What can you mix with tea tree oil?
- Tea tree oil with benzoyl peroxide needs care: start slowly or alternate days.
What it does
Tea tree oil is an essential oil from the Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tree. It has antimicrobial activity and has been studied as a natural acne treatment at around 5%.[1]
Strengths
- In a 124-patient randomized trial, 5% tea tree oil gel reduced acne lesions, though more slowly than 5% benzoyl peroxide, with fewer side effects.[1]
- A placebo-controlled trial found 5% tea tree oil gel effective for mild to moderate acne.[2]
- It is widely available in ready-made spot gels.[3]
- Most of its antimicrobial activity comes from terpinen-4-ol; the international standard ISO 4730 sets minimum and maximum levels for this and other components of genuine tea tree oil.[3]
Who it suits
People with mild acne who want an alternative to benzoyl peroxide and have patch tested it first.
Who should skip
Undiluted oil on the skin, eczema-prone or allergy-prone skin, and anyone who has reacted to essential oils. It is a recognised cause of allergic contact dermatitis.[2]
How to start
Use a finished product at about 5%, as a spot treatment or thin layer once or twice a day. Patch test on the inner arm for several days before using it on the face.
Old, oxidised oil is more likely to cause allergy, so keep it closed and away from light. Do not layer it with benzoyl peroxide in the same step; alternate days or choose one.
Stop at once if you notice itching, redness or blistering. Common questions: Is tea tree oil as good as benzoyl peroxide?
In one trial it helped, but more slowly. Can I use it neat?
No. Is it safe for sensitive skin?
Not reliably.
What we recommend
We haven't found a product that passes our check yet.
Pairing grid
In tracked products
2 of the 144 products we track list tea tree oil as a key active; In their ingredient lists it sits at a median position of #2, from #1 in Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Medicated Gel for Acne to #4 in The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil; It is among the first five ingredients in 2 of them, meaning a main ingredient rather than a trace; Water is the first ingredient in 1 of them; the rest are oil, silicone or solvent-based. Product by product: Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Medicated Gel for Acne lists it first of 8; The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil lists it at #4 of 10.
Sources
- Bassett IB, Pannowitz DL, Barnetson RS. A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoylperoxide in the treatment of acne. Med J Aust. 1990;153(8):455-458.
- Enshaieh S, et al. The efficacy of 5% topical tea tree oil gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2007;73(1):22-25.
- Barbaud A, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from essential oil in consumer products: mode of uses and value of patch tests with an essential oil series. Contact Dermatitis. 2023;89(3):190-197.