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Data: Limited

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree)

Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

● MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA
● MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE)
● TEA TREE

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


An unspecified preparation from Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, a shrub native to New Zealand.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
bar soap6 products
toners/astringents5 products
shampoo3 products
foot moisturizer2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant2 products
mouthwash2 products
facial cleanser2 products
mask1 products
hair styling aide1 products
conditioner1 products
serums & essences1 products
hair treatment/serum1 products
body spray1 products
hand sanitizer1 products
moisturizer1 products
exfoliant/scrub1 products
body wash/cleanser1 products
makeup removing wipes1 products
facial moisturizer/treatment1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any irritationOpen scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as toxic or harmful.Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicityOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
610 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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