Green tea is a symbol of Zen, health, and purity, and has been used for millennia throughout the world for various benefits and purposes. It has made its way from the forests of China to the professional cosmetics industry, where green tea continues to provide essential, high-quality nourishment for the skin.
What is Green Tea?
Green tea is mostly known as the ancient drink that has helped many people warm up in the morning or stay awake during a drowsy afternoon. Many people enjoy the soothing beverage by adding a green tea bag to warm water, letting it steep, and sipping it hot. Green tea is made from green tea leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant, more commonly known as the tea plant. Its active compounds that provide skincare benefits include:
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Caffeine
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Tannins
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Polyphenols (catechins)
Green Tea Skincare Benefits
Green tea contains caffeine and tannins, perfect for individuals concerned with the visible signs of aging, while polyphenols are known for their potent antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are essential against harmful environmental stressors called free radicals that can lead to premature signs of aging. Antioxidants like those found in green tea are known to neutralize free radicals.
Antioxidant Properties
Green tea is known for its high concentration of polyphenols, which are commonly recognized for their antioxidant properties. These antioxidants are often included in skincare to help support the skin when exposed to environmental stressors. Green tea is known for its potential to help neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can affect the appearance of the skin over time.
Known for Helping the Look of Redness
Green tea is also known for its naturally occurring compounds, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which are often included in formulations designed to reduce the look of redness or visible irritation. It is a popular choice in products made for sensitive or blemish-prone skin. Green tea is widely used in skincare that aims to create a more balanced and even-looking complexion.
Often Used to Refresh Tired or Puffy Skin
Green tea contains caffeine and tannins, ingredients known for their ability to create a cooling, refreshing effect on the skin. These components are often included in under-eye products to help reduce the appearance of puffiness or tiredness. Skincare formulated with green tea may offer a temporary firming effect that helps the eye area appear more awake.
Associated with Overall Skin Wellness
Green tea has become a popular addition to skincare routines for those seeking to maintain the overall look and feel of healthy skin. It is known for being a well-rounded botanical ingredient used in a variety of cleansers, masks, and moisturizers. Many formulations incorporate green tea as part of a holistic approach to maintaining a smooth and radiant-looking complexion.
Applying vs. Drinking Green Tea
It’s no surprise that a common question people ask about getting the benefits of green tea for their skin is whether they should drink it or apply green tea directly to their skin. It’s totally fine to drink green tea, which potentially has its impact on your skin health when consumed, but a more direct and guaranteed route to gaining green tea’s benefits is to use it in a topical skincare product. Both approaches are known for supporting the skin’s natural defenses and are often associated with enhanced UV protection when used alongside daily SPF.
Our green tea skincare products are designed with complementary active ingredients like seaweed and aloe vera that have been known to provide a nourishing effect for all skin types, allowing it to look radiant and moisturized all day.
Antioxidants in Green Tea Products
Green tea is rich in powerful antioxidants, particularly a group of polyphenols called catechins, which include epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), and epicatechin gallate (ECG). These compounds are known for their ability to help neutralize free radicals, helping to reduce visible signs of aging and protect the skin from environmental stressors, including UV rays and pollution. In skincare products, these green tea antioxidants support a visibly less irritated, more even-toned complexion while helping to maintain the skin’s natural barrier and promote radiance.
How to Best Use Green Tea Products
Our green tea-infused products are used as needed to refresh the skin. Applying green tea topically can benefit those with sun damage-induced irritation or people with sensitive skin. For example, our Aloe Vera Calming Gel delivers botanicals and green tea extract known to lessen the appearance of redness and sensitivity, while helping hydrate and deliver antioxidants.
On the other hand, a green tea mask can effectively rejuvenate the appearance of your skin in a matter of minutes. Our Green Tea & Seaweed Soothing Mask helps you experience a luxurious escape up to twice a week, purifying skin and providing rich hydration for soft, supple-looking skin.
High-Quality Skincare Products with Green Tea
While you can simply brew up a mug of green tea, wait for the soaked tea bags to cool, and apply them to your face, the best way to incorporate this rich antioxidant into your routine is through products specifically designed to complement and enhance the green tea benefits for skin. Our team designs and develops high-quality moisturizers, cleansers, and more, using only the most effective ingredients, like green tea. Learn more about our products or find personalized results for your skin type by taking our Skin Quiz today!