I’m always looking for products that help with dry eye disease and have a secondary benefit of enhancing the aesthetics of the eyes. Today I’m unboxing an eyelid wipe that boasts green tea as an ingredient. We’ll be diving into the potential benefits of using green tea products around the eyes in today's blog, and I’ll be unboxing a wipe that contains green tea.
Oh hey, you’ve reached the eye school blog, with me Dr. D. Today I’m tackling a new ingredient in the dry eye space; green tea. Is it safe? What aesthetic benefits might it be able to provide to enhance the appearance of the eyelids?
The maker of Hylawipe, tearestore has this to say about their product, “The TearRestore HylaWipe™ offers eyelid cleansing and skin care all in one! The one-of-a-kind TearRestore Hylawipe™ combines clinically proven eyelid cleansers with soothing skin care compounds.
The HylaWipe™ has hyaluronic acid and natural plant extracts to calm the skin around your eyes, while also providing effective eyelid cleansing compounds to clean your eyelids. Formulated to effectively clean the eyelids, soothe irritation, and leave you with visibly healthy eyes. Developed with the assistance of industry leading physicians, this all-in-one product is formulated to relieve irritation for even the most sensitive eyes. The result of this easy-to-use wipe is clean, comfortable, and hydrated eyelids.”
Green tea and its major component, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory effects and green tea has been used in a number of disease states as a result. It’s been shown to have beneficial effects against diseases like cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases. In a recent literature review, the beneficial effects of green tea and tea catechins against inflammatory diseases was well documented.
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) does have documented anti-androgen activity, and this is my sole concern about its consistent use on the eyelids. In 2020, tea tree oil was found to have anti-androgen activity and lab studies showed it had the ability to degrade epithelial meibomian gland cells. With this toxicity, many eye care providers wondered if we should even be using tea tree oil at all in our patients, despite the well-documented POSITIVE effect tea tree oil has on demodex mites.
Ingredients and Further Information on Hylawipe
Other ingredients you’ll see in cosmetics and eye care products that have anti-androgen activity are bakuchiol, tea tree oil, lavender, and now green tea. However, I believe this is only a relative contraindication. In other words, I still use and recommend tea tree oil for my patients but am careful to monitor meibomian glands and typically use higher concentration tea tree oil for short periods only. A wipe containing green tea doesn’t necessarily need to be avoided altogether, just monitored and in my opinion, judicious use avoiding the opening of the meibomian glands would be in good judgment.
Dry Eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction and blepharitis are inflammatory conditions of the ocular surface. The three of these disease states often coexist, and it's important to control lid inflammation including blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction in order to control the inflammation at the ocular surface and promote healthy tears.
Lid hygiene wipes and scrubs have been used for years to control the microbiome, clear dead skin cells, and even hydrate the ocular surface. The benefits of daily lid hygiene are well documented and TFOS DEWS 2 lists lid care as a step one dry eye therapy. Therefore, it's important to find one that works for you and can be integrated into your daily routine.
Hylawipe Contains Green Tea, Aloe and Chamomile
TearRestore sponsored this video that appeared on my youtube channel. They make an eyelid hygiene wipe called Hylawipe. Hylawipes are preservative free, which makes them ideal for sensitive patients. And dry eye patients usually are quite sensitive. They’re non irritating and reduce ocular inflammation due to their green tea additive. This makes them great for flare ups.
They also contain plant extracts like green tea, aloe, and chamomile. These have anti-aging effects and reduce inflammation, redness, and puffiness around the eyes. They do contain Tea Tree Oil, at a concentration of 0.3%. Tea tree is a natural cleansing compound found to be effective for blepharitis, demodex and rosacea. In addition, they contain hyaluronic acid, a common ingredient in luxury beauty products. Hyaluronic acid is able to boost the skin’s moisture content, soothe and defend the skin against moisture loss. It can hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, making it an optimal hydrator for all skin types.
It May also help with the signs and symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome, although additional studies are needed.
Things I like about the wipes: large wipes, soft and feel good to the touch. Nice smell, not too much tea tree oil
Choosing an eyelid wipe is a critical part of your dry eye routine. This particular wipe is nice because it has ingredients we like from a skincare perspective. Hyaluronic acid, green tea, and aloe create a combo that has the potential to help with puffiness and swelling/redness.
If you do try hylawipe, please make sure to leave me a comment and let me know how you like them.
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