7 replies to this topic

[gingergirl22]

Since noticing that tea tree oils can range in price quite drastically, it put me on a search to understand if there is a way to tell if I am buying a good quality tea tree oil. I spent hours reading up on this and I am still not sure if there is a way. There is the Australian Tea Tree Oil Industry Association (ATTOIA) that claims that the consumer can be assured that they are getting the best if their logo is on the label. That doesn't exactly convince me. If anyone has any light to shed on this subject I sure would appreciate it. The ATTOIA has set up a Facebook page in hopes of educating the public about the quality of TTO that carry their logo (http://www.facebook....alianTeaTreeOil) and there is a link up at the top that is worth reading called "Are You Really Getting Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil?"

A little bottle of Thursday Plantation tea tree oil is 28.00 compared to Desert Essence at 5.99. I don't mind paying more as long as I know I am buying a quality product, but I also don't want to waste my money.

So what brands are you all using that have worked wonders?

[Tony Larkman]

Hi gingergirl22,

I work for the Australian Tea Tree Oil Industry Association (or ATTIA Ltd). Thanks very much indeed for posting our FB link and drawing attention to the article "Are you really getting pure Australian tea tree oil" (http://www.facebook....223624311073057) which explains the problem that the tea tree oil (TTO) and many, many other essential oil industries currently face: cheating by unscrupulous traders who dilute (or extend to give it a polite name) pure TTO with potentially harmful synthetic material that has (usually) been manufactured from something like pine oil. Very often they start with poor quality TTO and blend it to make it appear more like pure, natural TTO then sell it on making claims for efficacy, safety and uses based on pure TTO knowing very well that is simply isn't any thing like pure.
Unfortunately this can be difficult to detect unless you have experience of what pure TTO looks, feels and smells like - the problem is that many of the oils being offered today are adulterated meaning these potentially toxic brews are more common than you can imagine. ATTIA Ltd is currently testing a number of commercially available oils that claim to be pure TTO and hope to be in a position to publish the information very soon. We will then be in position to licence the use of our logo. You seem unconvinced by this but I can assure you that the use of the logo will be very carefully monitored; until then I can tell you with certainty that:

• All Thursday Plantation products contain only Pure Australian TTO
• All Desert Essence branded products contain only pure Australian TTO
• Tea Tree Wonders offer only pure Australian TTO

If you (or any one else) have purchased any TTO recently please post to the Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil Facebook page (http://www.facebook....alianTeaTreeOil) and we wil do our best to let you know.

Please also write or email your regular supplier(s) - you can use the letter we have prepared at the bottom of the "Are you really getting pure Australian tea tree oil" (http://www.facebook....223624311073057) page and ask them if they know they are buying pure TTO.

[gingergirl22]

Hi gingergirl22,

I work for the Australian Tea Tree Oil Industry Association (or ATTIA Ltd). Thanks very much indeed for posting our FB link and drawing attention to the article "Are you really getting pure Australian tea tree oil" (http://www.facebook....223624311073057) which explains the problem that the tea tree oil (TTO) and many, many other essential oil industries currently face: cheating by unscrupulous traders who dilute (or extend to give it a polite name) pure TTO with potentially harmful synthetic material that has (usually) been manufactured from something like pine oil. Very often they start with poor quality TTO and blend it to make it appear more like pure, natural TTO then sell it on making claims for efficacy, safety and uses based on pure TTO knowing very well that is simply isn't any thing like pure.
Unfortunately this can be difficult to detect unless you have experience of what pure TTO looks, feels and smells like - the problem is that many of the oils being offered today are adulterated meaning these potentially toxic brews are more common than you can imagine. ATTIA Ltd is currently testing a number of commercially available oils that claim to be pure TTO and hope to be in a position to publish the information very soon. We will then be in position to licence the use of our logo. You seem unconvinced by this but I can assure you that the use of the logo will be very carefully monitored; until then I can tell you with certainty that:

• All Thursday Plantation products contain only Pure Australian TTO
• All Desert Essence branded products contain only pure Australian TTO
• Tea Tree Wonders offer only pure Australian TTO

If you (or any one else) have purchased any TTO recently please post to the Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil Facebook page (http://www.facebook....alianTeaTreeOil) and we wil do our best to let you know.

Please also write or email your regular supplier(s) - you can use the letter we have prepared at the bottom of the "Are you really getting pure Australian tea tree oil" (http://www.facebook....223624311073057) page and ask them if they know they are buying pure TTO.

Tony,
Thanks for dropping in and posting on this topic.

Would you be able to provide tips on using pure Australian Tea Tree Oil? Some people are irritated by it and there is some confusion around this site as to whether to use it full strength or diluted. Also, what is the shelf life of the oil when kept in a cabinet?

Regarding the Desert Essence brand, I noticed that they have a line of Tea Tree oils (https://www.desertes...om/special-oils), but only two actually have "Australian" on the label. Are you saying we can be assured that they all are Australian?

One last thing - are the Australian oils consistent in their ratios of Terpinen-4-ol and 1,8-cineol? I read that high levels of the latter can be an irrititating. I also noticed that some brands list the levels of these two ingredients and some don't.

Thank you!

Edited by gingergirl22, 22 August 2012 - 11:35 AM.

[Tony Larkman]

You certainly asked the right questions so this will have to be a bit of a marathon post - my apologies in advance

By the way, most of the information you are after is available on our website (www.attia.org.au) please use the 'search' function in the toolbox on the right of the screen; for example type in 'stability' and see what comes up.

I will start with Desert Essence: yes these are all pure Australian TTO, three are 100% pure and the third is a 20% solution. I know where they source their oil from here in Australia and can state this with absolute and total confidence. The same goes for Thursday Plantation branded products too by the way.

Now onto 1,8-cineole: did you know that this substance is also known as eucalyptol which is the major component of Eucalyptus oil? It is present in all pure TTO with the level varying from trace to a maximum of 15% as specified in the International Standard ISO 4730:2004. Terpinen-4-ol also varies with ISO 4730 specifying 30.00 - 48.00%. All essential oils naturally vary considerably depending on the genetics of the plants grown. Here in Australia there has been a breeding programme in place for nearly 20 years to select those naturally occurring plants of Melaleuca alternifolia that are both high yielding and also contain terpinen-4-ol at around 39 - 40% and a 1,8-cineole content of less than 3%. High terpinen-4-ol levels are deemed desirable because researchers at the University of Western Sydney identified it as one of the main active components of TTO although there is no doubt that the synergistic effect of the 113+ compounds found in pure TTO is better than the sum of the parts for a variety of reasons including enhanced penetration.

Are higher levels of 1,8-cineole irritating? A lot of work was done on this about a decade ago and while the scientists are still divided on this I personally believe that 1,8-cineole in itself is not a significant irritant (unless you are allergic to it of course). However, it is now very difficult indeed to purchase any pure TTO that has a 1,8-cineole level much above 3% because that is what is now produced almost universally. If any one really wants to look further into this there is a new Literature Database available on the ATTIA website here: http://www.attia.org...h_abstracts.php if you type cineole into the search you will find more than 80 papers on the subject (I told you a lot had been done on this). To make it easier for you please type "Southwell" into the second search (there will then be "only" 16) and then have a look at the links for the papers titled Is cineole detrimental to tea tree oil? and Why cineole is not detrimental to tea tree oil. The reason some brands list these two (eg T39/C3) is there was a huge marketing push in the 1990's that focussed on cineole levels. As I said before this is now thought to be far less relevant so many brands don't bother. I suspect that many of the adulterated oils don't bother either because their ratios are often out of kilter with what is expected (they are selling synthetic stuff of unknown origin).

Now onto shelf-life: this is linked with the components of TTO. When pure TTO is exposed to one or all of light, air (oxygen) and high temperatures (greater than 25 ^oC or 77 ^oF) some of the compounds oxidise and break down into peroxides and para-cymene. There is a paper detailing this and ATTIA's recommended shelf-life or 'use by' here: http://www.attia.org...e_doc.php?id=13. In summary ATTIA recommends that the use-by (best before) date for pure Australian tea tree oil sold in commercially available small (up to100 ml) dark glass bottles stored at an ambient temperature not exceeding 25 ^oC be set at 6 months from when first opened or 24 months (2 years) in unopened bottles. Have a look at the page http://www.attia.org...atree_about.php for more on stability. When I open my small dark glass bottle of TTO I write the date on it and when 6 months are nearly up it goes to the laundry room where it is quickly used - we use TTO in the final rinse for many of our washes.

Neat (100%) or dilute: what a great question! It depends on what you are using it for, your skin type, where you are using it and how you intend to use it. For acne there are a lot of professionally formulated products that work and I suspect that a formulated product is going to do a better job in managing such a complex condition but there has been plenty of research on the use of TTO as well as a lot of personal recommendations on the internet so i know it must work. If you go back to the ATTIA literature database (hover over Research in the navigation bar to find it quickly) and type in 'acne' 32 papers are listed which may give you more information. Try clearing the search and type in use* (you need the *) and 32 papers come up.

The following bit is advice and is my personal opinion only so please repect this: I mostly use it 100% pure and apply it with a cotton bud BUT I only use pure Australian TTO that is fresh and well stored and I never ever use it neat on any delicate areas (ears/face/groin etc). If needed where it is delicate I dilute it in a neutral carrier oil (i prefer almond or jojoba) to 20%. I also ALWAYS get professional advice from a qualified medical practitioner. For use as an antiseptic I have my own brew which is 20% TTO, 20% iodine solution (over the counter) and 60% ethanol. I 'invented' this 30 years ago when I was a pig farmer (really good place to pick up minor infections!) and still use it today when I get a cut/scratch or if i get something like athletes foot where the stain it leaves can be hidden. I would NEVER use it on my face.
I have never had to use TTO for acne (lucky me) but if I had to I would probably dilute the TTO to 20% with a carrier such as 50% almond oil and 50% ethanol and then check with a medical practitioner before I used it.

Finally the hard one: you asked for "...tips on using pure Australian Tea Tree Oil? Some people are irritated by it and there is some confusion around this site as to whether to use it full strength or diluted." There are hundreds (thousands?) of tips and hints for the use of pure TTO for a huge number of applications on the internet. There are some hints and tips on the ATTIA website (hover your cursor over About Tea Tree Oil in the navigation bar and then again over Tea Tree Uses to see three sections: Personal, Veterinary and Other. There is not a great deal in there that has not been said thousands of others times. This is deliberate: there are healthcare professionals that are far better qualified than I to do this, but I do use TTO a lot around my house and here I am fortunate: none of my family is allergic to TTO. Remember there is always that 1 - 5% of any population that is allergic to something eg cats, pollen, rubber etc. This is also true for TTO and there is some evidence that repeated exposure may cause sensitisation. If you are allergic to TTO, don't use it. My personal belief is that contact sensitisation is almost always caused by old, oxidised TTO with high peroxide and p-cymene levels so ALWAYS check the use-by date and record when you opened the bottle. I put in some personal observations above which is something I very rarely do because I am NOT qualified; but I know from personal experience that fresh, well stored pure Australian TTO is a marvelous product that is so useful for so many things - this is why I (and many others from the grower through to the end user) am passionate about it.

There: told you it would be a marathon!

[Green Gables]

You certainly asked the right questions so this will have to be a bit of a marathon post - my apologies in advance

Do you know anything about Gena Laboratories Tea Tree Oil? Claims "100% Pure Oil of Melaleuca Alternifolia.".

[Tony Larkman]

Sorry no, I have never heard of Gena Laboratories; there are hundreds (thousands?) of companies marketing TTO globally so the chance of knowing a particular company and the truth behind their claims is pretty small. Why don't you ask them yourself for proof of origin of their oil? Alternatively send them the link to the ATTIA Facebook site and challenge them. If they are really fair dinkum they might want to contact ATTIA Ltd, send a sample for analysis and commit to only using pure Australian tea tree oil.

Alternatively you could post a sample to ATTIA for analysis - we have a pretty close to foolproof test that we have been developing in clooaboration with some Australian University researchers over the past few months and could do with a few more samples just to round out the research. It would need to be an unopened bottle (seal intact).

[gingergirl22]

You certainly asked the right questions so this will have to be a bit of a marathon post - my apologies in advance

Tony - I can't thank you enough for the information you've provided. It is SO helpful!

Edited by gingergirl22, 23 August 2012 - 07:49 PM.

[Tony Larkman]

You are really welcome & I am glad I could share a little more about the facts behind pure Australian tea tree oil. Please, please share this and the Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil Facebook page with as many folk as you can - it is really important that they are made aware of the problem of adulterating a pure natural essential oil with synthetic chemicals of unknown origin, safety and efficacy.