Green Tea in Skincare – The Amazing Benefits

Are you team Tea or Coffee?

Personally, I have always been team tea. Green, black, herbal, you name it. But lately, I have been very particular with what I put in my body and on my face. Hitting the 30s in less than a year, which is making me more conscious about my health.

Today’s post will be about green tea in our skincare and why we should add it in our routine.

First of all, what is green tea? It is a plant, duh. Green tea is derived from Camellia Sinesis leaves. In fact, all teas are from this plant, and only the method of harvesting and preparation of the leaves is different.

The history of green tea began in China somewhere in 2737 B.C. And like many inventions, it was discovered by accident when a single tea leaf fell into the boiling water and thus created the first refreshing beverage we now know and love.

Green tea is rich in chlorophyll, polyphenols and antioxidants. In fact, the method of harvesting makes it so that green tea is particularly rich in these, compared to other teas.

Disclaimer: recommendations are based on my own experiences and one product might work for me but not for you. Please do your research to further decide if this is something you wish to try.

What does this mean for our skin?

Powerful antioxidant

Antioxidants are a crucial part of a skincare routine once we start ageing. They can reduce the damage caused by free radicals. I’m not going to go too in-depth on free radicals as molecular science is not my forte, but what antioxidants do id stop a chain reaction that can damage our cells.

Gree tea in skincare is a particularly interesting ingredient because it contains the polyphenol EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate. I can’t pronounce it either. This particular antioxidant protects our skin from pollution and sun damage. More importantly, it can promote DNA repair.

For our skin, this means that gree tea will diminish signs of ageing, sun spots, fine lines and wrinkles.

Anti-inflammatory

Another superpower of green tea is its anti-inflammatory property. For us with acne-prone skins, this is also great news. Why is this? Another polyphenol called catechins which reduce irritation. Applied topically, green tea will calm redness and inflammation. This makes it particularly suitable for acne-prone, oily skin types.

Just like coffee, green tea is rich in caffeine and tannins and can help reduce puffiness around the eyes.

Antimicrobial

Polyphenols to the rescue, again!

Catechins have another property, which is to damage bacterial membranes. This allows green tea to fight infections and bacterial inflammation, aka acne. This paired with the soothing proprieties said above, green tea in skincare is a very useful tool against acne.

Green tea in skincare

Of course, I can’t leave this post without a product recommendation. Enter the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner.

This toner has been formulated for blemish-prone, sensitive or oily skin types. The first ingredient on the list is Camellia Sinesis leaf extract. It has bee created with 80% of green tea extract from Jeju Island. If you are not aware, the Korean island is famous for its green tea plantations as well as volcanic clay.

The toner is very watery, and brown in colour, just like a freshly brewed batch of refreshing tea. Some say there is no scent, I however feel that it has a strong tannin scent.

I have added it to my morning routine a few months ago and have been enjoying it ever since. It is refreshing, hydrating, and I can see a difference in inflammation.

This product is my first green tea-based one, but I don’t plan on stopping here. Like I said before, my 30s are in the driveway, making their way to my door.

I hope you have enjoyed this read!

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