Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is a volatile essential oil derived from the Australian plant, Melaleuca Alternifolia. The Melaleuca genus belongs to the Myrtaceae family and contains approximately 230 plant species, almost all of which are native to Australia. It is extracted from the leaves of the tea tree through a distillation process. It is well-known for its powerful antiseptic properties and ability to treat wounds. Today, tea tree oil has become a recurrent ingredient in household item, ranging from cleaning and wound healing products to skin care products.
Tea tree oil's primary active ingredients include Terpene Hydrocarbons, Monoterpenes and Sesquiterpenes. It is these compounds that give tea tree oil its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. However, there are over 100 different chemical components in the tea tree oil with terpinen-4-ol and alpha-terpineol as the most active components. In the current market, there are plenty of tea tree oil based product with various ranges of concentrations.
Tea tree oil is commonly used externally to treat acne, nail fungus, athlete’s foot and insect bites due to its strong antiseptic properties.