Tea Tree Oil for Acne

What is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.

Pure, undiluted tea tree oil is found in health food stores and online. Tea tree oil is also an ingredient in a number of commercial products, such as gels, lotions, creams, toothpaste, mouthwashes, and shampoos.

Why is Tea Tree Oil Used for Acne?

Tea tree oil contains a constituent called terpinen-4-ol that is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's antimicrobial activity. Because tea tree oil can kill bacteria, applying topical tea tree oil to acne lesions has been thought to kill Propionibacterium acnes, the skin-dwelling bacteria that is involved in causing acne.

In a study comparing tea tree oil gel to benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil had fewer side effects than the benzoyl peroxide, which was associated with itching, burning, stinging, and dryness.

What is the Evidence for Tea Tree Oil and Acne?

Although tea tree oil is a popular remedy for acne, there has only been one older study on tea tree oil and acne.

Although the tea tree oil took longer to work initially, there were fewer side effects with tea tree oil. Researchers noted that there were far fewer side effects in the tea tree oil group.

Should Undiluted Tea Tree Oil be Applied to Acne Lesions?

Undiluted tea tree oil may cause skin irritation, redness, blistering, overdrying, and itching when applied directly to the skin.

A 5% tea tree oil solution can be made by mixing 5 parts tea tree oil to 95 parts water (e.g. 5 mL tea tree oil and 95 mL water).

What About Commercial Tea Tree Oil Products be Used?

There are a number of new topical acne products that contain tea tree oil. DDF has a benzoyl peroxide gel with tea tree oil.