Ingredient intelligence
Epigallocatechin gallate
Antioxidant · Epigallocatechin Gallate · C22H18O11
EGCG is the major green tea catechin, studied for antioxidant and UV-response biology mainly in cell and animal models.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C22H18O11
- Molecular weight
- 458.4 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 65064
- ChEBI
- CHEBI:4806
Biological targets
Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9)
low confidenceinhibits · enzyme
UniProt P14780NF-E2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2)
low confidenceactivates · receptor
UniProt Q16236
How could this ingredient interact with biology?
Biological network
Ingredient → molecule → target → gene/protein → pathway → process → studied outcome. Relationship strength is drawn from the curated confidence tier; nothing is added to make the chain look complete.
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8 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Epigallocatechin gallate is molecule Epigallocatechin gallate — high confidence
Biological pathways
KEAP1-NFE2L2 antioxidant response
low confidenceAntioxidant response element activation in cell models.
Reactome R-HSA-9755511
Degradation of the extracellular matrix
low confidenceMMP inhibition reported in vitro.
Reactome R-HSA-1474228
Evidence engine
Insufficient
Not enough curated evidence to characterise this ingredient.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
13
experimental · of 100
This index is a research-navigation aid describing how much evidence exists and how it was produced. It is not a medical safety score, an efficacy guarantee, or a clinical recommendation.
Study composition
- In-vitro1
- Total studies
- 1
- Human studies
- 0
- Largest sample
- Data unavailable
- Range
- 2011–2011
Index breakdown
- Study design quality25% × 28%
Mean design weight across curated studies (meta-analysis 1.0, RCT 0.9, other human 0.7, review 0.45, animal 0.35, in-vitro 0.25).
- Human evidence share0% × 22%
Proportion of curated evidence measured in people rather than cells or animals.
- Evidence volume32% × 14%
Log-scaled count of curated studies, so volume alone cannot dominate the score.
- Largest sample size0% × 12%
Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.
- Replication0% × 12%
Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.
- Recency25% × 7%
Linear decay over a twenty-year window from the most recent curated publication.
- Source traceability0% × 5%
Share of curated studies with a verified PMID or DOI in this dataset.
Insufficient comparable evidence for quantitative synthesis.
Research timeline
How the evidence accumulated
2011
Green tea polyphenols and UV-induced matrix metalloproteinase expression in human skin models
In-vitrosample size unavailable · Photochemistry and Photobiology
Ingredient fingerprint
10 nodes · 12 relationships · seed "epigallocatechin-gallate"
The fingerprint is a deterministic visual signature: ridge amplitude comes from the number of entities in each tier, node placement from identifier hashes, and opacity from confidence. Two ingredients can never produce the same figure unless their networks are identical.
Open in Biology as Art →Research
1 curated study
Green tea polyphenols and UV-induced matrix metalloproteinase expression in human skin models
Reported reduced UV-induced MMP-9 expression in treated skin equivalents.
Limitations — Skin equivalent model; identifier not verified; human endpoints lacking.
Community evidence
Submitted by readers
Reader submissions appear here only after review. They are not part of the curated dataset and do not affect the Skinceptor Evidence Index.
No approved community submissions yet.
Sources
- PubChem 65064retrieved 2026-09-14
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