Pine tar has a long track record as a skin treatment, and the evidence supports its reputation for several common conditions. A review of its properties found that pine tar reduces DNA synthesis and excessive cell turnover in the skin, while also acting as an anti-itch, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal agent.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions That said, “good for skin” depends on what you’re using it for, how it’s formulated, and whether your skin tolerates it. The benefits are real but come with a few caveats worth understanding.
What Pine Tar Actually Is
Pine tar is a thick, dark liquid produced by slowly heating pine wood in the absence of oxygen, a process called destructive distillation. The result is a sticky substance whose chief chemical constituents are volatile terpene oils, high-boiling-point neutral oils, resin, and fatty acids. These compounds give pine tar its distinctive smoky smell and its biological activity on skin. It is not the same thing as coal tar, which comes from burning coal and has a different chemical profile. Pine tar has been used on skin for centuries across Scandinavian, North American, and Australian folk medicine traditions, and it remains available in over-the-counter products today.
How It Works on Skin
Pine tar’s benefit for inflamed, flaky, or itchy skin comes down to a few overlapping effects. It slows down the rapid cell division that drives conditions like psoriasis, where skin cells multiply far faster than normal and pile up into thick, scaly patches. By reducing DNA synthesis and mitotic activity in the outer layer of skin, pine tar helps push skin-cell turnover back toward a normal rate.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions That alone addresses the visible scaling. On top of that, it damps down inflammation, which is the underlying driver of redness and swelling in eczema and psoriasis alike. And its antibacterial and antifungal properties help in situations where broken or compromised skin is vulnerable to secondary infection.
The anti-itch effect is particularly valuable in practice. Itching drives scratching, scratching damages the skin barrier, and barrier damage makes the underlying condition worse. Breaking that itch-scratch cycle is often the most immediately helpful thing a topical treatment can do, and pine tar has historically been valued for exactly that reason.
Which Skin Conditions It Helps
The conditions where pine tar has the strongest track record are psoriasis, eczema (atopic dermatitis), and seborrhoeic dermatitis, the flaky, sometimes greasy scaling that shows up on the scalp, face, and chest. These are all chronic inflammatory skin conditions where the skin’s normal turnover and barrier function are disrupted. Pine tar’s combination of anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects makes it a reasonable fit for all three.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions
A comparative review of tar-based treatments found at least limited evidence of efficacy for pine tar in psoriasis and atopic eczema affecting both smooth skin and the scalp.2PubMed. Coal tar, pine tar and sulfonated shale oil preparations: comparative activity, efficacy and safety The word “limited” is honest rather than damning here. Tar treatments as a category have been used since long before modern clinical-trial methodology existed, so the formal evidence base is thinner than you’d see for a new pharmaceutical. The long clinical experience, though, is substantial, and dermatologists in several countries continue to consider pine tar a legitimate option, particularly for patients who want to minimize steroid use or who find that steroids alone are not controlling their symptoms.
Beyond the big three conditions, pine tar products are sometimes used for general dry, itchy, or flaky skin that doesn’t carry a formal diagnosis. If you have chronically dry, irritated patches that respond to moisturizers but keep coming back, a pine tar soap or body wash might help, though for mild cases a good emollient alone is usually enough.
Pine Tar Versus Coal Tar
People often lump pine tar and coal tar together, and the confusion is understandable since both are dark, tarry substances used topically for similar conditions. But they come from entirely different raw materials. Coal tar is a byproduct of coal processing and contains a more complex mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are known carcinogens. Pine tar’s chemistry is dominated by wood-derived compounds: terpenes, resinous acids, and phenolic compounds in lower concentrations than those found in coal tar.
The comparative review of tar preparations noted evidence of activity and efficacy for both coal tar and pine tar in psoriasis and eczema, along with ongoing concern about the long-term tolerability of tar preparations “at least in some contexts.”2PubMed. Coal tar, pine tar and sulfonated shale oil preparations: comparative activity, efficacy and safety That tolerability concern has historically focused more on coal tar than on pine tar, because coal tar’s higher concentration of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons raised more alarm. In practice, coal tar has been studied more extensively and is available at higher concentrations in prescription products, while pine tar tends to show up in gentler, over-the-counter formulations. If you’re choosing between the two for mild-to-moderate symptoms, pine tar is generally considered the milder option.
The Cancer Question
This is the risk that gets the most attention, so it’s worth addressing directly. Tar products in general have faced scrutiny because some of their chemical components, particularly certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are carcinogenic in laboratory settings. For coal tar, epidemiological studies in workers with heavy occupational exposure (roofers, road pavers) did show increased cancer risk, which led to coal tar being classified as a carcinogen in occupational settings.
Pine tar’s situation is different. Modern manufacturing processes have increased the purity of pine tar products to eliminate toxic phenol and carcinogenic components that were a concern in older preparations.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions The concentrations used in over-the-counter skin products are low, typically up to about 2.3% pine tar, and they’re applied to skin rather than inhaled or ingested. The review of topical pine tar concluded that the long experience with its use and its worldwide track record suggest it is an effective treatment with minimal safety risk. That’s a measured statement, not an absolute guarantee, but it reflects the current consensus. If you’re using a commercially available pine tar soap or cream as directed, the cancer concern is largely historical rather than a present-day worry.
Irritation and Allergic Reactions
Primary irritation from pine tar is uncommon.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions Most people tolerate it well, even on sensitive areas like the face. That said, “uncommon” is not “impossible,” and there are a few scenarios to be aware of.
Contact allergy is the main risk. Pine tar contains compounds, including colophony (rosin) and various terpenes, that are known contact allergens for some individuals. If you already know you’re allergic to tree resins, adhesive bandages (which often contain rosin), or certain fragrances derived from pine, you should patch-test pine tar products cautiously before applying them to larger areas. Allergic contact dermatitis from pine tar looks a lot like the eczema you might be trying to treat: red, itchy, sometimes blistered skin at the application site. The irony is not lost on dermatologists. If your skin worsens after starting a pine tar product rather than improving, stop using it and consider whether you’re reacting to the tar itself.
Photosensitivity is another consideration. Some tar-based treatments can make skin more sensitive to ultraviolet light, increasing the risk of sunburn. This effect is more established with coal tar, which is actually used therapeutically in combination with UV light for psoriasis (a treatment called Goeckerman therapy). With pine tar at over-the-counter concentrations, the photosensitizing effect is less pronounced, but it’s still worth being cautious about sun exposure on treated areas, particularly if you’re using the product on your face or other sun-exposed skin.
Practical Considerations for Everyday Use
Pine tar products come in several forms: bar soaps, liquid body washes, shampoos, ointments, and creams. The formulation matters for how the product feels, how long the active ingredients stay in contact with your skin, and how well you’ll tolerate the experience day to day.
Over-the-counter products in Australia, where pine tar has remained particularly popular, contain up to 2.3% pine tar and are formulated for use on the entire body, including the face.1PubMed Central. Topical pine tar: History, properties and use as a treatment for common skin conditions Concentrations vary by market and by product. A pine tar soap that you lather on and rinse off delivers less prolonged contact than a leave-on ointment or cream, which means soaps and washes may be gentler but also potentially less effective for stubborn patches. For scalp conditions like seborrhoeic dermatitis or psoriasis, shampoos are the most practical delivery method. Leaving the shampoo on for a few minutes before rinsing gives the pine tar more time to work.
Then there’s the sensory side. Pine tar smells strongly of smoke, and some people find it unpleasant or socially awkward, particularly for daytime use. The smell lingers. It can also stain light-colored clothing and towels a brownish-yellow. These aren’t safety concerns, but they’re the reason many people abandon pine tar products despite them working. If the smell is a dealbreaker, applying pine tar ointment at night and washing it off in the morning is a common workaround. Some modern formulations add fragrance to mask the smokiness, though purists argue those additives can be their own source of irritation.
Where Pine Tar Fits in a Broader Skin-Care Routine
Pine tar is not a replacement for moisturizing, and it’s not a first-line treatment for severe inflammatory skin disease. For mild eczema or psoriasis, it can serve as a steroid-sparing option: something you use regularly to keep symptoms managed without needing daily corticosteroid creams. For moderate or severe disease, it’s more of an adjunct. A dermatologist might recommend pine tar products alongside prescription treatments to help with itch and scaling while keeping steroid use to a minimum.
One area where pine tar genuinely shines is scalp psoriasis, a condition that’s notoriously hard to treat because creams and ointments are messy in hair and steroids cause scalp thinning with prolonged use. A pine tar shampoo used a few times a week can reduce scaling and itch without the long-term side effects of topical steroids on the scalp.
For people without a diagnosed skin condition who just want to try pine tar soap as part of a natural or “old-fashioned” skincare routine, the risk is low and the potential benefit is modest. If you have generally healthy skin, you probably won’t notice much difference compared to a mild, fragrance-free soap. Pine tar’s advantages become more apparent when there’s an actual problem to solve: inflammation, flaking, itch, or fungal overgrowth.
Who Should Avoid Pine Tar
There’s no firm data establishing safety in pregnancy or during breastfeeding, so most guidelines default to caution: avoid it unless a doctor has specifically recommended it. The same applies to infants and very young children, whose skin is thinner and more permeable than adult skin. While pine tar has been used on children historically, the modern tendency is to start with gentler options and reserve pine tar for cases where those options haven’t worked.
People with known allergies to colophony, tree resins, or turpentine should avoid pine tar products or test them very carefully. If you’ve reacted to adhesive bandage residue in the past, that’s a possible marker for colophony sensitivity. And anyone with open wounds, severely cracked skin, or weeping eczema should avoid applying pine tar to those areas, as the penetration of irritating compounds increases when the skin barrier is broken.
Pine Tar in Traditional and Veterinary Medicine
Pine tar’s use extends well beyond human dermatology. In traditional veterinary practice, it has been a go-to remedy for skin conditions in animals for generations. An ethnobotanical survey of traditional remedies used for Aksaray Malaklısı shepherd dogs in Turkey found that pine tar (from Pinus nigra) was one of the two most commonly used plant-derived treatments, applied for parasitic infestations, open wounds, and various skin ailments.3Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi. An Ethnoveterinary Remedies Used in the Treatment of Diseases of Aksaray Malaklısı Shepherd Dogs Horse owners have similarly used pine tar on hooves for centuries, both as a dressing for cracked or damaged hooves and as a protective barrier against moisture and bacterial invasion.
This cross-species history is more than a curiosity. It reflects the fact that pine tar’s antimicrobial and barrier-forming properties work regardless of the species of skin they’re applied to. The consistency of its use across human folk medicine, formal dermatology, and veterinary practice, on three different continents, lends a kind of pragmatic credibility that controlled clinical trials alone can’t always provide. The formal evidence base remains thinner than you’d want for a drug going through modern regulatory approval, but the practical track record is unusually deep.