The relationship between lavender and tea tree essential oils and pediatric endocrine disorders: A systematic review of the literature

Objectives: Essential oils are common ingredients in personal care products, little is known about the effects of chronic exposure to these ingredients in human health. It has been suggested that these two essential oils cause prepubertal gynecomastia and premature thelarche in children. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the evidence related to the proposed link between these essential oils and endocrine disruption METHODS: This study sought to investigate the proposed link between LEO and TTEO and endocrine disrupting outcomes by identifying and evaluating the clinical evidence regarding this topic. Studies qualified if the participants included prepubertal children who have experienced either prepubertal gynecomastia or premature thelarche. The Case Series Critical Appraisal Tool (CSCAT) was used to identify the reliability of the identified case series. The potential for evidence of causality was evaluated using the tool proposed by Murad.

Results: A total of four manuscripts were identified, describing a total of eleven cases reported to have experienced both the exposure and the outcome. Reporting of inclusion, demographic data, clinical data, and the potential for causality was found to be insufficient. This study did not find evidence to support the claim that tea tree essential oil is related to endocrine disruption in children, and little to no evidence to substantiate the proposed link between lavender essential oil and endocrine disruption in children.

Conclusion: Because this potential link remains a concern among pediatric care providers and parents, epidemiological research to address the proposed link is needed.