Black tea extract comes from the same plant as green tea, Camellia sinensis, but the leaves are fully oxidized during processing, which converts many of green tea's catechins into a different family of antioxidant compounds called theaflavins.
Laboratory research on theaflavin-3'-gallate, a key compound from black tea, found it protected skin cells from UVB related damage and helped maintain normal cell function after UV exposure. Separate research on theaflavin has also found it can inhibit tyrosinase, the enzyme involved in pigment production, while also offering some natural UV filtering properties.
Because black tea's antioxidant profile differs from green tea's, it is generally considered a complementary rather than interchangeable ingredient.
Black Tea Extract References
Anti Damage Effect of Theaflavin-3'-gallate from Black Tea on UVB Irradiated HaCaT Cells by Photoprotection and Maintaining Cell Homeostasis, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B, 2021
Evaluation of Antityrosinase Activity and Mechanism, Antioxidation, and UV Filter Properties of Theaflavin, Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, 2022
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