Note: while this article contains evidence-based information, it is not meant to serve as medical advice. Patients are encouraged to talk to their doctors if they are interested in using cannabinoids.
Last updated 9 August 2026 · Originally published 6 July 2020
Using cannabis as medicine is a long-held tradition practiced by cultures around the world. And the true beauty of the plant and all of its chemicals is the many ways in which humans have enjoyed them. While flower is still celebrated, newer methods of administration and different isolates provide patients with many options to suit both their lifestyle and health needs, with cannabidiol (CBD) leading the way.
Salves and lotions containing cannabinoids may be an attractive way for patients to take medical cannabis. Unlike other methods, topicals are applied directly to the skin, meaning they avoid the first-pass metabolism that follows swallowing.[1] That matters because oral CBD absorption is affected by what has been eaten alongside it, particularly fat.
How much CBD actually crosses the skin, though, depends heavily on the formulation — and the human evidence remains limited. A 2023 systematic review of transdermal and topical CBD trials found only eight eligible studies, with substantial variation in formulation and considerable risk of bias.[2]
The broad distinction is straightforward. Topicals are for a specific place — a sore knee, a patch of irritated skin. Oils, capsules and other oral products are the alternative when you want an effect throughout the body, such as for anxiety or widespread pain, and they’re also easier to dose precisely.
With that in mind, let’s look at how topical CBD might help with certain conditions, and where it may hold advantages over other methods.
Pain
Pre-clinical work and patient reports have indicated that CBD may act as a painkiller.[3,4] For acute pain where the source is localised — your back, say — topical CBD may be a good method to use, since it can be applied right on the targeted area.
If the pain is diffuse, or affects multiple parts of the body, another method may suit better so the effects are more widespread.[1,5]
For very severe acute pain, inhaling CBD produces the fastest onset of any route[1,5] — though inhalation carries its own considerations, which we cover in our guide to how to take CBD.
Inflammation
Many patients use CBD for inflammatory conditions, and there is some evidence it could help reduce joint inflammation.[6] Topical administration could be useful here for the same reason as with pain: it allows focused treatment of a specific area.
Skin conditions
Symptoms of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis can be very uncomfortable. With topical products, CBD can be applied directly to the areas that need relief, which makes it the most logical route for skin complaints — though the clinical evidence for CBD in these conditions is still early. Our guide to CBD and skin goes through what has and hasn’t been shown.
What we still don’t know
Greater research is needed to better understand how the benefits of topical administration truly differ from other methods across different conditions. As mentioned, remember to talk to your doctor about your cannabinoid medicine before trying something new.
References
- Huestis MA. Human cannabinoid pharmacokinetics. Chemistry & Biodiversity. 2007;4(8):1770–1804.
- Scholfield CN, Waranuch N, Kongkaew C. Systematic review on transdermal/topical cannabidiol trials. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 2023;8(4):589–602. doi:10.1089/can.2021.0154
- Miller RJ, Miller RE. Is cannabis an effective treatment for joint pain? Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 2017;107(5):59–67.
- Care By Design. CBD patient survey. 2015.
- Millar SA, Stone NL, Yates AS, O’Sullivan SE. A systematic review on the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol in humans. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2018;9:1365. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.01365
- Hammell DC, Zhang LP, Ma F, et al. Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis. European Journal of Pain. 2016;20(6):936–948.
About this article
Lightly updated in August 2026. The original text by Loren DeVito, PhD has been preserved; this update replaces two references to smoking CBD with the broader term inhalation, adds a 2023 systematic review of topical CBD trials, and incorporates our earlier reporting on topicals versus oils. With additional reporting by Lisa Rennie.
