Full spectrum or CBD isolate: 5 measurable differences
A full-spectrum extract keeps CBD with the other compounds of hemp, Δ⁹-THC up to 0.30% in France included. An isolate is purified CBD alone, without THC or terpenes, and broad spectrum lies between the two. The decision turns on THC: roadside testing, competitive sport, reading the certificate. The entourage effect often cited for full spectrum remains a hypothesis.
- 01Three extracts, one starting point
- 02The 5 differences, point by point
- 03THC, with the arithmetic
- 04Sport: only CBD is allowed
- 05The entourage effect: a hypothesis, not a selling point
- 06What the certificate should show, by format
- 07The French framework, the same for all three
- 08Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- One gram of full-spectrum oil at 0.30% Δ⁹-THC can hold up to 3 mg of THC.
- A French ruling of 21 June 2023 makes driving after drug use an offence regardless of dose.
- In competition, the World Anti-Doping Agency has permitted CBD since 2018 and bans every other cannabinoid.
- Cell studies in 2019 and 2020 saw no effect of common terpenes on CB1 and CB2 receptors, with a possible exception for β-caryophyllene.
- In France, no format of CBD may be sold as food.
Three extracts, one starting point
All three formats start from a hemp extract and differ in what is taken out afterwards.
- Full spectrum keeps what the plant contained: CBD, minor cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN, terpenes, and THC within the legal limit. The label is explained in detail in our article on what "full spectrum" means.
- Broad spectrum is the same extract with the THC removed by chromatography, so the other cannabinoids stay, as our explainer on broad-spectrum CBD describes.
- Isolate is CBD purified to 99% or more, in the form of a crystalline powder. How to check it is shown in our guide to what 99% means on a certificate.
No legal text defines these three labels, and only the certificate of analysis shows what a bottle really contains.
The 5 differences, point by point
| Full spectrum | Broad spectrum | Isolate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Δ⁹-THC | Up to 0.30% | Removed, to be checked | Not detected, check the limit |
| 2. Minor cannabinoids | Present | Present | Absent |
| 3. Terpenes, taste | Present, plant taste | Often reduced | Absent, neutral taste |
| 4. THC drug test | Real risk | Risk if traces remain | No THC, no positive result expected |
| 5. Competitive sport | Prohibited | Prohibited (CBG, CBN) | CBD allowed |
Rows 1, 4 and 5 all depend on one question: how much THC, and how many other cannabinoids, the product holds.
THC, with the arithmetic
The French order of 30 December 2021 applies the 0.30% limit to the finished product. In an oil, 0.30% by mass equals 3 mg of Δ⁹-THC per gram. The Full Spectrum oil in the Phytogrammes catalogue, for example, shows 5.1% CBD and 0.2% Δ⁹-THC on batch PG-26-AAD2, or 2 mg of THC per gram of oil (checked on 23 September 2026).
Such traces are enough to cause trouble at the wheel. The French drug information service Drogues Info Service states it plainly: if a CBD user tests positive on a saliva test, their product contains THC, because CBD does not turn into THC in the body. On 21 June 2023 the French Court of Cassation ruled that the offence of driving after drug use stands "whatever the dose absorbed". Detection windows are in our guide to CBD and drug testing.
An isolate is free of THC as long as the certificate confirms it. "Not detected" means "below the detection limit", and the certificate should state that limit.
Sport: only CBD is allowed
The World Anti-Doping Agency removed cannabidiol from its list in 2018. All other cannabinoids, natural or synthetic, remain banned in competition. The French anti-doping agency (AFLD) warns that CBD oils or extracts may contain other prohibited cannabinoids, and that it cannot vouch for any product.
A tested athlete therefore has to rule out full spectrum, and broad spectrum too, since it retains CBG or CBN. That leaves isolate, backed by a certificate listing the cannabinoids tested for. The thresholds are given in our article on CBD and the WADA list.
The entourage effect: a hypothesis, not a selling point
Researcher Ethan Russo put forward the idea that a whole extract would work better than its isolated compounds in a 2011 article in the British Journal of Pharmacology. He presented it as a lead to follow: a synergy between cannabinoids and terpenes, "if proven".
Laboratory tests have not confirmed it for terpenes. In 2019 an Australian team tested six common terpenes, limonene, myrcene and linalool among them, on human CB1 and CB2 receptors, and none activated them or changed the effect of THC. A 2020 New Zealand study came to the same result, apart from a possible weak interaction of β-caryophyllene. This work is reviewed in our article on the entourage effect.
Epidyolex, the only authorised CBD-based medicine, contains purified CBD and no full-spectrum extract. No authority has accepted a health claim linked to the entourage effect. Choosing full spectrum is a question of taste and plant profile; no greater effectiveness has been shown.
What the certificate should show, by format
The last row matters because the French medicines agency (ANSM) has classified these molecules as controlled drugs: HHC in 2023, then H4CBD and THCP on 3 June 2024. Our guide to reading a certificate of analysis takes each block in turn.
The French framework, the same for all three
Legal status is the same whatever the format. On 20 May 2026 the French agriculture ministry restated that foods containing CBD are not authorised under the novel food regulation, food supplements included. No oil, full spectrum or isolate-based, may therefore be sold for swallowing. The situation is described in our overview of CBD regulation in 2026.
All the oils in the CBD oils category are full-spectrum extracts, and the catalogue has no isolate or broad spectrum (checked on 23 September 2026).
Frequently asked questions
No controlled study has shown it. The entourage effect remains a hypothesis, and the 2019 and 2020 cell studies found no action of common terpenes on CB1 and CB2 receptors.
According to Drogues Info Service, CBD without THC does not turn a test positive. The risk lies in THC traces, so check that the certificate shows THC as not detected and states the detection limit.
No. In principle its THC has been removed, but it retains cannabinoids such as CBG or CBN, which are banned in competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency allows CBD alone.
In France, at most 0.30% of its mass, which is 3 mg of Δ⁹-THC per gram of oil. The batch certificate gives the actual value.
It no longer contains terpenes, the aromatic molecules of hemp. These terpenes, together with the extract's other compounds, give a full-spectrum oil its plant taste.
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.