Dangers of Tea Tree Oil

Like other natural essential oils, tea tree oil is a concentrated oil extracted from plants. High-quality tea tree oil generally is a fine item, but many products include tea tree oil of poor quality and some of these oils are actually synthetic. For the most part, cosmetic items such as shampoos and bath products with less than one percent tea tree oil are safe, but several problems have been noted with use of this oil.

Toxicity

Essential oils degrade quickly when exposed to air, light and heat. They can become more potent and also toxic.

Allergies

Clinical trials of products with tea tree oil found some users coming down with rashes and other allergy symptoms.

Hormonal Effects

Boys should not use products containing tea tree oil because it may have hormone-like qualities that lead to the growth of breasts. A case reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 covered three cases of young boys to whom this happened. Fortunately the symptoms disappeared when product use was discontinued.

Pathogen Strengthener

According to Pharmaceutical Business Review, tea tree oil in cosmetics may increase the risk of superbug development. Pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella become more resistant to antibiotics after being exposed to low doses of tea tree oil.

Issues with Pets

People should not use tea tree oil on their pets as a flea deterrent or any other purpose, because it is toxic if ingested, which may occur when the animal grooms itself.

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