Are Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils Safe for Young Boys?
I want to address a common misconception regarding the safety of Lavender and Tea Tree essential oil for children, boys in particular. I am frequently asked if Lavender essential oil and/or Tea Tree essential oil are estrogenic (estrogen-like) and anti-androgenic (testosterone-inhibiting) for children, and boys, specifically. This exaggerated notion has been highlighted by the publication of two studies.
The first study was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine in early 2007. It concluded that repeated use of products containing lavender oil or tea tree oil may spur breast growth in prepubertal boys, a phenomenon called prepubertal gynecomastia. This study suggests that compounds in essential oils — specifically lavender and tea tree oil — may have properties that can disrupt hormones. It is a case study of three young boys, all age 10 or younger, who were identified by a Denver pediatrician as having unexplained large breasts. The doctor learned the boys regularly used various products containing lavender and/or tea tree oils. In all three cases, when the boys stopped using the products, the issues went away a few months later. When the researchers tested the oils on human cells in the lab, they determined the oils appeared to interfere with hormone behavior in the cells. Oddly, the authors stated that lavender and tea tree oils “possess weak estrogenic and androgenic activity,” but then concluded that this weak activity could be responsible for an imbalance in the estrogen and androgen signaling, thus causing the boys to develop breasts.
In March 2018 the Endocrine Society published a Press Release, regarding a study, stating that lavender and tea tree essential oils contribute to gynecomastia. This more recent study was conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study’s authors selected eight compounds found in lavender and/or tea tree oil to analyze closely. In the lab, they applied the chemical compounds to human cancer cells and watched for changes in estrogen and androgen receptor genes and other activity. The investigators reported that all eight chemicals demonstrated varying estrogenic and/or anti-androgenic properties, with some showing high activity but some little to no activity. They found that the compounds had varying effects, but all appeared to have possible hormone-disrupting activity.
It’s important to note that the studies were done in cells, in the lab, and even though they were human cells, much more research is needed to understand what impact they have in humans. If they do cause disruptions, it’s unclear whether those changes would have any tangible health consequences. There haven’t been enough human studies to know for certain.
Meanwhile, these reports have caused alarm. But in reality, there are issues with these studies, especially the 2007 study, which was done with just three boys, and their unidentified personal products. These issues were so prominent that Robert Tisserand, longtime essential oil educator and researcher, addressed this topic in a letter, with Christine Frances Carson of University of Western Australia, and Tony Larkman of the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association. Here, they pointed out questionable areas of the study, including:
· The products used by the boys were not identified, nor was the concentration of essential oils
· The chemical compositions of the essential oils studied were not disclosed;
· Because the chemical compositions weren’t tested or provided, there’s no way to tell if there were xenoestrogenic contaminants in the products' essential oils (or possibly in the products’ other ingredients)
· While weak estrogenic results may be seen in vitro (outside a living organism, i.e. a test tube), it does not mean that these results can be replicated in vivo (inside a living organism). Much more testing would need to be done before one could conclude that tea tree oil or lavender oil are indeed endocrine disruptors;
· The plastic polystyrene trays used for lab testing contain xenoestrogenic compounds. Essential oils serve as a solvent, so it’s entirely possible the plastic lab trays could have contaminated the essential oil samples.
· The authors didn’t disclose studies with results which counter their findings, nor did they address any discrepancies;
· Additionally, tea tree oil has been found to be relatively poorly absorbed by the skin, which begs the question whether it could be absorbed in an amount enough to cause gynecomastia.
Also, the doctors’ study did not consider any other factors that may have been the cause of the gynecomastia. They didn’t look at lifestyle, environmental exposure, or diet. Were the boys eating meat or drinking milk contaminated with growth hormone? Were other known endocrine disruptors like BPA in their water bottles or canned foods? Were they eating foods heated in plastics? The study did not ask these questions. Nor has there ever been, to knowledge, a subsequent evidence-based study to evaluate the validity of the conclusion that lavender and/or tea tree essential oil are the cause of gynecomastia in boys.
So, what can be concluded from this? I don’t believe these studies have proven that lavender and tea tree oil are endocrine disruptors. I do know that studies on lavender essential oil suggest that lavender can help reduce anxiety and depression, promote better sleep, enhance healing of wounds, ease headaches and migraines, reduce scars and age spots, and more. Studies on tea tree oil demonstrate that it can be a natural and effective treatment for acne and fungal infections. It's also used as an antimicrobial for housecleaning, as a natural hand disinfectant, and for first aid. These oils have been used for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years without ill effect and I intend to keep using them!
I certainly think it is fair to be thoughtful and cautious when using essential oils with children. I don’t recommend children use any product daily, at least topically, that contains lavender or tea tree essential oil. But I also don’t condone the use of many personal care products on the market that are full of hormone disruptors. Occasional safe, topical use of lavender, to enhance wound healing, soothe skin irritations, and quell headaches, is helpful. Inhalation of lavender can be used to calm anxiety and promote relaxation and sleep. The same holds true for using properly diluted tea tree essential oil as a treatment for some skin infections and for first aid purposes. Both oils are also great disinfectants and are useful in natural household cleaning.
This is an intriguing topic that should be studied further, and tested, in depth.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa064725
https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/6839-2/
https://earthmamaorganics.com/blog/how-lavender-and-tea-tree-became-labeled-as-endocrine-disruptors/
https://roberttisserand.com/2013/02/lavender-oil-is-not-estrogenic/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581812472209