Essential Oils... or maybe they aren't?!

I love the smell of lavender essential oils. Eucalyptus too. And nothing beats the smell of a good candle. Likewise, a good tea tree oil shampoo is refreshing and lifts my usually flat, lifeless roots.

At the beginning of the pandemic, one of the ways I calmed my nerves was to spray some lavender essential oils at the beginning of the day (in my car) and take several deep breaths.

Was it the lavender, or was it the deep breathing helped as I went to work, the grocery store, or as I was trying to assist my then-kindergartener with her online schooling?

I was first introduced to essential oils at a friend’s party some years back. I was 2 days from buying the whole lot and a diffuser (it was a pay week). If I could clean and achieve symptomatic relief without using harmful chemicals, why wouldn’t I?

Fast forward several years.

I was taught in school about the power of herbal medicine. I learned that herbs and other natural substances have the power to interact with medications or have unintended negative effects on the human body (for example, mimicking estrogen in estrogen-responsive tumors). But the thought that topical essential oils and those found in a whole host of natural household products that are sold everywhere could have a negative impact on our children had not been a concern of mine.

As I started practicing pediatrics, I became aware of the term “endocrine disrupting chemicals”. I cared for a very young girl (too young for puberty) who was presenting with enlarging breasts. This resulted in x-rays, lab work, and a consult to an Endocrine specialist who uncovered that the child was regularly exposed to lavender and tea tree oil. These products were disrupting the normal hormone regulation in her body, leading to the early onset of puberty.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can be naturally occurring or man-made compounds which have an effect on the endocrine system (causing hormones to be out of whack). This can impact not just puberty, but also reproduction, immune response to vaccines, and a patient’s ability to pay attention.[1]

More research is needed, but there is some concern that exposure to a large group of popular essential oils over time can have an impact on our hormones. A New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study found that males who had been exposed to tea tree oil and lavender essential oils were developing enlarged breasts (gynecomastia) prior to puberty. Some components of both oils were shown to have similar effects on the body as estrogen and testosterone. [2] Another study reported two cases of children with early breast development: a one year old child who had been washed with soap containing lavender oil since birth and a second one who was exposed to a lavender oil diffuser daily. [3].

So does this mean that we toss out the Meyers lavender hand soap? Reluctantly give up our tea tree oil shampoo?

Maybe so, although that’s difficult to answer definitively just yet. I think this is much like everything else: moderation is key.

Personally, I have some hand soap with essential oils and of course my beloved tea tree oil shampoo. But I also rotate in other soaps and shampoos without these ingredients. As a general rule, I do not put essential oils on my pre-pubescent child’s skin (they can be a burn risk in the sun anyway), and I do not diffuse them into the air.

Everyone has to make choices for their kids daily that work best for them and their family, but it definitely does not hurt to have an early awareness about substances that can potentially cause potential harm and practice moderation from early on! 😊

References:

1. [National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Endocrine Disruptors. February 9, 2021.

2. Bagley, Derek. Are Essential Oils Endocrine Disruptors?. July 2018. Endocrine News. Endocrine Society.

3. Weaver, Janelle. Lavender oil linked to early breast growth in girls. September 2019.