Tea Tree Oil (INCI: Melaleuca alternifolia Essential Oil)

Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is a nearly clear essential oil extracted from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, which is native to the northeast coast of Australia. Tea tree oil should not be confused with tea oil from the seeds of the tea plant Camellia sinensis (the tree that the common tea leaf beverage comes from), or the related tea oil plant, Camellia oleifera. The indigenous people of eastern Australia have used the leaves and oil of the tea tree in their traditional medicine for countless generations. To treat coughs and colds they make a preparation of crushed leaves that release the oils to be inhaled, and for wounds they apply the leaves and then a dressing.

Tea tree oil has beneficial medical properties when applied topically, including antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral action. It is a highly effective treatment against the bacteria that causes acne in the skin when topically applied. For this purpose it should be noted that tea tree oil is not an actual oil but rather an essential oil, so it won't clog pores in the way that some other true oils can. Essential oils as a group don't have specific chemical properties in common, but are merely hydrophobic liquids that are the "essence" of the plant with a particular scent, hence the name "essential oil." So preparations containing tea tree oil, especially for cleansers and acne treatment products, are highly effective as disinfectants and as antibacterial treatments against acne with no risk of pore clogging.