Last updated on August 19th, 2022 at 10:21 pm
I had heard a while ago that both lavender and tea tree oils can be estrogenic and cause breast tissue to develop in young boys. An article floated around about a study done in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding a case of 3 boys who developed gynecomastia and apparently all had one thing in common. They all used bath products containing lavender and tea tree. Our favorite ingredients expert Stephanie gives us a fair look at this one (and apparently only) study conducted.
From Stephanie’s Bubble & Bee Blog:
“…what other estrogen mimickers were present in these products used on the young boys? Parabens? Phthalates? The ingredients are not documented and could be a number of things–even from using bottles made with BPA.
But what about the laboratory tests they did on petri dishes of human cells? If you look carefully at their study, you’ll notice they didn’t apply pure lavender or tea tree essential oil on the cells they were testing. Instread, they used a solvent to dilute the oils. The solvent is dimethylsulfoxide—which, as it turns out, is an estrogen mimicker! (as documented here.)”
Are Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils Safe?
Just like with evidence on any ingredient, there are always two sides to the argument. Usually, you can’t just take the word of one study. My personal stance on the use of lavender and tea tree is that it’s perfectly safe. At least a FAR safer choice than something containing chemicals that may or may not be contaminated with carcinogens. The evidence showing phthalates or BPA to mimic estrogen is stacked much higher than one unusual report.
But if you’re concerned about these or any ingredient just use your head and don’t use a ton of it! There is an abundance of baby products containing lavender since it’s a calming pleasant safe oil, but it is not the only option. I’ve found tons of baby products that are unscented or use citrus or chamomile and work just as well. A little lavender here and there isn’t going to make your baby grow breasts but following the “moderation” rule (less is more!) with ALL skin care is best.
Thank you Stephanie for addressing that issue! EarthMama Organics has also written about this here.
Links to our:
Getting Started With Essential Oils