Green Tea Extract

“Green Tea Extract” is a potent ingredient derived from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, a plant native to India and China but now cultivated worldwide. This particular extract is sourced from the Ntingwe Tea Estate near the rural village of Nkandla in South Africa.

Green tea extract is a rich source of bioactive components, containing almost 4000 metabolites. Polyphenols, which constitute more than one-third of these metabolites, are the main components of Camellia sinensis leaves, along with caffeine, flavonoids, and saponins.

Green tea is renowned for its health benefits, particularly its anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce skin irritation, redness, and swelling. Topical application of green tea can soothe minor cuts and sunburn, making it an effective remedy for many dermatological conditions.

In addition to its pharmaceutical applications, green tea extract is a valuable component in the cosmetics industry. It offers a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant, photoprotective, skin and hair improvement, anticellulite, slimming, and microcirculation condition properties. The effects of the tea plant and its active constituents vary depending on the skin layer. In the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin, the strong antioxidant activity of tea extracts is most evident. In deeper layers of the skin, tea polyphenols provide significant protection against ultraviolet radiation and affect the activity of various enzymes. By inhibiting enzymes such as lipoxygenase, metalloproteinase, hyaluronidase, and collagenase, which degrade important skin components like hyaluronic acid, elastin, and collagen, tea and its extracts significantly delay the signs of skin aging. This makes Green Tea Extract a powerful ingredient for skin health.