As with many products containing natural ingredients, marketers have come up with wild claims to convince us they’re worth the purchase. Eucalyptus oil is definitely a part of this natural trend. Some brands even claim that beard products with this essential oil are amazing for your facial hair and will give you a beard like the Nordic God, Odin.
Today we’re going to dive into the world of science and investigate the claims that eucalyptus oil helps for beard growth, and whether such claims are just a gimmick meant to trick you out of your hard-earned money.
Related: What Are The Best Vitamins for Beard Growth?
What Is Eucalyptus Oil?
Since there are over 700 Eucalyptus species, to prevent confusion and misinterpretation, this article will cover Eucalyptus Globulus (E. globulus) since it’s the variation that dominates global production.
As with most other essential oils, eucalyptus oil results from taking eucalyptus leaves and steam-distilling them. You’ll usually find these tiny and expensive bottles on shelves at the store.
What’s this essential oil used for, though? Eucalyptus oil is often used to repel ticks and remedy various ailments, including; skin ulcers, nasal congestion, and asthma.
Below are listed the major compounds of eucalyptus oil:
- Trace amounts of camphor & sabinene
- a-phellandrene (~1%)
- Eucalyptol (~70%)
- d-limonene (~10%)
- a-pinene & b-pinene (~10%)
Keep these compounds in mind; we’ll cover them later on in this post. They’ll also contribute to our verdict on whether eucalyptus oil helps with beard growth.
Where Does Eucalyptus Essential Oil Come From?
The Eucalyptus oil variation that we’re covering in this post comes from the blue gum tree (Tasmanian blue gum). These massive trees are native to southeastern Australia. You will also find non-native occurrences of blue gum growth in areas throughout Chile, the United States, New Zealand, southern Europe, and Africa.
You’ll likely find Eucalyptus oil in shop aisles dedicated to diffusers or as ingredients in a myriad of cosmetics, many of which are beard-grooming products like moisturizers or creams.
Are Eucalyptus Oil Benefits Scientifically Proven?
Researchers found that eucalyptus extract increases the skin’s ceramide—this helps lock moisture into your skin. However, while that’s great for your skin, it doesn’t tell us whether eucalyptus oil for beard growth works.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stimulate beard growth. No one has proven that this essential oil positively affects hair growth. It’s possibly even detrimental to facial hair growth.
How Does Eucalyptus Oil Affect Beard Growth?
Eucalyptus oil shares some similar side effects to tea tree and lavender oil. One of those effects is that it has an impact on your hormones.
A study that we covered in another article states that tea tree and lavender oil boosted estrogen (female hormone) in participants and decreased their androgen receptors (male hormone) production.
Do you remember the components of eucalyptus oil that we covered earlier?
Researchers found that alpha-terpineol, 4-terpineol, eucalyptol, and d-limonene also appeared in both lavender and tea tree oils. Since d-limonene and eucalyptol make up at least 80% of eucalyptus oil, that’s bound to hurt your beard growth since the compounds are antiangiogenic.
Related: What Are The Different Stages of Growing a Beard?
Is It Safe to Use Products With Eucalyptus Oil?
Diluted eucalyptus oil is safe to use on your skin. However, if it’s not diluted, it could cause severe damage to your nervous system. Conversely, brands likely don’t put enough eucalyptus oil in their products to cause short-term damage.
There currently isn’t enough information floating around the web to tell us if eucalyptus oil is terrible when accidentally consumed. It’s not likely that you’re going to drink straight eucalyptus oil. However, if you have a habit of licking your beard, or if pets lick your beard, it could lead to undesirable consequences.
The following isn’t a safety concern, but is something you should consider if you decide to continue buying beard grooming products with eucalyptus oil.
If eucalyptus oil isn’t mixed with vitamin E in tandem with additional carrier oils, it’s susceptible to going rancid when oxidized. Brand researchers have likely prepared their products to prevent such events. However, it’s best to read the other ingredients or else opt out of using products containing eucalyptus oil entirely.
What Essential Oil Should I Use For Beard Growth Instead?
More prominent companies likely use eucalyptus oil in their products due to its woody, citrusy, and minty note in scents; however, does that mean it’s worth the risk of jeopardizing your beard?
No, it doesn't. You deserve better.
There are a myriad of alternatives on the market that don’t just smell amazing and moisturize your beard, but they’re also proven to help hair growth.
Here are a couple of safer alternative ingredients that you can use for beard growth in your beard-care routine:
Peppermint oil
has always been the go-to for hair- and beard-care products: there’s a reason why: It has a refreshing and minty aroma, and it’s proven to stimulate hair growth.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is another popular ingredient and one that we use in our beard oils. It has a texture that resembles sebum, a substance produced by our skin, and acts as a natural conditioner.
Jojoba oil also has antibacterial properties, which help prevent brittle hair and beardruff.
Argan Oil
Another ingredient that we use in our beard oils is argan oil. It’s one of the best oils for hair growth since it’s packed with vitamin E.
By incorporating it into your beard care routine, you’ll have a healthier, softer, and thicker beard after a few uses.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a popular oil recommended to promote beard growth. It’s also an ingredient found in most beard oils.
Due to its properties, it helps keep your beard soft and shiny while strengthening the skin underneath your beard. It’s essential to keep it healthy because it is the foundation of your beard.
If you’re looking for high-quality ingredients for facial hair growth that won’t damage your hormones and aren’t toxic, you should consider a beard growth kit.
Here’s Our Verdict on Eucalyptus Oil and Beard Growth
Eucalyptus oil smells fantastic. However, at what cost?
Many sources say eucalyptus oil helps with beard growth. Where’s the proof? There aren’t any studies that support the wild that claims eucalyptus oil for beard growth is valid. Instead, current studies imply the opposite—that it could interfere with or even deter your facial hair growth.
Do you want a beard-grooming product that smells great? How about one that doesn’t ruin the work you put into growing your beastly beard and even helps it grow? Look into products containing other essential oils or natural ingredients. Otherwise, you’re potentially losing money (and your beard).
Related: Beard Oil vs. Beard Balm: What are the differences?