Tea Tree

Melaleuca alternifolia

Chemotype: terpinen-4-ol type

medicinalfreshherbaceouscamphoraceous

PLANT PART: leaf and branchlet
EXTRACTION: steam distillation
AROMA NOTE: mid

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FOLLOW YOUR SENSES

Aroma & character

A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.

medicinalfreshherbaceouscamphoraceous

Aroma intensity: 60 / 100

Soft & subtleBold & expressive

Note layer: mid

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A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY

Using it thoughtfully

Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.

Cited dermal maximum · leave-on: 55%
Phototoxicity: Not flagged in this profile
Oxidation risk: high

A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.

No furocoumarin-based phototoxic restriction was identified in the consulted public sources for Melaleuca alternifolia tea tree oil.

Contraindications & cautions

majorTea tree essential oil must never be ingested: swallowed doses (including small amounts) have caused serious CNS effects such as drowsiness, ataxia, confusion, and coma in documented poisoning cases, and it should only be taken internally under the direction of a qualified/licensed practitioner.
moderateTea tree oil should never be applied undiluted (neat) to the skin; neat application has caused contact burns and skin sensitization reactions, and dermal use should always be diluted appropriately for the intended population.
moderateAvoid use in children under 6 unless directed by a pediatrician; in children over 6, use only if necessary at half the adult dilution and with medical guidance, reflecting reports of toxicity and sensitization in pediatric populations.
moderateAvoid use during the first trimester of pregnancy; in later pregnancy, only low concentrations (around 1%) for external use are advised, and a healthcare provider should be consulted first. During breastfeeding, avoid application on or near the breast area and use only low concentrations elsewhere.

Read the complete safety guide

Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches

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THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT

Inside the oil

19 constituents

An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.

About this composition

This profile is anchored to a public GC profiling report for Melaleuca alternifolia ct. terpinen-4-ol and matches the standard commercial tea-tree chemotype defined by ISO 4730, with terpinen-4-ol dominant and gamma-terpinene plus alpha-terpinene as the next major markers.

Constituent	Typical amount	Reported range	Chemical family	Source
Terpinen-4-ol	41.18%	41.18–41.18%	monoterpene alcohol	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 72
gamma-Terpinene	19.5%	19.5–19.5%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 58
alpha-Terpinene	9.04%	9.04–9.04%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 51
p-Cymene	2.71%	2.71–2.71%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 53
1,8-Cineole	2.27%	2.27–2.27%	monoterpene oxide	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 54
Terpinolene	3.26%	3.26–3.26%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 60
alpha-Pinene	2.39%	2.39–2.39%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 43
Limonene	0.83%	0.83–0.83%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 55
Sabinene	0.35%	0.35–0.35%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1 Page 3, line 45
alpha-Terpineol	3%	—	monoterpene alcohol	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
Aromadendrene	1.3%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
delta-Cadinene	1.2%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
Ledene (viridiflorene)	0.9%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
beta-Pinene	0.8%	—	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
Alloaromadendrene	0.6%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
beta-Myrcene	0.5%	—	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
Globulol	0.5%	—	sesquiterpene alcohol	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
alpha-Phellandrene	0.3%	—	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used
Viridiflorol	0.3%	—	sesquiterpene alcohol	View source GC-MS of 7 M. alternifolia oils (all ISO 4730 terpinen-4-ol chemotype), Molecules 2023 HPTLC study PMC10180325 Table 2: a-terpineol 3.11-4.66, aromadendrene 1.20-1.90, d-cadinene 1.06-1.79, ledene 0.47-1.69, b-pinene 0.73-1.06, allo-aromadendrene 0.47-0.96, myrcene 0.41-0.77, globulol 0.22-0.94, a-phellandrene 0.14-0.54, viridiflorol 0.10-0.41; ISO 4730 ranges cross-checked via Carson et al. 2006 Clin Microbiol Rev Table 1 (PMC1360273). Conservative in-range typicals used

Profile source: Certificate of Analysis - GC Profiling, Tea Tree - Lot No: 001-2112-1; IFRA 51 Conformity Certificate Organic Tea Tree Essential Oil · https://www.praannaturals.com/downloads/gcms/GCFID_Essential_Oil_Tea_Tree_LOT_001-2112-1.pdf ; https://www.nhrorganicoils.com/uploads/20250306134847e_Tea_Tree_IFRA_51.pdf

A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY

Traditional & reported uses

These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.

widely reported in traditional use for skin-care support, especially for blemish-prone skin
traditionally used in aromatherapy for its cleansing, purifying reputation
used in topical blends traditionally associated with minor skin irritation comfort
reported to support scalp and hair-care routines in traditional use
used in household blends for its fresh, medicinal-camphoraceous scent

For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.

What we're still learning · 2 data gaps

Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.

The `max_dermal_pct` value reflects IFRA Category 4 from a current public conformity certificate rather than the lower Tisserand and Young dermal maximum often cited for oxidized tea tree oil in aromatherapy safety texts.
Odor intensity 60 is an archive normalization from AromaWeb's public 'Strength of Initial Aroma: Medium' language rather than a native published 0-100 sensory measurement.