Paid content by Down Under Enterprises
By: Phillip Prather, Down Under Enterprises; Board Member, Australian Tea Tree Industry Association
Personal care and cosmetic products with synthetic ingredients have declined in favour of products with naturally-based ingredients. However, formulators often face significant challenges in incorporating naturally-derived ingredients due to a lack of in-vitro research, let alone in-vivo clinical data validating the potential therapeutic properties of natural ingredients.
Acne manifests from an interaction of clinical conditions, including hyperkeratinization, excess sebum production, presence and proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes, and inflammation. Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil provides a natural alternative for the treatment of these conditions due to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. In Europe, Tea Tree Oil has been approved by the European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, with the Indication “for treatment of small boils (furuncles and mild acne).”1
Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil offers proven, peer-reviewed published clinical data as an effective antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory agent – including many references on its efficacy against Acne. The Personal Care Products Council has given Tea Tree Oil the INCI designation of Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil.
A randomized clinical study by Enshaieh et al. (2007) concluded that topical 5% Tea Tree Oil is an effective treatment for mild to moderate acne vulgaris2. A total of 60 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris were divided into two groups and treated with Tea Tree Oil gel (n=30) or placebo (n=30).
The study was evaluated by the total acne lesions counting (TLC) and acne severity index (ASI). Tea Tree Oil gel was found to be more effective than the placebo – 3.55 times in terms of TLC and 5.75 in terms of ASI. The authors concluded that a topical 5% Tea Tree Oil is an effective treatment for mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
One clinical study to assess the efficacy of Tea Tree Oil for acne was conducted by Basset et al. (1990)3. The study performed a blinded, randomized clinical trial on 124 patients to evaluate the efficacy and skin tolerance of a 5% Tea Tree Oil gel against a 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion. Basset et al. concluded that both treatments had a positive effect in reducing the number of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions, yet the ‘onset of action’ for the Tea Tree Oil took longer to come into effect.
A study by Malhi et al. (2016), published in the Australian Journal of Dermatology also confirmed the use of Australian Tea Tree Oil products to significantly improve mild to moderate acne. In an open-label uncontrolled phase II pilot study, 18 participants were divided into two study arms applying Tea Tree Oil gel (200mg/g) and face wash (7mg/g) to their face daily. They were assessed after a 4, 8 and 12-week period. The authors concluded that the use of Tea Tree Oil products significantly improved mild to moderate acne and that the products were well tolerated.
A Note about Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil
All references in this paper have used 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. The properties of Tea Tree Oil are documented in the standard ISO47304. This standard details the acceptable percent range of the 15 most common components as well as physical parameters including optical rotation and specific gravity.
Research into this native Australian essential oil has determined a combination of 113 different compounds contribute to the many ways in which Tea Tree Oil yields its antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, bacteria are unable to adapt, mutate, and develop resistance to Tea Tree Oil’s many different mechanisms of activity (Thomsen, 20135).
As Tea Tree Oil has become more popular, adulterated versions of this oil have appeared on the market. These versions are often comprised of compounds from other industrial, sometimes waste, processes. There are documented safety issues, including burns and allergic reactions, with adulterated Tea Tree Oil which do not occur with Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil.
The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association offers a wealth of information on the beneficial use of Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. Their Code of Practice (COP) is a documented GMP quality system covering the entire production, processing, and packaging of Tea Tree Oil. COP certified producers and distributors undergo annual audits.
Read other articles on anti-acne ingredients in the Knowledge Center.
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References:
- European Union herbal monograph on Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betch) Cheel, M. linariifolia Smith, M. dissitiflora F. Mueller and/or other species of Melaleuca, aetheroleum [PDF]
- The efficacy of 5% topical tea tree oil gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Enshaieh S, Jooya A, Siadat AH, Iraji F.
- A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoylperoxide in the treatment of acne. Bassett IB, Pannowitz DL, Barnetson RS.
- ISO 4730:2004
- Effect of habituation to tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil on the subsequent susceptibility of Staphylococcus spp. to antimicrobials, triclosan, tea tree oil, terpinen-4-ol and carvacrol. Thomsen NA, Hammer KA, Riley TV, Van Belkum A, Carson CF.
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Keep in mind that in the US you can NOT make an acne claim based on TTO. Acne Products are defined by the FDA OTC Monograph; http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/DevelopmentResources/Over-the-CounterOTCDrugs/StatusofOTCRulemakings/ucm069967.htm
It’s a pity that the American FDA still has not accepted the many studies that show Tea Tree oil to be an effective anti-acne treatment. What’s wrong with them? Here in Mexico we (Pear and Peach) formulated an effective anti-acne product using it.
“The efficacy of 5% topical tea tree oil gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Enshaieh S, Jooya A, Siadat AH, Iraji F.”
Not a very impressive study – no positive control & poor validation of claimed active (ie tea tree oil) . With all the money the tea tree industry has been making over the years why such a lack of professional in vivo proof ?
“There are documented safety issues, including burns and allergic reactions, with adulterated Tea Tree Oil which do not occur with Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil.”
Is simply not true
Roger,
It was the adulterated Tea Tree Oil influx into the Germany & other EU markets in the mid 1990’s that prompted the erroneous conclusion that there should be a limit to leave-on product use with Tea Tree Oil.
It was well known in the industry that synthetic terpenes were being added to Pine Oil in china to pass off a cheap alternative to Tea Tree Oil. Unknowing price buyers took it at face value and you saw prices fall from the mid $30/KG to $12/KG as a result of this.
Only these types of mixtures proved to cause skin irritation and because they were wrapped in the name Tea Tree Oil it was the INCI name that took the brunt of the legislative hit.
If you look at the product complaints that were being made and saw which SKU’s were the one’s being the most offensive you would see that the suppliers to those manufacturers were not Australian Tea Tree Oil producers.
We see these situations happen all the time – like the current CA Prop 65 treatment for Aloe Vera.
Bad decisions being made without all of the knowledge to make them.
Hello,
I’ve read a lot of blogs about how Tea Tree Oil can help cure acne. I haven’t tried it because I don’t usually get acne but I’ve seen it work on my friends and some of my family members. I don’t think that we care so much if it’s been approved or what. What’s important is that there has been no reported incident or a clinical study about its adverse effect on people, if used appropriately. Thanks for sharing!