Tea Tree Conditioner

These describe what an ingredient is, not whether it is a problem. The stance marks above are the ratings; these are not.

• common irritantMELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF OIL

  • MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA LEAF OIL: An essential oil whose oxidation products carry its sensitising potential; the EU assesses it as a moderate skin sensitiser. SCCS Scientific Opinion on Tea Tree Oil (CAS/EC 68647-73-4 / 285-377-1), SCCS/1681/25, adopted 30 October 2025, which concludes it is a moderate skin sensitiser. It does not set maximum levels of its own: it assesses the concentrations the applicant defended, and finds no concern at 2,0% in shampoo, 1,0% in shower gel, 1,0% in face wash and 0,1% in face cream, for oil conforming to ISO 4730:2017, in adults, in non-sprayable formats. It draws on the earlier SCCP opinions SCCP/1155/08 and SCCP/0843/04 and incorporates their data by reference; it says nothing about their status.

• fragrance materialMENTHA PIPERITA OIL, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA OIL, LIMONENE

  • MENTHA PIPERITA OIL: A cooling essential oil the EU names on its own account as a fragrance substance to be declared on the label. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex III entry 361, inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545: a fragrance substance whose presence must be indicated in the list of ingredients above 0,001% in leave-on and 0,01% in rinse-off products. It is declarable in its OWN right, not by way of any component it carries. The name to look for on a label is "Mentha Piperita Oil". The duty applies now. Transition footnote (40) lets stock that does not comply, lawfully placed on the Union market before the 31 July 2026 cut-off, be made available until 31 July 2028.
  • LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA OIL: An essential oil the EU names on its own account as a fragrance substance to be declared on the label, under a shared name covering several lavender species. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex III entry 360, inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545: a fragrance substance whose presence must be indicated in the list of ingredients above 0,001% in leave-on and 0,01% in rinse-off products. It is declarable in its OWN right, not by way of any component it carries. The entry is a GROUPED one covering the oils and extracts of Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula intermedia and Lavandula hybrida, about eight glossary names in all, all declared under the single common name "Lavandula Oil/ Extract", so that name on a label does not identify which of them is present. The duty applies now. Transition footnote (40) lets stock that does not comply, lawfully placed on the Union market before the 31 July 2026 cut-off, be made available until 31 July 2028.
  • LIMONENE: A citrus-smelling fragrance component named separately on the label; the one name covers three related isomers. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex III entry 88: a fragrance substance whose presence must be indicated in the list of ingredients above 0,001% in leave-on and 0,01% in rinse-off products, because of established contact-allergy risk. That entry carries transition footnote (37): stock that does not comply, lawfully placed on the Union market before the 31 July 2026 cut-off, may still be made available until 31 July 2028. It is marked on the racemic dl-limonene/Dipentene line and the (S)-(l-limonene) line, but NOT the (R)-p-mentha-1,8-diene (d-limonene) line, CAS 5989-27-5, whose duty was already running as entry 88 before Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 and so needed no transition. All three isomers are declared under the single glossary name "Limonene", so that name on a label does not identify which of them is present.

• exfoliating acidGLYCOLIC ACID

  • GLYCOLIC ACID: An alpha hydroxy acid that loosens surface skin cells; it also makes skin more sun-sensitive while you use it. FDA, "Guidance for Industry: Labeling for Topically Applied Cosmetic Products Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids as Ingredients" (announced at 70 FR 1721, 10 January 2005; FDA web pages title it "Labeling for Cosmetics Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids"), which names this acid and recommends the statement "Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn."

• humectantGLYCERIN

  • GLYCERIN: A humectant, and one of the two ingredients a comparison of moisturiser components found made a significant difference to skin hydration. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(h), lists glycerin as a skin protectant at 20 to 45%. On the humectant half: Jeong CB, Han JY, Cho JC, Suh KD, Nam GW, "Analysis of electrical property changes of skin by oil-in-water emulsion components", Int J Cosmet Sci 2013;35(4):402-410, DOI 10.1111/ics.12059, PMID 23621673, found that "glycerine and urea showed significant skin hydration effects compared with other humectants".