What it is
In the register’s words: “Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil is the oil distilled from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF OIL
- CAS number
- 8022-72-8/ 68647-73-4
- EC number
- -/ -
Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil where the register says MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF OIL. Both are the same ingredient.
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.
- Antioxidant
-
Slows the oxygen damage that makes oils go rancid in the bottle. Vitamin E (tocopherol) is the common one.
Register definition: “Inhibiting reactions promoted by oxygen, thus avoiding oxidation and rancidity.”
- Fragrance
-
Gives the product its smell or covers an unpleasant one. A label may name each scent ingredient or group them as Fragrance (Parfum).
Register definition: “Imparting an odour or taste. Creating a perceivable pleasant smell and/or masking a bad smell.”
- Perfuming
-
Used as a perfume or scent material. Essential oils and their scent compounds, such as linalool and limonene, carry this role.
Register definition: “Used for perfume and aromatic raw materials.”
- Skin protecting
-
Helps shield skin from outside factors. On a hair label it usually sits beside a conditioning role.
Register definition: “Helping to avoid harmful effects to the skin from external factors.”
- Skin conditioning
-
A register role for ingredients that help dry or rough skin feel supple again.
Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance of dry and/or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring suppleness.”
Where it sits on each label
US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.
- Shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Shampoos without it
- Clarifying shampoos 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Rinse-out conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
- Leave-in conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Leave-in conditioners without it
- Hair oils 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Hair oils without it
Every label, product by product (7)
- PATTERN Hydration Shampoo Shampoo 9th of 42 names
- Cécred Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub Clarifying shampoo 9th of 31 names
- Cécred Detoxifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 16th of 38 names
- PATTERN Medium Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 16th of 38 names
- The Doux THAT’S DEEP 5-Minute Deep Conditioner Deep conditioner 20th of 25 names
- PATTERN Leave-In Conditioner Leave-in conditioner 8th of 43 names
- Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs + Honey Ultimate Strength Serum Hair oil 16th of 18 names
Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.
Your next step
Other antioxidant ingredients on these labels
- Tocopherol 45 labels
- Tocopheryl Acetate 30 labels
- Hydroxyacetophenone 6 labels
- Ascorbic Acid 4 labels
- Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate 3 labels
- Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract 3 labels
- Sodium Metabisulfite 3 labels
- Apium Graveolens (Celery) Seed Extract 2 labels
Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.