In your ingredient list, you might find this listed as 'Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract', with Camellia Sinensis being the botanical name
Anyone who knows me (and if you've read my previous blogs) know that I am absolutely in love with green tea. My recent trip to Japan was like going to 'Green Tea Heaven' - most restaurants keep some matcha, warm water and a stirrer for you to enjoy a nice cup of green tea while you wait for your meal.
While I was there, I stocked up enough green tea leaves (Senka & Gyokuru) to last me a year, and I've been saving the used leaves and using them for both my skin and hair as well!
Without jabbering on about how much I love my green tea, let's jump straight into what is in it that makes it so amazing, what are the benefits that green tea can give you, how safe it is and then the most important part - DIYs!!
What is in it?
There are about 14 different derivatives that can be extracted from various parts of the green tea plant including the leaves, flowers, seed and roots. Each of these derivatives can deliver the benefits green tea is well known for, however, it is the leaves that are the most potent and can truly work like magic. In cosmetics, apart from the leaf extract, green tea seed oil is also widely used, and delivers the added benefit of hydration as it can act as a humectant.
Let's understand the various components and compounds in green tea that help us -
1. Amino Acids - Green Tea leaves contain many amino acids, however, the one most abundantly found, Theanine, is quite rarely found in other protein forms. When consumed, theanine has a host of benefits such as improved relaxation, reducing blood pressure, boosting immune system and even claims to help with weight loss. When applied topically, theanine can help reduce inflammation and is used to keep acute skin inflammation under control.
2. Flavonoids - Flavonoids, to put it simply, what gives any plant its pigment and are strong antioxidants. All variety of teas are excellent sources of flavonoids, with green tea having one of the highest concentrations.
3. Catechins - Catechins basically do belong to flavanol family, however, they need a special mention, as catechins are one of the key compounds that makes green tea so beneficial. Catechins are predominantly concentrated around the leaves of the green tea plant and even account for about 30% - 40% of the weight of dry leaves. There are multiple types of catechins in green tea, but the most abundant one is Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) which accounts for approx. 12%. EGCG is what gives green tea its brownish colour (when brewed) and releases the distinctive odor. EGCG in conjunction with the other catechins work to reduce inflammation, prevent heart and brain diseases and even prevent cancer and tumor formations! (If this isn't a good enough reason to start drinking green tea, I don't know what is!)
4. Minerals - Green tea is rich in minerals, with Potassium being the most abundant and is present at almost 40% of the total mineral content in the leaves. Potassium is known for helping with heart and kidney disorders when consumed. Potassium can enhance the skin's ability to retain moisture and gives the skin a soft and supple feel. Apart from potassium, other important minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium are also found in green tea that are known to hydrate, help in the production of collagen, help in wound healing etc.
Green tea is also known to have trace elements of many more beneficial minerals, however, since these are in very small quantities, their benefits will be limited, especially for topical application.
5. Methylxanthines - These are essentially compounds that have been used to relax the muscles (in turn opening up) blood vessels and airways, and is used as a drug. Green tea contains three such compounds, albeit in small concentrations - Theobromine, Caffeine and Theophylline. Theobromine is known to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol in humans, Caffeine (do I even need to explain!?) can help us be alert, help with weight loss and is even prescribed for severe headaches and migraine. Caffeine applied topically can help reduce inflammation, and is popularly used in eye creams to reduce puffiness.
What are the benefits?
1. Anti-Oxidant - We have spoken about free radicals and how anti-oxidants help against free radical damage in the previous blog "What's on the Label | Aloe Vera". To quickly summarize, free radicals damage skin, protein, lipids and any other molecular structure by taking away an electron causing irreversible molecular damage. Antioxidants help balance it out by providing these reactive molecules an electron. Green tea is literally brimming with potent antioxidants, and can help reduce free radical damage, in turn reducing the visibility of fine lines, hyper-pigmentation and dark spots.
2. Sun Protection - There have been multiple studies that have shown that application of green tea extracts have significantly reduced the number of skin cells with sunburn when exposed to UV radiation, and concentrations as low as 2.5% is enough to provide excellent sun protection. Using products that contain green tea extracts in your morning routine coupled with a good SPF can help protect your skin from sun damage and other skin conditions caused by sun exposure.
3. Anti-inflammatory - Various compounds in green tea extract have anti-inflammatory properties and can significantly help in reducing skin irritation, redness, puffiness and inflamed skin.
4. Anti-microbial - Studies have shown that green tea extract have similar wound healing and antimicrobial properties as antiseptic creams. This is one of the main reasons why green tea works well for acne-prone skin as it can help rid of acne causing bacteria, while its anti-inflammatory properties help calm and soothe the skin.
How safe is it?
Green tea is safe to consume, however, like most natural products can cause skin sensitivity and reactions for a few. Green tea contains Linalool, an ingredient that is commonly used in products for its fragrance, and is a known skin irritant and skin sensitizer.
Before using green tea directly on your skin or when it is included in a product, never forget to do a patch test to see if it reacts with your skin.
Green Tea At Home (DIY)
The best way to truly get all the benefits of green tea, is by drinking it, but there are many ways to include it into your skincare routine as well.
I have always found tea leaves to be more effective than tea bags and are also much cheaper. I don't know the authenticity of the claims, but I've heard that generally tea bags contain tea dust and what ever is left after processing and not the real deal. Loose leaves are slightly more difficult to find and you might not see them at your super market, but you'll be surprised to see the varieties of loose green tea leaves available after a quick google search (and even more surprised at the price).
I never use fresh leaves for any of my DIYs (loose green tea leaves can be brewed 2 - 3 times before). Since my green tea leaves are used, I use more of them in my DIYs to get the best benefit - if you are using fresh leaves, try with smaller quantities and always check what concentrations suit you.
1. Face Mask:
Ground green tea leaves 10 gm + 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric + 1/2 teaspoon of honey - combine it well and apply it as a face mask for about 10 - 15 mins, rinse and pat dry. Honey along with green tea can nourish your skin and make it feel hydrated, turmeric and green tea are antiseptic and can help get rid of acne and any breakouts.
Ground green tea leaves + Aloe vera (equal portions) - combine the two well and store in the fridge. This can be used as a leave on mask at night, or even as spot treatment for acne and pimples. Alternatively, you can blend the green tea and add the extracted juice to aloe vera. This can be used as a day moisturizer.
2. Toner & Face Mist:
Green tea water + Cucumber water + Aloe vera juice - Leave green tea leaves to soak in warm water and sieve the water, add cucumber water (you can extract it from the pulp or soak cucumber in water over night) and aloe vera juice (squeeze the gel through a muslin cloth / cheese cloth). Alternatively blend the three well in a blender with a little water and squeeze out the juice using a muslin cloth. Keep it in a spray bottle, and use it as a face mist or as a toner, or you could freeze them and use them as ice cubes.
You can also just save some brew and use it as a toner as is.
3. Facial Oil / Toner: Tea tree essential oil (3-4 drops) + Green Tea water (brew) - The essential oil won't necessarily mix with it. Store cool green tea water with a few drops of tea tree oil in a bottle, always shake it well and apply - better to use your hands rather than using a cotton pad / round.
4. Hair:
Green Tea + Aloe Vera - Blend the two well, and massage gently on the scalp. Do not keep it on for longer than 10 - 15 mins. You could also add green tea leaves to the aloe vera hair mask mentioned in the previous blog. (Link)
The simplest way (and lazy method) that I always follow is to use green tea water as my last rinse. I fill a bucket of hot water at the start of my shower, and put in a handful of used green tea leaves wrapped and tied in a muslin cloth - if you don't tie it up you'll have a tough time cleaning up the mess later, Trust Me! By the time I'm done with my shower (shampoo + conditioning), the bucket of green tea is lukewarm, and I use it as my last rinse. Try massaging a little water into your scalp as well and pay extra attention to any part of your body where you're having some skin irritation.
There are many more DIYs you can do, but I find these not too complicated and effective as well.
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The overview of the ingredient has been sourced from multiple reputable websites that provide well researched and latest information on ingredients commonly used in skincare and make-up. Wherever specific facts and figures are mentioned, these have been sourced from published Journals, Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. Wherever, information has been taken from the source, the references will be listed as well.
I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim of the ‘What’s on the label’ segment is to help people understand what the ingredients in their skincare or make-up routines are, and more specifically how these ingredients can deliver benefits to our skin. If I have made any error or mistake, please do let me know, and we can work together to make the necessary changes.
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