Clinical Study: Saaren Taika Tea Tree Soap Maintains the Skin Microbiome & Is Suitable for Facial Cleansing
If your skin is sensitive and blemish-prone, cleansing can feel like a trap. Strip it too hard and it turns dry, red and tight. Leave impurities behind and blemishes flare. What your skin needs is a cleanser that removes what it should, and leaves alone what keeps it healthy.
Saaren Taika Tea Tree Soap is developed and clinically studied for exactly this. It cleanses effectively while protecting your skin's natural microbiome, so your skin stays balanced instead of stripped.
Why your skin microbiome matters
Your skin is home to a community of microorganisms that help keep it balanced and protected. When a cleanser is too harsh, it disturbs this balance, and that is often when dryness, redness and breakouts get worse. Protecting your skin microbiome is one of the most overlooked keys to calm, resilient skin, especially if your skin is sensitive or reacts easily.
How Tea Tree Soap cleanses without disrupting your microbiome
Saaren Taika Tea Tree Soap is made from high-quality, minimally processed oils that help maintain your skin's moisture balance and preserve its naturally occurring vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols. Tea tree oil and d-limonene work selectively, helping rebalance the skin's bacterial community without the broad disruption that harsh cleansers cause. The result is skin that feels clean and fresh, not stripped.
Clinical study results
The soap was evaluated in an open, single-center, dermatologist-supervised in-use study of 20 participants, aged 18 to 75, of all skin types. After a 7-day wash-out phase, participants used Tea Tree Soap on the face once or twice daily for 4 weeks.
After 4 weeks, the study showed a statistically significant improvement in skin radiance, and statistically significant reductions in redness and dryness. Microbiome analysis showed a significant decrease in Proteobacteria, consistent with the targeted action of tea tree oil and d-limonene, while overall microbiome diversity and richness stayed stable. In other words, the soap helped rebalance the skin's bacterial community while preserving its natural microbiome.
Tolerance was good, with no clinical reactions attributable to the product and no discomfort reported. In participant self-assessment, 85% would continue using it, 85% would purchase it and 85% would recommend it. Clinically studied under dermatological supervision at Eurofins, study conducted from 28 May to 3 July 2024.
What this means for your skin
Tea Tree Soap cleanses effectively without harming your skin's natural defenses. By selectively reducing Proteobacteria while keeping the wider microbiome stable, it helps your skin stay balanced, calmer and clearer. That makes it a gentle daily choice for sensitive, dry, itchy or blemish-prone skin that reacts to harsher cleansers.
How to use it and build a calming routine
Wet the bar and a soft washcloth, lather gently, and massage Saaren Taika Tea Tree Soap onto damp skin morning and evening. Rinse carefully with lukewarm water, then follow with your usual toner and moisturizer. Avoid hot water and hard rubbing, as both can irritate sensitive skin.
If your skin is also prone to redness and flushing, pair it with Saaren Taika Redness Relief Serum and Saaren Taika Redness Calming 24H Face Cream, both developed for reactive, sensitive skin with a compromised skin barrier.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tea Tree Soap suitable for sensitive skin?
Yes. It was clinically studied on all skin types with good tolerance and no reported discomfort, and it is developed to cleanse sensitive, dry, itchy and blemish-prone skin gently.
Can I use it on my face every day?
Yes. In the study it was used on the face once or twice daily for 4 weeks, and it is suitable for daily facial cleansing.
Will it dry out my skin?
It is developed to cleanse without stripping. In the study, dryness was significantly reduced after 4 weeks of use.
What makes it different from a normal soap?
It is clinically studied to protect your skin's natural microbiome while cleansing, so your skin stays balanced instead of disrupted.
Ready for a gentler clean? Discover Saaren Taika Tea Tree Soap or explore the full Nordic Clean Beauty collection for sensitive and reactive skin.