an isolate or a broad spectrum whose certificate shows THC as not detected. Detection windows are covered in our guide to drug testing.

In competition, the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2026 Prohibited List bans “all natural and synthetic cannabinoids”, with one exception: cannabidiol. The CBG, CBN and CBC found in full and broad spectrum oils are therefore prohibited in competition in the same way as THC. A tested athlete limits this risk only with an isolate whose certificate shows no other cannabinoid.

The 2021 decree authorises hemp extracts below 0.30% Δ⁹-THC, and the Conseil d'État ruling of 29 December 2022 struck down the ban on selling flowers and leaves. No cannabinoid classified as a narcotic may be present in an oil: HHC since June 2023, H4CBD and THCP since 3 June 2024.

Use also decides the oil's status. On 20 May 2026 the Ministry of Agriculture restated that foods containing CBD are not authorised under the European novel food regulation, food supplements included. The situation is described in our update on the 2026 regulations.

EFSA set a provisional safe intake of 2 mg of CBD per day for a 70 kg adult on 9 February 2026. The benchmark covers only CBD at least 98% pure, which leaves full spectrum extracts outside it. EFSA also considers that the safety of CBD cannot be established under 25, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for people on medication. In March 2025 ANSES proposed to classify CBD as a presumed reproductive toxicant, on the basis of animal studies. Our article on EFSA's reference dose details these figures.

The certificate of analysis is the only document that proves the claim. Check these points in order:

1. The batch number, identical on the bottle and on the certificate.
2. The full cannabinoid profile: CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, CBC. If no minor cannabinoid is measurable, the “full spectrum” label has nothing behind it.
3. Δ⁹-THC at 0.30% or less, and no HHC, H4CBD or THCP when the lab tested for them.
4. Contaminants: residual solvents, pesticides, heavy metals.
5. The amount of CBD in milligrams: a 10 ml oil at 10% holds about 1,000 mg of CBD. Be wary of a label that gives a percentage with no volume.

Each line is explained in our guide to the certificate of analysis, and our laboratory page lists the catalogue products. The catalogue's oils sit in the CBD oils category, a full spectrum oil among them. Storage limits the conversion of THC into CBN; see our article on shelf life, light and heat.