PoreWise One finding · Review article · 2026
Study title
Efficacy and Safety of Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil for Acne — A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Kind of evidence
- Review article 2026 · 445 people · patients across seven clinical studies of acne · PMID 42098589
- Measured outcome
- Skin effect
- Year
- 2026
- Who was studied
- 445 patients across seven clinical studies of acne.
- Sample size
- 445
- Measured outcome
- A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled seven clinical studies of tea tree oil for acne (445 patients in total). Acne severity was lower with tea tree oil than with the control treatments (pooled odds ratio 0.74, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.88), adverse events were mostly local and mild, and the reviewers judged the overall risk of bias as low.
- Certainty
- Moderate
- Who was measured
- Acne severity across seven clinical studies of topical tea tree oil, the condition that most often starts in the teenage years.
- Study limits
- The pooled result is a modest reduction in severity. The seven studies used different tea tree oil formulations and the follow-up was short; the authors call for larger trials with standardised formulas. It also reports more mild itching, dryness and stinging in some comparisons.
Where it comes from
- Efficacy and Safety of Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil for Acne — A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Published by Phytotherapy Research (Ye Y, et al.) · Last checked 2026-11-11
Ingredients it was measured on
Skin concerns studied
Other findings on the same ingredient or concern
- Skin effectThe efficacy of 5% topical tea tree oil gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 60 people with mild-to-moderate acne, 5% tea tree oil gel was 3.55 times more effective than placebo in improving total lesion counts and 5.75 times more effective in improving the acne severity index over 45 days.
Human trial · 2007 · 60 people · people with mild-to-moderate acne · Total acne lesion counts and acne severity index over 45 days. · Cochrane rates tea tree oil evidence for acne as low quality, based largely on this single 60-participant trial.
- Skin effectAssessing the Value of Botanical Anti-Inflammatory Agents in an OTC Acne Treatment Regimen
In a 12-week randomized trial of 80 subjects aged 12 and over with mild-to-moderate acne, a botanical anti-inflammatory OTC skincare regimen produced significantly lower closed-comedone counts than a benzoyl peroxide comparator at week 4 (P<0.001) and week 12 (P=0.006), with fewer inflammatory lesions at week 4 (P=0.016).
Human trial · 2015 · 80 people · subjects aged 12+ with mild-to-moderate acne · Closed-comedone and inflammatory lesion counts over 12 weeks. · The comparator is an active benzoyl peroxide regimen.
- Skin effectA comparative study of gluconolactone versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne
In a double-blind trial of 150 people with mild-to-moderate acne, a 14% gluconolactone solution and a 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion each reduced inflamed and non-inflamed lesion counts significantly more than the vehicle lotion, and fewer side-effects were reported with gluconolactone than with benzoyl peroxide.
Human trial · 1992 · 150 people · people with mild-to-moderate acne · Inflamed and non-inflamed acne lesion counts, and local side-effects, in mild-to-moderate acne. · Confidence intervals or treatment duration. The trial is from 1992 and used a 14% leave-on solution. It compares gluconolactone with benzoyl peroxide and vehicle.
- Skin effectComparative study of buffered 50% glycolic acid (pH 3.0) + 0.5% salicylic acid solution vs Jessner's solution in patients with acne vulgaris
In a prospective, randomized, evaluator-blind, split-face trial of 20 patients with acne vulgaris, two 50% glycolic acid + 0.5% salicylic acid peels significantly reduced total lesion count (P<0.001) and produced fewer side effects than Jessner's solution.
Human trial · 2018 · 20 people · patients with acne vulgaris · Patients with acne vulgaris receiving two 50% glycolic acid + 0.5% salicylic acid peels 2 weeks apart (one side vs Jessner's solution on the other). · Small sample (20) and a combination peel (glycolic + salicylic acid); this is a procedural peel.
- Skin effectTopical azelaic acid, salicylic acid, nicotinamide, sulphur, zinc and fruit acid (alpha-hydroxy acid) for acne
Against topical tretinoin, salicylic acid showed similar values in overall acne improvement (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.09; one trial, 46 participants). The review graded the certainty of that finding as low.
Review article · 2020 · 46 people · People with mild to moderate acne, mostly aged 12 to 30 · Topical salicylic acid for mild to moderate acne. Most participants in the review were 12 to 30 years old, and most studies ran longer than eight weeks. · The review covers 49 trials with 3880 participants, salicylic acid appears in a small part of them: 41 to 86 participants per comparison. Every salicylic acid comparison was graded low or very low certainty.