they call it an oil, cuz it feels like one. But tea tree oil is actually an essential essence oil of tea tree. Sorta like a concentrated essence. It has great anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. I suggest using aloe gel mixed with a few drops of lavender oil, another anti-bacterial oil. btw, topical oils are not all bad. the acne product industries have released tons of "research" showing that oil are very bad for acne. What they didn't tell you was that they were researching corn, canola, and GM oils. These have terrible effects on some people. But lots of oils have anti-acne properties. Just do your own research instead of listening to others.