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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Endocrine disruption (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)

SYNONYMS

MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) ESSENTIAL OIL, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF OIL, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) OIL, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA ESSENTIAL OIL, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF OIL, OILS, TEA TREE, OILS, TEATREE, TEA EXTRACT; TEA LEAF, ABSOLUTE; TEA OIL; TEA TREE OIL, TEA RESINOID, TEA TREE LEAF OIL, TEA TREE OIL, and TEA TREE OILS

Restricted

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

This ingredient is distilled from the leaves of Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, a shrub native to New Zealand.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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shampoo129 products
conditioner93 products
facial cleanser88 products
mask65 products
hair treatment/serum59 products
facial moisturizer/treatment57 products
toothpaste54 products
antiperspirant/deodorant50 products
moisturizer46 products
bar soap45 products
serums & essences44 products
toners/astringents43 products
body wash/cleanser36 products
exfoliant/scrub29 products
foundation25 products
beard oil25 products
recreational sunscreen21 products
foot moisturizer15 products
concealer15 products
mouthwash14 products
foot cleansing12 products
hand sanitizer12 products
liquid hand soap11 products
bath oil/salts/soak10 products
nail treatment10 products
hair styling aide9 products
body oil8 products
foot odor control8 products
after shave8 products
diaper cream7 products
daily use with SPF7 products
beard care7 products
after sun product6 products
muscle/joint soreness5 products
tooth whitening5 products
lip balm5 products
hand cream5 products
shaving cream (men's)4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)4 products
styling gel/lotion4 products
hair spray4 products
hair-loss treatment4 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
lip gloss4 products
baby toothpaste4 products
beard cleanser4 products
pore strips3 products
shaving cream3 products
makeup remover3 products
cuticle treatment3 products
bubble bath3 products
baby wipes3 products
body spray3 products
3 products
baby shampoo2 products
baby soap2 products
detangler2 products
baby sunscreen2 products
body firming lotion2 products
setting powder/spray2 products
makeup primer2 products
sunless tanning1 products
anti-aging1 products
around-eye cream1 products
baby lotion1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
fragrance for women1 products
vapor rubs1 products
hair color and bleaching1 products
hair relaxer1 products
BB cream1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
body powder1 products
eye shadow1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerOpen scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any toxicityOpen scientific literature
Classified as toxic or harmful.Open scientific literature
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any irritationOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any irritationOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any irritationOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show any effects at low dosesOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any disruptionOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicityOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
570 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • 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
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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