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Cornbread Hemp makes high-quality products with USDA certified organic hemp grown in Kentucky. This is the only product on our list with an entirely organic ingredient list. 

The peppermint and tea tree oils provide a cooling sensation on your aches and pains, while the jojoba and argan oils bring a touch of moisture and softness.

Reviewers rave about this cream’s fast-acting relief and smooth consistency. One person writes, “This lotion is great. Really helps with the lower back and foot pain. The menthol is a nice added bonus, and the pain doesn’t keep me up at night as much anymore.”

Sustainability & packaging: Cornbread Hemp goes the extra mile to ensure its products are all USDA certified organic, which is not an easy feat. The product comes in a glass jar with a plastic cap, both of which should be curbside-recyclable. 

Transparency: Cornbread Hemp provides easy access to the certificate of analysis (COA) for this cream on the product description page, along with details on the company’s farming process. 

Aspen Green’s Muscle Relief Cooling Cream packs a big punch in a tiny 2-ounce container. This natural, non-toxic formula contains 1,000 mg of USDA certified organic full-spectrum hemp CBD, moisturizing organic jojoba seed oil, and cooling menthol. The ingredient list is short and sweet, and because it’s water-based it’s quick to absorb into the skin for fast-acting relief. 

Reviewers praise the consistency of this cream and say they feel results quickly thanks to the high potency. One person with back pain writes, “I love the scent and feeling from the menthol peppermint combo they’ve got going on…this product is a top two pick for me as daily relief.”

Sustainability & packaging: All Aspen Green products use USDA certified organic, full-spectrum hemp CBD, farmed in Colorado. While you should be able to recycle the container, the brand doesn’t share any additional information around sustainability efforts or shipping practices. 

Transparency: Aspen Green clearly displays a link to the COA on each product page. There’s also a QR code on each product’s packaging, which takes you directly to the lab results when scanned with a smartphone.

If you’re not a fan of scents or cooling menthol, this cream from R&R Medicinals is a great unscented pick with two potency options. The vegan formula includes 1,000 mg or 2,000 mg of full-spectrum hemp CBD—as well as soothing Arnica montana, calendula flower, and jojoba—for moisture infusion and pain relief.

Reviewers appreciate the consistency of this cream and the lack of added fragrances. One writes, “Goes on smooth and feels great. There’s a slight ‘skunky’ smell the first few minutes it’s on, but honestly I like the smell, and it’s not strong enough for anyone else to notice.” If you do try this cream and end up deciding it’s not for you, the brand offers a 60-day money back guarantee. 

Sustainability & packaging: R&R Medicinals uses USDA certified organic hemp in some of its CBD products, but unfortunately not this one. However, the brand also uses an energy-efficient supercritical CO2 extraction process to extract CBD, and its packaging should be curbside recyclable. 

Transparency: You can find all of R&R’s lab testing results on a designated page on its website. R&R manufactures products in an FDA registered facility and is also registered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

One Farm’s Turmeric Relief Cream combines organic full-spectrum hemp with additional botanical ingredients, such as turmeric, piperine, and cayenne, to encourage a healthy inflammatory response. The formula also includes soothing aloe, eucalyptus, and arnica, which has been studied for its natural pain management properties. 

What’s not used in this product: phthalates, phosphates, artificial colorings, or fragrances. Unfortunately, there aren’t many reviews of this cream just yet, but the few reviews we read mention a smooth, non-greasy consistency and relief for sore muscles. 

Sustainability & packaging: One Farm partners with independent, organic farms to source all its ingredients. The outer packaging on this cream should be curbside recyclable, but the brand doesn’t share specific instructions for how to dispose of it. 

Transparency: The COA for this cream is not easy to find on the product page, but it’s available via the brand’s lab reports database. One Farm also shares information about where it sources its USDA certified organic on the website.

Like the brand’s cooling cream, this warming formula includes 1,000 or 3,000 mg of organic hemp-derived CBD with white willow bark, tea tree oil, and caffeine to combat inflammation.

What makes this new formula stand out is the inclusion of warming camphor and an increased amount of cannabigerol (CBG), which early studies show may be a promising tool for encouraging more balanced inflammatory pathways in the body. 

There aren’t too many reviews for this cream yet, but the initial comments are positive with regards to the effectiveness. Several people note that a little goes a long way, so this jar should last you a long time.

Sustainability & packaging: CBDfx sources hemp from organic farms in the United States (although it’s not specified where,) and uses an energy-efficient CO2 extraction process to draw out the CBD. The packaging is made from plastics and glass and should be curbside-recyclable. 

Transparency: The COA for this cream was easy to find on the product description page. CBDfx also uses a team of medical advisors to review all of the product information on its website.

Lazarus Naturals’ Full-Spectrum CBD Lotion is a quality pick at a budget-friendly price. Made with organic ingredients, such as jojoba, sweet almond oil, mango, and full-spectrum hemp CBD, the formula does not contain menthol or added scents. 

It gets glowing feedback from most reviewers, who say it glides on smoothly without leaving any residue or stickiness and does a great job at relieving pain. However, not everyone is a fan of its natural scent, and a few reviews say the brand isn’t consistently stocked with the scented options (in other words: snag one if and while you can). 

Lazarus Naturals offers 60% off to veterans, people on long-term disability, and households that qualify as low-income.

Sustainability & packaging: Lazarus Naturals farms its own hemp in central Oregon. The brand is a certified B Corp, which means it is held to high business standards for social and environmental impact. It also claims to use recycled materials in all packaging and aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Transparency: You can access the COA for this lotion on the product page, or via QR code on the product’s packaging.

If you’re hoping to avoid THC entirely, Prima’s R+R cream is a quality pick that uses broad-spectrum hemp and has a customer-loved floral scent. In addition to CBD, the formula includes natural oils such as tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, and rosemary. The brand uses peppermint and menthol for a mild cooling sensation. 

I (the writer) have tried this cream myself, and am a big fan of the smooth consistency and of the scent. I tend to prefer a higher-potency CBD product for back pain, but this one does offer some relief and feels buttery-soft on my skin.   

Sustainability & packaging: Prima is dedicated to sustainability and has a slew of certifications to show for it. It’s a plastic and carbon neutral company, which means the brand offsets its use of plastic and carbon by removing twice as much plastic waste from the environment as is used across its packaging and operations. And while Prima is not USDA certified organic, the hemp is naturally grown using only organic principles as defined by the United States National Organic Program. 

Transparency: Prima displays each product’s COA on the product page. The company is also a Certified B Corporation (which means it meets the highest standards of public transparency, environmental performance, and legal accountability) and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.