Allergen, Not An AllergenFeaturedSkin

GREEN TEA: Allergen or Not An Allergen?

Not An Allergen.

This is a bit of a tricky one because, for categorization, many patch test results lump green tea in with “botanicals” and all botanicals are listed as optional cross-reactors to fragrance.Ā Green tea has no reports of cross reaction with fragrance. What many doctors do is manually remove green tea from the list. In addition…

  • VMV Hypoallergenics has been using green tea for almost a decade and we have received zero reports of reactions, even from patients who patch tested positive for fragrances.
  • There have been zero instances of contact dermatitis even among a large number of patients with positive patch test reactionĀ to balsam of peru, colophony, fragrance I, cinnamates, fragrance II and the new individual fragrance allergens in the NACDG and ESSCA allergen lists (and green tea is not included as an allergen in these lists).
  • We have also done numerous photopatch tests using these allergens and the leading series of 13 plant and 24 fragrance allergens. On the patients with positive reactions (photopath and patch), none have reacted to green tea and so far, no literature reports green tea reactions.

If you think you might have contact dermatitis, ask your dermatologist for aĀ patch test.

References:Ā 
Regularly published reportsĀ on the most common allergens by theĀ North American Contact Dermatitis GroupĀ andĀ European Surveillance System on Contact AllergiesĀ (based on over 28,000 patch test results, combined), plus other studies.Ā Remember, we are all individuals ā€” just because an ingredient is not on the most common allergen lists does not mean you cannot be sensitive to it, or that it will not become an allergen. These references, being based on so many patch test results, are a good basisĀ but it is always best to get a patch test yourself.

1. Wetter, DA et al. Results of patch testing to personal care product allergens in a standard series and a supplemental cosmetic series: An analysis of 945 patients from the Mayo Clinic Contact Dermatitis Group, 2000-2007. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Nov;63(5):789-98.
2.Ā Verallo-Rowell VM. The validated hypoallergenic cosmetics rating system: its 30-year evolution and effect on the prevalence of cosmetic reactions. Dermatitis 2011 Apr; 22(2):80-97
3.Ā Ruby Pawankar et al.Ā World Health Organization. White Book on Allergy 2011-2012 Executive Summary.
4. Misery L et al. Sensitive skin in the American population: prevalence, clinical data, and role of the dermatologist. Int J Dermatol. 2011 Aug;50(8):961-7.
5. Warshaw EM1, Maibach HI, Taylor JS, Sasseville D, DeKoven JG, Zirwas MJ, Fransway AF, Mathias CG, Zug KA, DeLeo VA, Fowler JF Jr, Marks JG, Pratt MD, Storrs FJ, Belsito DV. North American contact dermatitis group patch test results: 2011-2012.Dermatitis. 2015 Jan-Feb;26(1):49-59.
6. Warshaw, E et al. Allergic patch test reactions associated with cosmetics: Retrospective analysis of cross-sectional data from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group, 2001-2004. J AmAcadDermatol 2009;60:23-38.Ā 
7. Foliaki S et al. Antibiotic use in infancy and symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in children 6 and 7 years old: International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Phase III. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Nov;124(5):982-9.
8. Kei EF et al. Role of the gut microbiota in defining human health. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2010 Apr; 8(4): 435ā€“454.
9.Ā Thavagnanam S et al. A meta-analysis of the association between Caesarean section and childhood asthma. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008;38(4):629ā€“633.

For more:

OnĀ the prevalence of skinĀ allergies, seeĀ Skin Allergies Are More Common Than EverĀ andĀ One In Four Is Allergic to Common Skin Care And Cosmetic Ingredients.

To learn more about the VH-Rating System and hypoallergenicity,Ā click here.

1 Comment

  1. […] tested positive to propolis, you might not be able toĀ use beeswax, for example. Or that while green tea is sometimes categorized under “botanicals,” pure green tea is not a top contact […]

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *