The Journal

Tried Tea Tree Before and It Didn't Work?

Tried Tea Tree Before and It Didn't Work?

Tried Tea Tree before and it didn't work?

If you’ve tried Tea Tree for pimples before and had no success, the problem wasn’t that Tea Tree can’t treat breakouts, but that the Tea Tree used was inferior or not included at a level that was ever going to be effective.

A clinical study demonstrated that Tea Tree oil was just as effective at treating acne as the chemical Benzoyl Peroxide but the patients using tea tree didn't get the side effects (itchy, red, irritated skin).

But, when using Tea Tree for breakouts, pimples and acne, the kind of Tea Tree you use and how much matters if it's going to effectively treat your pimples. Here are the caveats….

Caveat #1 The Tea Tree you use matters.

It needs to have high Terpinen-4-ol % This is the active in Tea Tree that has antibacterial properties and kills the bacteria that causes pimples.

Inferior, diluted, weak Tea Tree won’t treat lesions, white heads or black heads.

Caveat #2 The percentage in the formula matters. 


In the clinical study 5% Tea Tree was effective at reducing inflamed lesions.

A lotion, leave-on formula with less than 5% may not be as effective.

Caveat #3 Tea Tree needs to be in a leave on

The Tea Tree gel used in the study was a leave on, not a wash off.

Caveat #4 It is slower but without side effects

The action in Tea Tree was slower, but fewer side effects were experienced by patients who used Tea Tree Oil.

Benzoyl peroxide may cause drying, redness, irritation, itching which creates further issues on top of the existing acne.

So Tea Tree will get you there and without problems, but you'll have to give it more time, but by our logic it makes sense to go a bit slower and not add more problems. 

What do we recommend?

The Skin Recovery Gel is a leave-on repair gel with 5% Tea Tree from ETTO. ETTO's Tea Tree is medicinal grade and has 41% Terpinen-4-ol. The Recovery Gel soothes red, irritated, itchy skin while targeting breakouts. It is gently moisturising without been greasy and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. it can be used all over the body. 

Shop The Skin Recovery Gel with 5% Tea Tree

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