Key facts
- Hemp seed oil is pressed from the seeds and is a food oil. Hemp oil (hemp extract) comes from the flower and leaf.
- Check the ingredients list and look for a milligram strength. No mg number usually means no extract.
- Our King Gee holds 3000 mg of CO₂-extracted full spectrum extract in 30 ml of cold-pressed Australian hemp seed oil.
Pick up two bottles in a health food shop and both will say "hemp" on the front. One is a pantry oil pressed from seeds, sits next to the olive oil, and costs about the same. The other is an extract taken from the flower and leaf of the plant, infused into a carrier oil, and sold by the milligram. They can look identical. They are not the same product, and they're not interchangeable.
This guide explains what's in each one, how to tell them apart on a label, and how people take them. We're a hemp brand, not a lab, so we'll keep it plain.
The short answer
| Hemp seed oil | Hemp oil (hemp extract) | |
|---|---|---|
| Made from | Pressed seeds | Flower and leaf, extracted then blended into a carrier oil |
| What's in it | Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E | The plant compounds from the flower — terpenes and cannabinoids — plus the carrier oil |
| Looks and tastes like | Dark green, nutty, grassy | Varies: golden to dark green, often earthy or bitter |
| How it's labelled | Volume (250 ml, 500 ml) | Strength in milligrams (1000 mg, 3000 mg) and volume (30 ml) |
| Typical price | $10–$25 per 250 ml | $60–$150 per 30 ml |
| Where you'll find it | Supermarkets, health food shops | Specialist brands, direct online |
| Used for | Salad dressings, smoothies, skin | Taken by the drop, usually under the tongue |
What is hemp seed oil?
Hemp seed oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, in the same way olive oil is pressed from olives. The seeds are a food. Australia approved hemp seeds and hemp seed oil for sale as food in November 2017, which is why you now see them in supermarkets.
Nutritionally, hemp seed oil is known for its fatty acid profile: it contains omega-3 and omega-6 in roughly a 1:3 ratio, along with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and vitamin E. It's dark green, tastes nutty and a little grassy, and has a low smoke point. That makes it a finishing oil for dressings, dips and smoothies rather than a frying oil.
What hemp seed oil does not contain is any meaningful amount of the compounds that live in the plant's flower. Seeds don't make them. If a bottle lists only "hemp seed oil" in the ingredients, that's what you're getting: a nutritious culinary oil.
In the Nimbin Hemp range, cold-pressed Australian hemp seed oil is the carrier in every one of our oils.
What is hemp oil (hemp extract)?
When people search for "hemp oil", they usually mean this one. Hemp oil is made from the flower and leaf of the plant. The plant material is extracted — commonly with CO₂ or food-grade ethanol; ours is CO₂ — and the resulting extract is diluted into a carrier oil so it can be measured by the drop.
Here's the source of the confusion: the carrier oil is very often hemp seed oil. So a bottle of hemp extract may list "hemp seed oil" as its first ingredient. The difference is the second ingredient: hemp extract.
The extract carries what the seed doesn't: terpenes (the aromatic compounds that give the plant its smell) and cannabinoids (compounds found in the flower). How much of the plant's full profile makes it into the bottle depends on how it's made. A full spectrum hemp oil keeps the whole range of compounds the plant produced. An isolate has been refined down to a single compound. We cover that choice properly in Full spectrum vs isolate: which Nimbin Hemp oil is right for you? — for now, the point is that both are hemp extract, and neither is plain seed oil.
Strength is labelled in milligrams of extract per bottle. Our King Gee Full Spectrum Hemp Oil holds 3000 mg of full spectrum extract in a 30 ml bottle, which works out to 100 mg per ml. Always compare per millilitre, not per bottle — a "5000 mg" label on a 100 ml bottle is weaker per drop than 3000 mg in 30 ml.
How to tell them apart on the label
Five checks, in order:
- Read the ingredients list, not the front. Seed oil alone = hemp seed oil. "Hemp extract" or "whole-plant hemp extract" anywhere in the list = hemp oil.
- Look for a milligram number. Seed oil is sold by volume. Extract is sold by strength in mg. No mg number usually means no extract.
- Check the price per ml. Seed oil runs a few cents per ml. Extract runs dollars per ml. If a 250 ml bottle costs $18, it's seed oil whatever the front says.
- Ask about testing. A brand selling hemp extract should be able to tell you who tests it and what the lab found. Seed oil is a food oil and usually isn't tested this way. The certificate of analysis for our full spectrum oil is available on request.
- Notice where it's sold. Supermarket and chemist shelves carry seed oil. Some of them label it "hemp oil" on the front, which is legal but unhelpful.
Which one do you want?
If you want an oil for the kitchen — dressings, dips, a tablespoon in a smoothie — you want hemp seed oil. It's a good one, and it's cheap.
If you're looking for the extract, you want a product that names hemp extract in its ingredients, states its strength in mg, and comes from a brand that can tell you where it was grown and who tested it. That's what our range is. We won't tell you what it will do for you; the rules don't allow it, and it varies person to person anyway. We'll tell you exactly what's in the bottle and where it came from.
How to take hemp oil
These are directions, not advice — how the product is designed to be used.
Hemp extract oils are taken by the drop, held under the tongue for 30–60 seconds before swallowing. Most people start with a few drops and adjust gradually over a couple of weeks, taking it at a similar time each day. If you're new to it, a tester size lets you find your amount before committing to a full bottle.
Hemp seed oil goes on food. A tablespoon over salad, into a smoothie, or stirred through cooked grains. Don't fry with it; heat degrades the fatty acids and the flavour. Keep both oils in a cool, dark place with the lid on tight. Refrigerate seed oil after opening.
Where ours comes from
Our hemp is grown in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales: sun-grown outdoors in volcanic soil, without pesticides or synthetic inputs, by local farmers we work with directly. Our full spectrum extract is CO₂-extracted and tested by an accredited laboratory on the NSW–Queensland border, and its certificate of analysis is available on request.
Frequently asked questions
Is hemp seed oil the same as hemp oil? No. Hemp seed oil is pressed from seeds and is a culinary oil. Hemp oil usually means hemp extract from the flower and leaf, diluted into a carrier oil. Check the ingredients list.
Does hemp seed oil contain any of the compounds from the flower? Not in any meaningful amount. Seeds don't produce them. Trace amounts can appear from contact with the plant during harvest, which is why reputable producers test.
Is hemp oil legal in Australia? Hemp seed foods, including hemp seed oil, have been legal to sell in Australia since November 2017. The rules for hemp extract products are stricter and depend on the product. We explain the rules in From Nimbin paddock to bottle.
Can I cook with hemp oil? Hemp seed oil, yes, unheated or at low heat. Hemp extract oil, no. It's designed to be taken by the drop, and heat breaks down what you paid for.
What does "drug test friendly" on your labels mean? It refers to our isolate-based products. Isolate is a single purified compound, refined so that the THC is removed along with the rest of the plant. It's not a guarantee about any individual test. We explain the label in "Drug test friendly": what it means on our labels.
Written by the Nimbin Hemp team in the Northern Rivers, NSW. Last updated 21 October 2026.