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Green Tea Extract Alterantive
Hi,
I use a lot of green tea extract in my products.
I like it because it has anti inflammatory, soothing, anti oxidant, sun damage reducing properties.Now I want to replace green tea as its coloring my products. I can use lesser amount, But can I add any other herbs with similar properties?
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9 Replies
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Herbal extracts will give you the normal brown color, perhaps use a hydrosol of that herb, or use the actual constituent in that herb that is providing that effect you are looking for.
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Here is the question you have to ask yourself, what measurable effect is the green tea extract having? You say that you like it because it has an “anti inflammatory, soothing, anti oxidant, and sun damage reducing properties.”
How do you know it actually does this?
I’m not talking about what the raw material supplier tells you, or what you’ve read somewhere, I’m asking about your consumers (or you). What measurable thing happens to the skin the lets you know that the ingredient is doing anything?
If you reduce the level and you can’t tell any difference then you can reduce the level without any concern.
If you reduce the level and you can tell a difference, what is that difference? If you can identify what that is then I might be able to suggest some other alternative ingredients.
The reality is that most herbal extracts used in cosmetic products don’t actually have any noticeable or measurable effect.
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I believe that green tea extract has a solid track record in published medical journals with respect to its beneficial effects on skin. How exactly it translates into things like improving hyper pigmentation, skin brightness, skin moisturize, wrinkle depth, etc., I do not know, but you can say the same for many actives.
Please note there are other actives or oils that you can use to help counterbalance the color, and there are also green tea extracts available that are not necessarily the deep reddish brown color that you probably have right now.
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I’m with Perry on this one. Drink the tea while making it, and replace with water. Then evaluate the difference.
Back when I started…I also used tea….now….NEVER.
Focus on those things that might actually work…. B3, Bisabobol, quality oils and humectants (maybe even ceramides…if you can include enough to be functional).
Customers will buy your product for the smell, texture and packaging. GT does not enhance either of their trigger points.
Your faith/belief system…in a claim ingredient will not make it functional, lean more towards the science, and less towards the marketing you have seen and read.
Polyphenols have been used historically as dyes and for tanning garments. So in high enough levels…might make a self-tanner.
I have sampled literally hundreds of versions of lotions and creams…..and it always goes like this: Smell…and mind is made up. If I hand them 4 identical products where only the fragrance is different…they will look me straight in the eye…and tell me how superior the one they like the smell of….performs and feels!
Hate to say it…. Get your fragrance right….and you are almost done. -
@Graillotion - you are so right about fragrance!
@suswang8 - I agree you can question lots (most) actives. And what you find out is that most people don’t notice any difference with actives. However, I’m making no claims but rather asking a formulating question. If an active “works” there should be some way to measure it working. If you can’t measure something about the ingredient that makes it work or consumers can’t tell any difference whether an ingredient is in a formula or not, no amount of published medical literature matters.
I encourage people to put chemicals in their formulas that do something noticeable to consumers. If a consumer can’t see or feel a difference they shouldn’t be exposed to the chemical.
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Perry said:no amount of published medical literature matters.Totally agree, having the word medical doesn’t mean it rigid enough, even medical textbooks that are widely excepted got reviewed often.
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You could use pure epigallocatechin gallate, the alleged main active constituent of green tea extract (neglecting caffeine). Used at 1-2% it might be closely as effective against condyloma acuminata as Veregen. This cream contains 10% extract which corresponds to about 1% EGCG.If you’re more after the vascular effects, you could replace it with different other plant extracts rich in EGCG and other polyphenols such as pycnogenol from Pinus pinaster or something with triterpene saponins such as Butcher’s broom or horse chestnut. -
I use green tea extract in a niacinamide serum,
High % green tea was browish yellow and low% green tea in pale yellow
I have 3 people telling me that brown colored niacinamide serum was more effective, but can also be the perception issue.@Perry
If you can identify what that is then I might be able to suggest some other alternative ingredients.But brown colored serum made their skin,
more calm and less redness (anti-inflammatory effect)
tiny white heads popping out etc (anti-bacterial effect)
But this difference is noted by only 3 people among 100s.I know green tea works well for acne in powered clay mask, 20% green tea and 80% clay, and when applied, reduction in size of inflamed acne, less redness and more radiance. But not sure if the extract works in similar way to powder herb mask.
A lot can get vary between dry herbs to extracts- strength, oxidation etc.@Graillotion
totally agree with smell, texture and packaging.
But I am hopeful of herbs.@Pharma
I am searching for EGCG suppliers, I find Givadun has 5% EGCG in water.
And I find powder from China. Will check both.Also for other herbs, with anti inflmmatory and anti bacterial, a bit antioxidant.
Pycogenol is fantastic butcoloured, I am looking for colorless or white colored extracts that work similar to green tea ( anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, a bit antioxidant. )
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@Thota - I would just say check your premises. How do you really “know green tea works well for acne”? It is not a proven safe and effective acne treatment otherwise it would be listed on the FDA monograph for anti-acne actives. There are no scientifically controlled studies I could find that show green tea works for acne.
Anecdotal or personal evidence is not evidence of what is real. It is only evidence of what you perceive to be real. It may or may not be effective but remember for any condition the following three things can happen if you use a treatment.
1. The condition gets better
2. The condition gets worse
3. The condition stays the sameBut these are exactly the same three things that can happen if you apply No Treatment.
It’s only through scientifically controlled studies that we can conclude that a treatment or ingredient actually works for the condition you are treating.
If indeed a brown colored serum made them report their skin was better here is what you should do. Remove the green tea extract & replace it with brown food coloring to match color of the serum that made them think their skin was better. See if they still report improvements in skin. If they don’t then you will know that there may be some benefit from the green tea extract. If they still report improvements then you know the benefits are really just psychological.
It could be that you need a brown color to convince people your product works.
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