According to a new study funded by P&G and published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Camellia sinensis (green tea) extracts can be used as treatments for hair protection. This efficacy is linked to extract concentrations of catechins.
In ‘Protection of hair from damage induced by ultraviolet irradiation using tea (Camellia sinensis) extracts’, researchers describe how they tested the power of this botanical antioxidant to prevent changes in hair protein composition and colour changes resulting from breakdown of yellow-coloured kynurenines.
Extracts were analysed by LC-MS to identify the key composition chemistries. Oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) was used to measure the ability of the extract to react with a peroxyl radical via a hydrogen abstraction mechanism. Hair protein structural damage was measured by quantifying a biomarker peptide specific to UV-induced damage, while hair colour changes were measured with a spectrophotometer.
