Progress in Essential Oils

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has been produced commercially since the late 1920s. Until the 1980s, the industry in Australia produced 5-15 metric tonnes per annum (Davis 1999). By the beginning of the 21st century, this level of production had increased to ca. 300 metric tonnes. As a result, the composition, existence of chemotypes and genuineness of the oil have become subjects of considerable study.

According to the International Standard for tea tree oil (Anon 1996), the compositional requirements for this oil of Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel are as follows:

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