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Tea Tree Oil

Q: Is Tea Tree Oil natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of leaves and terminal branches of Melaleuca alternifolia. Native to New South Wales, Australia. CAS 68647-73-4. ISO standard requires minimum 30% terpinen-4-ol and maximum 15% 1,8-cineole..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · citrus · green

Tea Tree Oil

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fresh · citrus · green
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	Melaleuca alternifolia
Appearance	pale yellow to yellow clear liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Australia
Pyramid	Top

Sharp, medicinal, and camphoraceous. Melaleuca alternifolia distilled down to its essence -- terpinen-4-ol dominates, giving it a clean, antiseptic bite.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Sharp, medicinal, camphoraceous. Like unscrewing the cap of a fresh bottle -- the immediate hit is clean, antiseptic, and slightly warming. Less icy than eucalyptus, less sweet than cajuput, more herbal and resinous than either. The smell of a medicine cabinet crossed with a eucalyptus forest.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Sharp, medicinal, camphoraceous. Clean and antiseptic.

After a few hours

The sharpness fades. Warm, herbal, slightly spicy.

After a few days

A faint, clean, herbal-medicinal trace.

Terroir & Transformation

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil, CAS 68647-73-4) is a widely recognized essential oils globally, primarily for its antimicrobial properties rather than its use in fine fragrance.

The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and terminal branches of Melaleuca alternifolia, a tree native to the swampy lowlands of New South Wales, Australia. The dominant molecule is terpinen-4-ol (minimum 30% by ISO standard, typically 35-45%), which gives the oil its characteristic clean, medicinal, slightly spicy character.

The olfactory profile is sharp, camphoraceous, and medicinal: eucalyptus-adjacent but warmer, less mentholated, and more herbal. There is a faint, turpentine-like freshness from alpha-terpinene and gamma-terpinene, and a subtle spiciness from para-cymene.

In fine perfumery, tea tree oil is rarely used as a featured note -- its association with medicine cabinets and acne treatments works against luxury positioning. However, it can function as a clean, medicinal-fresh accent in herbal, aromatic, and wellness-inspired compositions.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Desert Sagebrush · Eucalyptus

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Tea tree oil's antimicrobial reputation originated with the Bundjalung Aboriginal people of eastern Australia, who crushed Melaleuca leaves into poultices. The oil entered Western medicine during World War II, when it was included in Australian military first-aid kits before the widespread availability of antibiotics.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of leaves and terminal branches of Melaleuca alternifolia. Native to New South Wales, Australia. CAS 68647-73-4. ISO standard requires minimum 30% terpinen-4-ol and maximum 15% 1,8-cineole.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture: terpinen-4-ol (C₁₀H₁₈O), γ-terpinene (C₁₀H₁₆), α-terpinene (C₁₀H₁₆)
CAS Number	68647-73-4
Botanical Name	Melaleuca alternifolia
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	tea tree oil, melaleuca oil
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	44 hours at 100.00%
Appearance	pale yellow to yellow clear liquid
Flash Point	122.00 °F. TCC ( 50.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.88800 to 0.90900 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.47500 to 1.48200 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Accent note in herbal, medicinal-fresh, and wellness compositions. Functions as a clean, antiseptic freshness element. Terpinen-4-ol dominant (35-45%). Rarely used in fine fragrance due to medicinal associations. More common in aromatherapy and functional perfumery.