Category: White Tea

A question I’m often asked when a customer is choosing an anti-oxidant product, is which is best?  Many of the products, of course, are market driven.   In other words, it is whatever the trend for that moment that decides that products presence.  At the time , I was reading a study which found that green tea contained anti-oxidants called polyphenols that appeared to afford the protection against cancerous cells by starving growths, which was done by reducing the blood vessel growth near them, therefore stopping their supply line of nutrition and oxygen.   Pretty amazing stuff, I thought.  In  addition, this researcher, Dr. Santosh Katiyar who was studying the chemoprotective effects of green tea, found that green tea might also be effective against skin cancer if used topically in skin care creams. He was quick to point out that green tea was not a cure for skin cancer, but rather a preventive measure that needs further clinical testing and trials, but would have a profound impact on various skin disorders in the years to come. So what does a scientist do? Well he goes into his laboratory and attempts to create magic. To design a product that works; well, that’s what I did. 

Lets take a look at Green and White Tea.  First, Green Tea and White Tea are not fermented, in contrast to Black Tea, therefore, they contain much more active and intact polyphenol components.   The leaves of White Tea are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, and at this time the leaves are covered by white fine hair, hence the name.  In comparison to the leaves of Green Tea, whereby they are allowed to grow to a fully form green leaf.  White Tea is also scarcer than the other traditional teas, and therefore quite expensive. In addition, White Tea Leaf also contains more concentrations of polyphenols than Green Tea Leaf. The results of studies with White Tea Leaf suggest a greater inhibitory potency in cancerous cells than Green Tea Leaf, because of increase polyphenol content. Our first anti-oxidant tea extract products were Green Tea Facial Wash and our Green Tea Facial Cream, which was later modified to the current White Tea Extract Facial Cream. 

So overall, what we did to our products was to increase the concentration levels of white and green tea extract actives.  This had been the cornerstone of our company from the beginning was to create cosmeceuticals products that worked due to containing optimal levels of active concentrates.

The thought behind creating our Green Tea Facial Wash, which is the second facial wash based on the formulation of our Original Facial Wash, was to create it with a lighter texture for two reasons: First, for ease of application to irritated skin. Secondly, when irritated skin is progressing through the healing and exfoliation process, the wash could be incorporated with our Oatmeal Herbal Masque for increase anti-inflammatory effects and for gentle removal of exfoliated skin debris.  The development behind this product was based on those people undergoing laser treatment or chemical peeling. We felt this was the ideal wash because it lightly cleansed tender skin while allowing the natural exfoliating of skin debris in the post-laser or post-peel healing stages. Further, we increased the extract levels over the maximum recommended for optimal effect. The Green Tea Facial Wash included active amounts of Green Tea Leaf Extract, noted for its soothing and anti-oxidant properties, and Chamomile Extract noted for its ant-inflammatory and calming properties. Originally, we started with Green Tea Extract Facial Cream which then evolved to the White Tea Extract Facial Cream, due to its increased levels of polyphenol. Our facial cream product had a whopping 20% concentrate of White Tea Actives.  What people didn’t know is that we could as very well place 0.1% white tea extract in our product and still said it contains white tea effectiveness as many in the cosmetic market place do.  But this was the nature of the cosmetic business we wanted to separate ourselves from.

So what was important, is when Green Tea and/or White Tea products were topically applied to the skin, it had the ability to modulate the biochemical pathways involved in skins natural inflammation process.  In other words, if you were in the sun at the beach all day, and incurred a sunburn, your skin would be inflamed and red. This inflammation and redness is directly due to the suns UV rays damaging skin cells.  How you’re body responds to this damage is the next question.  Will it heal up naturally or will it have damage some of your cells ability to replicate properly, possibly transforming some of those cells to skin cancer. That is the question.  The bottom line is that some current studies are suggesting the daily topical application of anti-oxidants such as white or green tea daily as a protective and preventive factor when outdoors and especially when spending lengthy recreational hours in the sun. Studies show that topical products that contain either Green Tea or White Tea polyphenols when applied to the skin interferes with the skins natural biochemical pathway by reducing the inflammatory responses.  So, I’m still asked which is best…. am I biased?  Really I’m Not, I still like both green and white equally.