"Tea tree oil is actually good for acne."
"Tea tree oil is used to treat acne."
"Tea tree oil is safe to use with a carrier oil."
"Tea tree oil is safe to use when diluted."
I get comments like these, all the time, ever since I started eliminating essential oils in my routine. Therefore, today we're gonna set things straight, once and for all. By now, you would have, hopefully, probably, already seen or heard many people telling you to avoid essential oils in your skincare, including myself.
But why? For centuries, we have been using essential oils. Essential oils are most often used in aromatherapy where they are being inhaled, they are also commonly used in medicine where they are being digest, and lastly in skincare products where they are being applied onto the skin... So what is so wrong about it? Why are some people so against about using essential oils? Isn't some essential oils like tea tree good for your skin?
Well, if you're burning with questions like this (or if you want to finally take good care of yourself and your skin), keep on reading.
Essential oils are the essence of the aromatic plant in which they are being extracted or derived from, and what they carry is the characteristic of the fragrance or scent of the plant. They can be extracted from different parts of the plant such as its bark, root, leaves, flower, and so on. Essential oils are made up of many different components. Some essential oils contains components that have the ability to kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, and etc. So yes, you're right, some essential oils do have components that are scientifically proven to provide such benefits. But needless to say one of the main component that is present in
all essential oils is the one carrying the fragrance of the plant. In other words, all essential oils contains fragrance.
Side note: Essential oils are not to be confused with oils such as rose hip seed oil, hemp seed oil, castor oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, etc. Oils do not carry fragrance in them and are generally safe for the skin and body.
Let's press pause on our talk about essential oils and talk about fragrance for a minute. If someone has told you to avoid essential oils, it's most likely that they're gonna tell you to avoid fragrance too. Again, why? Because
fragrance is toxic.
Highly, toxic, chemicals. You're probably not gonna believe me just like that, so below are a few articles which I find very informative and I would suggest you read through them as well to get a better understanding of fragrance, especially the second and third one as it focuses on fragrance used in consumer products and in skincare.
1. The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) lists 3,059 materials that are reported as being used in fragrance compounds. Of these 3,059 ingredients, some have evidence linking them to health effects including cancer, reproductive toxicity, allergies and sensitivities. (source)
2. Fragrances are linked to a staggering number of health risks. Across multiple research studies, chemicals used to make fragrances are classified as allergens, hormone disruptors, asthma triggers, neurotoxins & carcinogens. The punchline: fragrances are highly toxic. (source)
3. Some essential oils for acne-prone skin such as rosemary, lemongrass, thyme, cinnamon, citronella, and tea tree oils do have research showing them to be helpful. But they also cause significant irritation and haven’t proven to be as effective as the gold standard active ingredient for acne, benzoyl peroxide (which research shows can even reduce redness!). (source)
Okay, so fragrance are bad, but what has this got to do with essential oils? I googled if essential oils are toxic and the top results all tells me that it's good stuff for the skin and body!!
Right. Because that's what the industry wants you to focus on, the good compounds of essential oils where studies have shown to provide skin benefiting properties. But remember what I said earlier on? One of the main component that is present in
all essential oils is
the one carrying the fragrance of the plant. In short, all essential oils, are essentially (no pun intended) fragrance.
Many of the natural essential oils that form the basis of fragrances have adverse or toxic effects that have only recently been recognised. The properties that make the chemicals in fragrances able to vaporise easily and stimulate our sense of smell also mean that many are highly reactive and able to stimulate immune reactions. (source)
Fragrance is basically a blend of aromatic extracts from natural and synthetic ingredients. Used in nearly 50% of beauty products, it actually has a LOT of unknown toxic chemicals that can be harmful to you. Without you knowing, fragrance can irritate skin, have toxic hormonal effects, and may even cause cancer. It may smell fabulous, but it can lead to not-so-fabulous effects on your skin and health. (source)
"
Natural fragrance" is just another fancy term for essential oils to trick you into thinking that there are "good" fragrance when in reality, there is none. Marketing is manipulative!
It is noted in some studies that essential oils can be safe to use and non-irritating when it is being diluted to a
maximum of 0.1% concentration (
source). But as mentioned on Paula's Choice website, "lots of skincare products contain more than one essential oil, or far more than 0.1%", since essential oils are not tested for safety by the FDA before they are being sold (
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3). If you're an avid user of tea tree oil for spot treating acne, you might have heard of the Thursday Plantation tea tree oil which contains 100% tea tree oil. 100%! Another infamous tea tree oil product I know is the one from The Body Shop and it contains 15% of tea tree oil concentrate (
source). The best part? Neither of both mentioned diluting the oil before in their directions. Even if you're kinda smart and you're aware of diluting essential oils, how would you ensure that your 100% or 15% oil is being diluted down to a 0.1% or less concentrate?
So, despite knowing that essential oils are highly toxic, let's assume you still refuse to give up on essential oils because it's been working for you. You've seen your spot become smaller the next day and there's no signs of irritations! Maybe it'll irritate sensitive skin, but you have normal skin!
Skin is very good at hiding when it’s being irritated. So, even if you don’t see a reaction, the damage is still occurring beneath skin’s surface, cumulatively leading to problems you will see later on. Irritation is pro-aging, the opposite of what most adults want from skincare. (source)
Here's the thing about sensitive skin, you can be born with it, or it can be acquired and in this case, we called it 'sensitized skin'. One perfect, living example is myself. I wasn't born with sensitive skin and I've even mentioned this fact multiple times in my videos throughout my years on Youtube. I've used countless of skincare products ever since I was a teen and none has ever given me any forms of irritations, not even redness, until I turned 26. Now, as you've guessed it, I have sensitized skin. Despite having oily skin, whenever I use a product now that contains heap loads of crap like drying alcohol, essential oils and fragrance, my skin will start to peel, feel tight and dry, and that will sometimes lead to itching due to the irritations. If you've been using skincare products containing harmful ingredients for an extended period of time and all of a sudden you're breaking out or showing other signs of irritations, and you're not sure why this product has "suddenly stopped working" for you, that should be a clear sign that your skin has finally tolerated enough of your abuse.
In conclusion, essential oils are really just fragrance with very little pros to outweigh the severity of its cons. There are simply no good reasons why you should use essential oils because you can easily find much safer ingredients in the market that provides the same benefits, without harming the health of your skin.
Labels: beauty, face, review, skincare, skincare talk, tips
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