THE WHAT? The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has issued its final opinion on Tea Tree Oil (TTO), confirming limited safe-use concentrations across four adult-only cosmetic categories and outlining new considerations linked to ingredient stability and updated ISO standards.

THE DETAILS Published on 14 November 2025, the SCCS’s final assessment largely mirrors its June draft but introduces notable clarifications. The committee concludes that TTO can be used safely as an anti-seborrheic and anti-microbial ingredient at concentrations up to 2.0% in shampoo, 1.0% in shower gel, 1.0% in face wash, and 0.1% in face cream, provided the oil complies with ISO 4730:2017 specifications and is used only in adult, non-aerosolised formats to avoid inhalation exposure. The SCCS reiterates that TTO is a moderate skin sensitiser and flags the absence of stability data, noting the oil’s susceptibility to degradation via light, heat, air and moisture. It stresses that finished formulations must maintain TTO composition within ISO limits and highlights the relevance of the forthcoming ISO 4730:2025 revision addressing enantiomeric parameters. Environmental safety falls outside the SCCS mandate and was not evaluated. Separately, the Global Cosmetic Ingredient Regulatory Database (Global CosIng) notes that TTO is listed in key regulatory inventories worldwide, including China’s IECIC.

THE WHY? The opinion provides clarity for formulators and brands using Tea Tree Oil, defining acceptable concentration limits while underscoring the need for robust stability controls to ensure regulatory compliance.

Source: European Commission