Woody essential oil

Manuka

Leptospermum scoparium

Manuka essential oil is steam distilled from the leaves and twigs of Leptospermum scoparium, a member of the Myrtaceae family. Its aroma is woody, earthy and balsamic, a middle note. People choose it for skincare blends, home cleaning and grounding blends, often pairing it with cedarwood, lemon, rosemary, black pepper, peppermint or tea tree. No maximum skin level is published, though normal dilution still applies. The key safety point concerns pets: it is rated use with caution for dogs and cats and should never be applied to an animal. Check labels, as manuka is sometimes sold as "New Zealand tea tree" but is a different plant from true tea tree.

Safety at a glance

Pregnancy Use with caution
Children From age 2
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Use with caution
Sunlight Not phototoxic
On skin No published maximum

Reference

Botanical name	Leptospermum scoparium
Plant family	Myrtaceae
Plant part	Leaves and twigs
Extraction	steam distillation
Main origins	Not given in the references we use
Aroma family	Woody
Note	Middle note
Aroma	Woody, earthy and balsamic
Main constituents	leptospermone, (E)-calamenene, alpha-pinene, cadina-3,5-diene and delta-cadinene
Common uses	skin, cleaning and grounding
Suggested maximum on skin	No published maximum
Phototoxic	No
Shelf life once opened	2 to 3 years
Pregnancy	Use with caution
Children	From age 2
Dogs	Use with caution
Cats	Use with caution
Safety notes	Tisserand and Young list no special precautions for manuka, and no skin limit is set. It is not on the IFPA pregnancy list, so pregnancy stays at caution. Pet poison lines do not name manuka, but it is sold as "New Zealand tea tree", and true tea tree is the oil most often reported in pet poisonings, so we keep dogs and cats at caution and never apply it to a pet.

Blends well with

Sources

Manuka Essential Oil, AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026
Essential oil shelf life (Robert Tisserand's guideline), AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026