Could green tea be your skin's new bestfriend?

What is it about tea?

Tea which comes from the leaf and the bud of the plant Camelia sinensis is available mainly in three forms: green, black, and oolong. The manufacturing steps for the three teas are basically the same, but there are differences in the fermentation process.

With green tea, the fresh leaves of the tea plant are steamed and quickly dried at elevated temperatures there is no oxidation, as there is with oolong and black teas. Typically, oxidation leads to the breakdown of polyphenols, which are the compounds in tea that possess healthful properties. Green tea, however, retains almost all of the polyphenols found in the fresh tea leaves.

Polyphenols are antioxidants with cancer-fighting abilities. Many of the polyphenols in green tea have antioxidant activity superior to any of the other naturally occurring antioxidants. Of the four major polyphenols in green tea, EGCG is the most active.

Researchers have long been interested in the power of tea's polyphenols, and numerous studies already exist about this very subject. In a review article recently published in the Archives of Dermatology*, a group of researchers examined all the studies to date involving green tea and its effect on skin and then summarized the collected findings.

From mice to men (and women)

After compiling the data, researchers found positive effects on skin when green tea was consumed orally or applied topically. Several experimental studies suggest that green tea has both anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic potential for skin. It is important to note that although some research was done with human volunteers, most of the studies involved mice. Until these findings in animals are clinically tested in humans, the real effects of green tea on skin remain unclear.

Based on these laboratory findings, manufacturers are supplementing numerous skin care products with green tea. And while the weight of evidence seems to suggest possible health benefits for the skin, the authors of this review warn that it is unlikely that these skin care products have been tested in controlled clinical trials. So before you pay extra money for green tea-enhanced products, know that the science is not complete and the jury is still out.