Green tea-based äKwä skincare system “significantly improved” erythema and hydration levels, study finds
19 Sep 2022 --- An improvement of skin health using green tea-containing skincare routines has been revealed in an exploratory controlled clinical study published in Cosmetics journal by 4Life Research. The study employed “scientifically validated” ingredients such as fermented green tea (Camellia sinensis) water, niacinamide, antioxidants and various natural plant extracts.
The äKwä six-step skincare system comprises various skincare products intended to be applied both in the morning and at night.
In an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of this skincare system in improving facial-skin health and beauty, the researchers conducted a skin analysis on 26 healthy adult volunteers. The äKwä six-step skincare system was used as a treatment for the group, whereas those in the control group used their own products and routines.
“Skin moisture, fine lines and wrinkles, porphyrin count, red spots and red vasculature count were measured through high-quality photography, complexion analysis, skin analysis and survey questions on day zero, day eight and day 30,” the study describes.
TPS and TPP in green tea have protective effects on skin hydration and skin redness against UVA and UVB rays of the sun.Healthy skin goals
The study showed that the äKwä skincare system “significantly improved” several key areas of skin health and beauty, namely reduced red vasculature count, red-spot count and porphyrin count, compared to the control group.
A total of 66.7% of the participants in the äKwä group showed increased skin hydration. Pores, skin texture and wrinkles did not show significant changes – “largely due to the small study size and short study duration,” according to the researchers.
Skincare system employed
The product directions indicated to use the following products morning and night in sequential order: First Wave Oil-to-Foam Cleanser, Glacier Glow Four-Way Toner, Precious Pool Vitamin Essence, Ripple Refine Eye Cream and RainBurst Moisture Cream.
After application in the morning, Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face SPF 50 was also applied. A Royal Bath sheet mask was used at night on the same day of the week during the study following the Precious Pool Vitamin Essence application.
Fifteen individuals were divided into the “active” group, meaning they followed the six-step routine and 11 were assigned to the “control” group.
Facial photographs of all participants were taken at the three measurement time points of the study to compare noticeable changes in skin appearance. Visia complexion analysis using model Visia-6 was used to quantify brown and red skin spots, wrinkles, pore visibility, red-area vasculature count and UV spots.
A polyphenolic compound in green tea called catechin has become a research hotspot in recent years according to the researchers.
Skin moisture was measured using the Neutrogena Skin360 smartphone application, powered by FitSkin, which utilizes a database as a comparative measurement when scanning the image pixels from the facial scan. Fine lines and pores were also measured.
Spotlighting green tea
Green tea extract and leaf water are the primary functional ingredients in äKwä skincare products.
In light of the protective effect of TPS (tea polysaccharides) and TPP (tea polyphenols) in green tea on skin hydration and skin redness against UVA and UVB rays of the sun, it is speculated that green tea extract and green tea water partially contributed to the positive effects of äKwä skincare products on skin hydration, red vasculature count, red-spot count and porphyrin count reported in the present study.
“A polyphenolic compound in green tea called catechin has become a research hotspot in recent years due to its antioxidant effect, anti-inflammatory activity and UV protection activity, among many others,” the study states.
Edited by Radhika Sikaria
