Recently, two studies were performed to measure the potential of
green tea in acne. The findings of these recent studies show
that when applied to the affected area, green tea can reduce
sebum production, inflammation and bacterial growth in acne-
prone skin, as a result of an antioxidant called
epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The first study findings The
more recent of the studies appeared in the December 2012 issue
of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and showed that
green tea helps to reduce sebum production. In the first part of
this two part study, the South Korean researchers applied cream
containing EGCG to rabbit ears and discovered that it reduced
the size of sebaceous glands. The second part of the test was
conducted in vitro (petri dish) and involved the incubation of
human sebocytes (cells that produce sebum) in insulin-like
growth factor 1 (IGF-1) hormone. Several similar studies have
also shown that IGF-1 increases sebocyte growth and is also one
of the hormones linked to acne and oily