[Review] The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Review

For an acne prone skin like me, Tea Tree oil is a necessity in my skin-care routine. I used to have tea tree oil from Oriflame, but it has been discontinued (It always irks me how fast Oriflame product get discontinued), so I looked for a replacement and find this Tea Tree Oil from TBS local store. I've been using this oil for a while (since 2013) and I'd like to share my experience with it.

Price: Rp 119.000 / $9.5 for 10ml and Rp 219.000 / $18 for 20ml

Amount: 10ml / 20ml

Ingredients: Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Alcohol Denat. (Solvent/Diluent), PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Emulsifier), Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier), Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Natural Additive), Limonene (Natural Additive), t-Butyl Alcohol (Denaturant), Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent), Citral (Natural Additive), Leptospermum Petersonii Oil (Natural Additive), Denatonium Benzoate (Denaturant), Tocopherol (Antioxidant).

To Use: Apply directly to areas of concern, using fingertips or a cotton bud and gently pat into skin. Build upon your skincare routine with other products from the Tea Tree range.

About Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a quite popular ingredients for oily and acne prone skin. It is an oil that derived from tea tree leaves. It is not to be confused with green tea or black tea. Tea tree oil is said to be as effective as benzoyl peroxide but it's not as irritating as benzoyl peroxide. It can be applied directly into the skin, however, it should be diluted first before applied, or it can be burning in the skin.

For some people, tea tree oil might cause dryness, stinging, burning and redness. So always swatch first before applying tea tree oil directly to our face. It is also safe to be used during pregnancy. However, it should be noted that tea tree oil SHOULD NOT be taken by mouth as it is highly toxic.

My Experience

This body shop tea tree oil has been diluted, it contains 15% of tea tree oil thus can be applied directly into the skin. This tea tree oil comes in 10 ml and 20 ml packaging. What I like the most about the packaging is the child-lock cap, and despite comes in glass it never breaks despite how many times I've dropped it, — which makes it travel friendly.

The oil has a typical Tea Tree scent, and at the first time it stings a bit, but after using it for a while it doesn't stings anymore. The oil has a watery consistency, it's absorbed to the skin quickly and doesn't leave any oily residue. In my experience, this oil works perfectly for early-stage acne, and mild breakout. It helps reduce the redness in the acne area. My only complains for this tea tree is the high alcohol content.

I don't know why The Body Shop product are almost always high in alcohol. I guess they put alcohol in this oil so it will evaporate and won't leave any oily residue.

Despite this does nothing to blemish and acne scar. So far, my experience with this oil has been positive and I have repurchase this a couple of times.

Verdict

Pros:
- Travel-friendly packaging
- Reduce redness
- Help heals early-stage acne and mild breakout
- Does not leave any residue, absorbs nicely to the skin

Cons:
- Price is a little bit expensive
- Only works for mild acne, might not works for severe acne, blemish, or acne scar
- Might stings and burns a little bit for first timer
- High alcohol content

Rating: 4/5

Repurchase: Yes. Infact I have repurchased it couple of times. However, if I found other acne treatment that has less alcohol content, I might stop using this.