Applying the power of living tea plant

According to the recent overview by Epstein, maintaining a healthy metabolism, particularly with regard to insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels and proper intake of amino acids, is important to maintaining a younger looking skin. At the same time, controlling the vicious cycle of oxidative damage and inflammation remains crucial.1 A recent study by Lesley E Rhodes et al adds to the potential health benefits of green tea compounds, green tea catechins, when taken orally. The authors discovered that green tea catechin metabolites are incorporated into human skin and protect against UV radiation-induced cutaneous inflammation in association with reduced production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoid 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and may contribute to protection against sunburn inflammation and potentially longer-term UVR-mediated damage.2 Thus, the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, may help address skin health from within and from without. The ingredient, Recentia CS, which was developed for potential personal care applications from living Camellia sinensis via Zeta Fraction technology, and its multifunctional activities were previously described by Koganov et al. in the November 2012 issue of Personal Care magazine.3 This paper encompasses the continuing research regarding applying the power of living tea plant for functional drinks, which can potentially support the ‘beauty from within’ concept; and for topical personal care formulations with antioxidant properties. In addition, this paper contains the comparative evaluations of drink preparations based on this ingredient vs. traditional green and black tea preparations and commercial tea-based drinks.

Camellia sinensis

Functional drinks supporting ‘beauty from within’