What is it?
An essential oil steam-distilled from the leaves and young stems of mānuka, Leptospermum scoparium, a shrub in the myrtle family that grows in New Zealand and Australia. Oils from the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island tend to be richest in compounds called beta-triketones, such as leptospermone. The EU ingredient database lists manuka oil as a tonic ingredient, and it is used in small amounts in skin care and scented products. It is a different product from manuka honey.
Key information
- Manuka oil's makeup varies with where the plant grows; leptospermone ranges from under 1 percent to about 19 percent of commercial oils.
- In manufacturer safety tests summarized in a 2020 review, patch tests in 50 healthy people with manuka oil at 0.5 to 100 percent caused no significant irritation.
- In a 2026 trial in 118 people with eczema, a cream with 2 percent of a manuka-oil-based blend caused no more side effects than a plain cream, and worked no better.
- We found no ingredient-specific safety review of manuka oil by the CIR or the EU's SCCS.
More information
Mānuka oil is distilled mostly from leaves and young stems, with a yield of 0.2 to 1 percent. In commercial oils, leptospermone makes up 0.8 to 19.4 percent and flavesone 0.7 to 5.8 percent, alongside sesquiterpenes such as calamenene and alpha-copaene. Oils from New Zealand’s East Coast are richest in beta-triketones, while plants grown in Australia yield oils with almost none. The ingredient name does not tell you which type you are getting. The Māori, Aboriginal Australians and early European settlers used mānuka and related “tea tree” plants on wounds, sores and skin diseases.
In laboratory tests, manuka oil inhibits many bacteria, including the acne-associated Propionibacterium acnes. A 2020 review found the clinical evidence thin, noting that the lack of clinical trials limits what is known about its dosing and toxicology. Most safety data come from manufacturers: patch tests in 50 healthy volunteers at 0.5 to 100 percent showed no significant irritation, one product report found no skin sensitization or genetic toxicity, and one oil sample had an oral LD50 of 1,061 mg per kilogram of body weight. That product report described the oil as for external use only, possibly irritating to the eyes on direct contact, and suggested a patch test before first use.
A 2026 randomized trial, funded by the developer of the product tested, followed 118 adults with moderate to severe eczema for six weeks. A cream with 2 percent of a blend of manuka oil triketones and palmarosa oil worked no better than a plain cream. Related side effects were similar (23 versus 21, none serious); four people in the manuka group and one in the plain-cream group stopped because their eczema worsened, a difference that was not statistically significant. For a related oil, see our Tea Tree Oil profile.
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Leptospermum Scoparium Branch/Leaf Oil; Pharmaceuticals (2020): Mānuka oil, a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties; BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2026): Randomised controlled trial of a mānuka oil-based cream vs. vehicle for eczema
