Tea Tree Oil: The Controversy and The Facts

The Facts:

Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is a natural oil dervived from the leaf of Australian native plant Melaleuca alternifolia. It has been used for almost 100years in Australia according to one study(Ref 1)  Distilled & diluted, it has long been used as a natural killer for mites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It is effective against S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans and is known to be highly effective in eradicating Demodex. Ref 1, 2, 3

terpene hydrocarbons, mainly monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and their associated alcohols. Terpenes are volatile, aromatic hydrocarbons and may be considered polymers of isoprene, which has the formula C5H8

[7,16]

The study below performed on human used TTO eyelid scrub (Naviblef™ Eyelid Foam/Novax Pharma/Italy) which was applied 2 times daily for 30 days. This TTO formula contains extracts of TTO, extracts of pharmaceutical grade chamomile which has soothing and decongestant properties, and Vitamin B5 which is known to have moisturizing properties. The authors not NO financial interest in the product.

The Issues:

1. Demodex destroys meibomian glands

2. Aging destroys meibomian glands.

3. An intro study (not done in humans yet) showed TTO destroys meibomian glands.

4. Does Ivermectin destroy meibomian glands?

5. Does Blue Light destroy meibomian glands?

References:

1. 

2.  Gao YY, Di Pascuale MA, Li W, Liu DT, Baradaran-Rafii A, Elizondo A, et al. High prevalence of Demodex in eyelashes with cylindrical dandruff. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005;46:3089–94. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

3. Carson CF, Hammer KA, Riley TV. Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea tree) oil: A review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006;19:50–62. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

4. J Appl Bacteriol

. 1995 Mar;78(3):264-9.

 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1995.tb05025.x.

Antimicrobial activity of the major components of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia

C F Carson 1, T V Riley

Affiliations 

• PMID: 7730203
 
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1995.tb05025.x

https://teamtoyos.com/stop-using-tea-tree-oil/

Effects of Terpinen-4-ol on meibomian gland epithelial cells in vitro – Di Chen, MD et al Cornea. 2020 Dec; 39(12): 1541–1546.

Highlight Quotes from the Paper

“Our findings show that T4O (Tea Tree Oil) caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease in the survival of Human Meibomian Gland Epithelial Cells IHMGECs, and also significantly reduced their P-Akt signaling ability. The demodicidal 1.0% T4O concentration killed almost all the IHMGECs within 90 minutes. Reducing the T4O level by 100-fold to 0.01% still decreased the survival of IHMGECs but did not interfere with their capacity to differentiate. Overall, our results support our hypothesis that the demodicidal concentrations of T4O are toxic to IHMGECs.”

“The toxicity of TTO and T4O is not unique to IHMGECs. Investigators have reported that demodicidal concentrations and less of TTO or T4O kill human hepatic, cervical and breast epithelial, T, B, and bone marrow cells, as well as fibroblasts and peripheral blood monocytes in vitro13,14,28–31. TTO is also known to: [a] cause allergic contact dermatitis, with a 0.7% prevalence in patch-tested patients32; [b] generate secondary organic aerosols containing ultrafine particles, which may elicit inflammation and oxidative stress33; [c] contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens and commensals, when used repeatedly at sub-lethal bactericidal concentrations (0.1 to 0.25%)34; and [d] induce prepubertal gynecomastia in young boys29,30.”

“In our study, T4O reduced Akt phosphorylation in IHMGECs after only 30 min exposure. The P-Akt pathway is an important regulator of cell proliferation and survival44. As a large sebaceous gland that secretes through a holocrine mechanism, the human meibomian gland requires constant renewal and differentiation of meibomian gland acinar epithelial cells, which means IHMGECs are metabolically active and more sensitive to cell cycle inhibitors35. The fact that all IHMGECs were dead in differentiating medium after 5 days of treatment with 0.1% T4O further proved its toxicity in vitro.”

“The European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association in 2002 published the following recommendation: “Tea Tree Oil should not be used in cosmetic products in a way that results in a concentration greater than 1% oil being applied to the body”47. Given that Manuka honey48, microblepharoexfoliation49 and intense pulsed light therapy50–53 have all been shown to be effective against Demodex, is it possible that these treatments could replace TTO and T4O in the future?”

“T4O, at demodicidal concentrations, alters the morphology and inhibits the survival of IHMGECs. T4O at lower concentrations also reduces the proliferation and activity of a cell survival mediator in IHMGECs.”

This work was supported by NIH grant EY05612

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interests.