Do you know that green tea has the highest active compounds which have tremendous health benefits? In fact, human studies on green tea prove that it is anticancer, antibacterial, antiobesity, antidiabetic, anti-aging, and much more.
Truth be told, green tea is not only an elixir for your body but also for your skin. Originating from the Camellia Sinensis plant, it has been a traditional remedy for centuries. Plus, its rise in modern skincare is no surprise, given its potent properties that benefit the skin.
Wondering what they are? You will find out in this blog. We are going to cover everything you need to know about this skincare ingredient, from the benefits of green tea for the skin to how you can include it in your routine, protective measures, and more. Let’s begin!
Composition of Green Tea
Green tea’s efficacy in skincare stems from its rich composition. Here’s why skincare enthusiasts suggest green tea for good skin:
Antioxidants
If you want to keep your skin young, firm and glowing, you must protect it well. And for this, you will need antioxidants by your side in your skincare routine. Why?
Antioxidants like catechins, especially Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which are found in green tea, fight oxidative stress. They neutralize the free radicals in your skin which would otherwise damage your skin cells. Plus, they speed up your aging process, making your skin appear a few years more than what it actually is.
Vitamins
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. So naturally it has its own needs to stay healthy. Vitamins B2 and E found in green tea play crucial roles in maintaining skin health. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) helps maintain youthful skin structure and firmness, while Vitamin E moisturizes and helps with healing.
Minerals
Like vitamins, your skin needs some minerals, too. Of all the minerals it needs, green tea contains the following:
- Potassium
- Manganese
- Magnesium
Potassium helps regulate your skin’s pH levels, while manganese aids in skin healing and collagen production. Similarly, magnesium is essential for soothing irritated skin and reducing redness and swelling. In fact, it defends your skin against skin concerns like eczema and acne.
Amino Acids
L-theanine is one of the most active amino acids found in green tea. It has been vastly studied for its many benefits. One of which happens to be its anti-inflammatory nature for acute skin inflammation. As a result, it is effective in soothing irritated skin. Thus making green tea for skin, especially acne-type, a potent ingredient.
Green Tea for Good Skin: 6 Reasons to Choose It
Now that you know what green tea actually contains, let’s take a look at green tea for facial benefits. Mind you, it offers everything, from protection against premature aging to soothing your active acne.
Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants are essential in skin care for their role in combating free radicals, which can cause premature aging. Green tea, rich in catechins, especially EGCG, provides a lot of antioxidant benefits.
To begin with, it neutralizes free radicals. These free radicals would otherwise break down collagen and elastin in your skin. By doing so, green tea also prevents early signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. These signs typically appear when collagen and elastin in your skin starts to reduce.
Furthermore, EGCG, one of the most abundant and active catechins, protects against UV damage. Plus, it reduces inflammation and minimizes redness, making it a powerful anti-aging ingredient more about it in the next point.
Anti-Aging Benefits
As years pass by, your skin’s natural ability to produce collagen drops. But you can’t let it pass because collagen keeps your skin firm and tight. Green tea helps by stimulating this very collagen production. Not only that, the antioxidants in green tea also repair collagen fibers.
Furthermore, when in its brewed form, green tea’s polyphenols help break the bond between collagen fibers. This makes it easier for your body to produce more collagen. Its antioxidants fight against fine lines and wrinkles by protecting you against environmental factors like UV rays and free radicals. Thus, prolonged use of green tea tightens your skin and plumps it up.
Anti-Inflammatory and Soothing Effects
Magnesium found in green tea is anti-inflammatory in nature. This means that it helps reduce the redness and swelling that accompanies inflammation. Thus making green tea for the face an effective ingredient when dealing with conditions like acne, rosacea, and eczema.
In fact, research suggests that green tea’s photo-protective effects, that is, protection from sun exposure, may play an important role in maintaining rosacea. Why? Because sun exposure is a trigger factor for rosacea.
The calming and soothing property of green tea for skin makes it an ideal ingredient for soothing face masks to promote skin healing.
Detoxifying and Cleansing
Green tea is rich in compounds like Vitamin B2, which helps with skin detoxification. Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, aids your body’s metabolic process to flush out all the toxins. Moreover, it supports the skin cells by giving them the energy they require for the detoxification process.
As a cleansing ingredient, green tea is extremely soothing on your skin. It works very well with other ingredients to remove all dirt and dust without stripping your skin off its natural oils. This brings us to the next point.
Moisturizing and Hydration
The presence of Niacin and Vitamin E in green tea’s composition makes it an ingredient that enhances your skin’s protective barrier. And you know what happens when you have a strong barrier, right? The sun or the environment cannot take the water out of your skin. Plus, your skin is able to retain moisture better.
As a result, when you use green tea for the face, here's what you get – blemish-free, well-moisturized skin. You also get acne-free skin — read the next point.
Acne Treatment and Prevention
Acne results from excessive oil production that clogs your pores. This gives rise to bacterial growth. Green tea’s rich portion of EGCG is believed to be anti-androgenic. It is a hormone that your body produces.
If androgens run high or their levels fluctuate, it causes your sebaceous glands to produce more oils (sebum). So, by inhibiting androgens, green tea reduces sebum secretion. Consequently, it stops or slows down acne development.
Furthermore, a research study confirms green tea’s antibacterial effects for treating acne that’s caused by clogged pores and hormonal imbalances.
How to Incorporate Green Tea into Your Skincare Routine
Green tea is a superstar ingredient — extremely versatile with many benefits. Thus, you can use green tea for skin in many ways.
First of all, let’s talk about green tea-infused skincare products that have taken over the market. There’s a long list. But what you need to know is that it’s out there and available. Here are some products we can think of:
- Green tea face cleansers
- Green tea toners
- Green tea serums
- Green tea moisturizers
- Soothing green tea face masks
- Rejuvenating green tea under eye creams
- Konjac sponge
The last one sounds a little different, doesn’t it? Well, a konjac sponge is a natural exfoliant to exfoliate your face and body.
Our Natural Konjac Sponge is infused with green tea. It is pH neutral, meaning neither too acidic nor too alkaline, just perfect for your skin. It’s soft and slightly grainy, providing gentle exfoliation for the skin. The sponge helps to remove dead skin cells and impurities without being harsh, making it suitable for sensitive skin.
Hold on! Have you heard of the green tea cold compress for your eyes? Yup! It’s a quick remedy to depuff your eyes and calm them down after a long day. Follow the points below to make a compress for yourself:
- Boil the water to the required temperature. The temperature will depend on the kind of green tea you use.
- Next, steep the tea bag. Follow the suggested steep time mentioned on the packaging.
- Then, remove the tea bag and let it cool down. You can even refrigerate them for a few minutes.
- Once cool, simply place them on your eye and relax for about 5-10 minutes.
- Take them off, give your eyes a gentle massage to depuff them further, and get the blood going.
And if you want to take your routine a notch up and actually work on what’s inside your body, we have not one but 4 amazing varieties of green tea that you can drink up. We have:
- 60-mesh texture, premium, vibrant green Matcha tea
- Greenish-golden hued, bittersweet Sencha Green Tea
- Light golden, earthy, and smoky Hojicha green tea
- Pale yellow, nutty, and subtly sweet Genmaicha green tea
Choosing the Right Green Tea for Skin Care
Green tea for skin comes in a lot of variants and grades. The variants differ on the leaves, harvest, taste, and composition. Similarly, grades differ on purity levels within the same variant of tea.
For instance, ILEM JAPAN offers 4 variants of green tea – Matcha, Sencha, Hojicha, and Genmaicha. Each of them has a distinct quality. Here’s a quick overview:
- Matcha: High in ECGC and chlorophyll. It is perfect for a daily morning ritual as well as used in cooking. So, if you want a tea that boosts antioxidants and metabolism, gives you sustainable energy without jitters, improves focus, and effectively detoxifies, choose Matcha.
- Sencha: Known for its high vitamin content, especially Vitamin C. It is the most popular type of green tea in Japan and provides a refreshing taste, making it ideal for daily consumption. Its antioxidant properties help in brightening the skin and promoting overall health.
- Hojicha: This roasted green tea has a unique, smoky flavor and lower caffeine content, making it a great option for the evening. The roasting process reduces its catechin content, but it still offers benefits such as soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, making it gentle on the stomach and calming for the skin.
- Genmaicha: A blend of green tea and roasted brown rice, Genmaicha has a toasty, nutty flavor and is often referred to as "popcorn tea." It is rich in vitamins and minerals, making it a nourishing option. Its balanced composition helps in detoxifying the skin and providing gentle hydration.
Here are some factors that you must keep in mind while opting for green tea:
- Purity: If you are opting for green tea leaves or bags to consume or use for DIY, make sure you’re getting the best. For instance, fresh and pure Matcha appears vibrant green, while the older one appears a little on the darker end.
- Sourcing: Opt for first harvest green tea and pay special attention to the cultivation process. For instance, first harvest matcha tastes best. Moreover, stone-ground matcha is better than machine ground. Similarly, hojicha, which has been roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal, takes the traditional approach. So be mindful of these little details. They can make a lot of difference.
Conclusion
Green tea for the skin is one of the healthiest lifestyle and skincare changes you can make. It is good on the inside as well as on the outside (topical application).
From managing oil production to promoting cellular growth and collagen, it keeps your skin on the top of the game. Furthermore, its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and photo-protective properties make it a must-have ingredient in your skincare. After all, you get so much for making the right decision.
And let’s not forget its versatility. It can be found in any product format and with interesting ingredient combinations. So no matter your concern, chances are there is a green tea infused product out for you!
