Green tea extract

What it is

Green tea is the lightly processed leaf of Camellia sinensis. Its most studied compounds are catechins, led by epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. In skin care you will meet it as "green tea extract", "Camellia sinensis leaf extract" or purified EGCG in toners, serums, lotions and masks, usually at 1 to 5%.

What the evidence says

Evidence: moderate for topical use in acne and oily skin; limited for sun protection and redness, which rest on small or laboratory studies.

A 2016 review found eight human studies, seven of them topical, and concluded there is some evidence that tea polyphenols reduce sebum and acne, but called for larger, better-designed trials, since most studies were small and several had no control group¹. In the best of them, an eight-week split-face trial in 35 people, a 1% EGCG lotion cut inflamed spots by about 89% and blackheads and whiteheads by about 79% from the start, significantly better than the vehicle on the other side of the face, and a 5% lotion did about as well^{1, 2}; laboratory work in the same paper showed EGCG reduces oil production, dampens inflammation and kills acne bacteria². Lotions of 2 to 3% green tea reduced spots and shine in other small trials¹.

For sun, green tea polyphenols applied to volunteers' skin before UV exposure reduced sunburn redness, sunburn cells and DNA damage³, but that was a laboratory dose, not an everyday serum, and no study shows it can replace sunscreen. For rosacea-type redness, the human evidence is one six-week split-face study of four adults in which a 2.5% EGCG cream reduced markers of new blood-vessel growth in skin biopsies but did not measurably change visible redness⁶; a 2023 cell and mouse study suggests how it might act⁴. Treat redness claims as limited at best.

How people use it

• A serum, toner or lotion listing green tea extract or EGCG near the top of the ingredients, once or twice daily on the whole face.
• As an antioxidant layer under sunscreen in the morning.
• Cooled brewed tea pressed on with a cotton pad is cheap and low risk, though far weaker than an extract.
• See where it fits in natural acne care and oily skin and clogged pores.

Cautions

• Mild stinging or itching in the first days was reported in some trials¹. Patch test first.
• It is not a sunscreen. Keep using broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every morning.
• Drinking tea is safe for most adults, but concentrated extract capsules have been linked to uncommon cases of liver injury and can interact with some medicines⁵. Talk with a pharmacist before taking them, and keep caffeine moderate in pregnancy.
• Persistent acne or facial redness deserves a professional opinion; see when to see a dermatologist.