My history with acne is long and yet to end. This Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop is the latest product I’ve tried in an attempt to combat those breakouts.
I’m a little weary about applying any essential oils to my skin as there is always the risk of sensitisation however I was willing to use this Tea Tree Oil in localised areas if it meant a reduction in my acne.
The types of breakouts that I experience are mainly in my t-zone where I get very oily however they also worsen around my jaw with my menstrual cycle. I normally work with chemical exfoliants, masks and light weight moisturisers in my skincare routine to lessen my breakouts and that has been quite successful. However for the remaining blemishes I like to also apply some type of targeted treatment to reduce their redness and inflammation.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil
The Formula
What I noticed about this tea tree oil is that it was very drying. When I later looked up it’s ingredients I realised this is due to the high amount of denatured alcohol in its formula. As for how it treated my breakouts I can’t say I noticed any significant improvements on my cystic acne areas however for my other breakouts it did appear to dry them out and reduce their redness.
However what I also found was that drying out my breakouts meant they would still show on my skin for a while and they could also leave behind marks that I don’t always get when I apply a non drying treatment instead.
I never noticed any sensitisation or irritation from using this oil however I was careful to only apply a dab over my specific breakouts and not to a large area.
The Review
Now that I am nearing the end of my small bottle I don’t think its shown me anything impressive enough for me to repurchase it. The only effect I consistently noticed was that it would dry out my breakouts and as for my cystic acne this didn’t change anything at all.
