A comparison of the effects of topical green tea and lotus on facial sebum control in healthy humans.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Green tea and lotus hold several synergistic antioxidant compounds. This investigation aimed to assess the efficacy of green tea and green tea plus lotus vs. placebo multiple emulsions in healthy adults for controlling casual sebum secretions. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS After signing informed consents, twenty-two participants were registered in a single-blinded, placebo-controlled, split-face comparative study. Group 1 participants applied a multiple emulsion formulation with green tea extract while group 2 applied a multiple emulsion with green tea plus lotus extract in a 60 days treatment course. A non-invasive photometric device (Sebumeter™) has been used for the measurement of casual sebum secretions on both sides of the face. RESULTS Steady and statistically significant reductions in sebum secretions were noted for mono (green tea) and combined treatments (green tea plus lotus) compared to placebo treatment. However, irrespective of the concentration of extracts in active formulations, green tea plus lotus combined treatment produced statistically more sound results (two-tailed p value = 0.0002) than green tea alone (two-tailed p value = 0.0060) in a 60-days treatment course. CONCLUSIONS RESULTS suggest that synergistic compounds in green tea and lotus could be a promising choice for cutaneous disorders where elevated sebum levels are involved in the pathophysiology of these disorders.