EWG Skin Deep® | What is MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF EXTRACT

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Data: Limited

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract

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Other Concerns

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

SYNONYMS

● EXTRACT OF MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF

● MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF EXTRACT

● MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF EXTRACT

● TEA TREE LEAF EXTRACT

Restricted

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

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia.

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

foundation	16 products
mask	15 products
facial cleanser	9 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	6 products
toners/astringents	5 products
setting powder/spray	4 products
facial powder	4 products
serums & essences	3 products
foot odor control	2 products
hand sanitizer	2 products
exfoliant/scrub	2 products
moisturizer	2 products
around-eye cream	1 products
liquid hand soap	1 products
makeup primer	1 products
hand cream	1 products
pore strips	1 products
hair styling aide	1 products
concealer	1 products
makeup remover	1 products
foot moisturizer	1 products
styling gel/lotion	1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any irritation	Open scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies	Open scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as toxic or harmful.	Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicity	Open scientific literature

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
148 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM 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.

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