You've probably heard of matcha – a potent, antioxidant-packed green tea powder made from whole-leaf green tea leaves packed with many different health benefits when you drink it – but did you know matcha green tea powder may help improve your skin health?
According to growing research, matcha green tea possesses notable properties to boost skin health when consumed regularly and applied topically, helping address various skin conditions in a number of ways.
From blackheads and oily skin to the visible signs of aging, matcha tea powder may offer a remarkable range of potential benefits for your skin.
Incorporating matcha powdered green tea into your daily skincare routine could be the missing element in your regimen! Keep reading to find out 10 ways matcha may help your skin health.
You may also like: 5 DIY Matcha Green Tea Face masks for Different Skin Types
The amazing skincare benefits of matcha for all skin types
1) Protecting sensitive skin from bad breakouts
Suffer from bad breakouts but have skin that's too sensitive to handle heavy-duty creams or treatments? Matcha may be especially beneficial for people with more sensitive skin that have been exposed to pollution and suffer from the occasional blemish, redness, or stubborn acne.
This is because compounds in green tea are thought to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and they have been studied for their effect on the bacteria that often lead to redness and breakouts, without damaging or irritating skin.
2) Minimizing stretch marks
That's right. There has been growing research around how topically applying green tea and consuming it regularly may help address stretch marks and cellulite.
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties and potent antioxidants, researchers are investigating how matcha tea powder may be part of an effective regimen for reducing stretch marks. This is especially true of stretch marks with aging.
3) Addressing cellulite
Green tea extracts are being studied as a natural ingredient in anti-cellulite formulas, which makes matcha an interesting addition to a routine aimed at smoothing the look of cellulite.
Research suggests green tea catechins may support metabolic activity and blood circulation and help with fluid retention, all of which play a part in how cellulite looks.
Learn more on why matcha is good for weight loss.
4) Balancing oily skin
Thanks to its antimicrobial and cleansing properties, matcha may be an excellent addition to a skincare routine for individuals with oily skin.
If you have oily or combination skin, the polyphenols in matcha powdered green tea have been studied for their antimicrobial activity on skin, and a small study of a 3% green tea emulsion looked at its effect on skin sebum production with encouraging results. Plus, matcha powder is a rich source of vitamin E and vitamin B2 — two nutrients that have been well-studied to help improve skin health.
5) Revitalizing dull skin
Matcha may also help revitalize your skin, perhaps if it's lacking brightness due to smoking or pollution exposure, and even just because of restless nights. This is thanks to the high concentrations of an antioxidant known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
Scientific studies have suggested EGCG may work to reactivate the reproduction process of skin cells – effectively giving dull skin a healthier glow.
6) Helping repair damaged, aging skin
Matcha may help slow down the skin aging process, making it particularly trendy as an ingredient in skincare lines, and as an inside-out solution for a glowing complexion. Matcha green tea powder has been studied to help stimulate natural collagen and elastin production within the skin's dermis level, which has been shown to help repair damaged aging skin. It’s thought that these benefits may be available regardless if used topically or as a daily health boost.
- Pro tip: If you’re not feeling overly savvy with making topical matcha pastes or creams, rest assured you can reap matcha tea powder benefits when enjoyed as a simple, once (or twice!) daily drink.
Learn more about drinking matcha for healthy aging.
7) Protecting against UV rays, sunburn damage, and pollution
With more than 3-10x the antioxidants than regular green tea, matcha has been studied to be particularly effective at protecting, calming, and purifying skin.
Researchers suggest this is partly because matcha green tea is packed with some of nature’s strongest-known antioxidants known as catechins – and especially including EGCG – the highly-venerated antioxidant around the world that has also been studied many times for many skin properties mentioned so far.
Expanding on the notable matcha polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), you’ll be happy to learn that in at least one study, researchers were able to demonstrate that matcha is 137x higher in EGCG levels than a conventional green tea – this is the same antioxidant which is generally believed to help protect against free radical damage from environmental stressors, such as UV rays (and possibly pollution too).
The antioxidant properties of matcha are largely in a league of their own, and for skincare you might conclude that it’s a no-brainer to squeeze matcha into your routine somewhere – anywhere – whether as a daily drink (it also is a nice caffeine boost), or as a DIY calming matcha facemask a few times a week.
8) Combating ingrown hairs
Due to it's well-studied anti-inflammatory properties, topically applying matcha powder may help calm red, irritated ingrown hair bumps along the bikini line, armpits, and other places. It may also help loosen the plug blocking a hair follicle making easier to remove a trapped hair.
Matcha has also been studied for its effects on hair growth. Learn more about matcha for hair health here.
9) Reducing melasma & hyperpigmentation
The cosmetics industry is also very interested in integrating matcha powdered green tea into products that address melasma. Studies have illustrated the future possibilities that matcha green tea could be used in formulations to help fade away stubborn dark spots and even buff out hyperpigmentation.
10) Soothing irritated skin
Researchers are also studying green tea compounds for itchy, red skin conditions such as psoriasis, where the immune system attacks the skin. In one study in mice, polyphenol compounds found in matcha reduced skin lesions.
Nothing is proven in people yet, but EGCG and L-theanine, both found in high concentrations in matcha, have also shown calming effects when applied to the skin in early research.
Matcha and the sun: what it can and can’t do
Ultraviolet (UV) light raises oxidative stress in the skin. Oxidative stress happens when unstable molecules called free radicals outpace the body’s antioxidant defenses, and over time it contributes to visible signs of skin aging like wrinkles, thinning, and uneven tone, and affects collagen and the skin barrier.
That’s why researchers are interested in antioxidant-rich foods and drinks like matcha. Because you drink the whole stone-ground leaf, you get more catechins than you would from steeped tea. But to be clear, no food or drink replaces sunscreen. Matcha works best as one supportive habit alongside daily broad-spectrum sun protection, shade during peak hours, and a hat.
A few other habits make a real difference for skin, especially in summer:
- Eat a colorful diet: vitamin C (berries, citrus, peppers), healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds), carotenoids (tomatoes, carrots), and polyphenols (matcha, cocoa, colorful produce).
- Stay hydrated: heat, sweat, and travel all raise your fluid needs. Matcha can be part of that, but it shouldn’t replace water. An iced matcha with a squeeze of fresh lemon is an easy summer option.
- Rest and manage stress: sleep and stress show up on your skin more than most of us realize. Matcha’s mix of caffeine and calming L-theanine gives steadier energy than coffee, without the jitters.
What factors are making matcha green tea-based products more popular in skincare?
Now more than ever, people prefer organic and all-natural ingredients when it comes to their skincare, as opposed to the harsher, chemical-based ingredients. People want to know what they're putting onto their skin and its possible side effects - and there’s also a growing emphasis of skin-care from the ‘inside-out’. Especially with more awareness arising around the dangers of many synthetic cosmetics or skin health supplements, experts predict even more demand for natural skin solutions.
In addition to this, the increased sale of tea-based skin care products and DIY options found online has further accelerated the growth in interest in how concentrated forms of green tea (or some extracts) may offer benefits for skin health to a growing number of people. But what are some of the reasons that makes green tea one of the absolute best natural products for the skin? Why’s it special?
Why is Matcha Green Tea Powder Ideal for Natural Skincare?
Of all the different natural plants and extracts, and even all types of teas, that are used in cosmetic and beauty products/supplements, green tea has the longest history.
Absolutely, green tea powder matcha stands out among various types of tea due to its abundant natural compounds that offer potential benefits for skin health and beauty products. Green tea contains remarkably high levels of chlorophyll, polyphenols, antioxidants, and amino acids.
Thanks to its range and depth of exceptional nutritional properties, you'll find green tea listed as a key ingredient in a significant number of skincare products, including toners, day creams, face masks, body lotions, serums, and more.
It’s also part of many supplement-based formulas which are targeted towards skin health from the inside out. Perhaps, this is the biggest reason that daily matcha tea drinkers could be interested (and already glowing??).The top skin care manufacturers worldwide are launching multi-functional skin care lines with matcha green tea that offer a variety of health benefits beyond a clear complexion.
Whether used topically, or taken as a daily matcha tea beverage, this special type of Japanese green tea has been well-studied to be reasonably safe, and potentially effective or supportive for overall complexion health, and especially skin wellness that comes from the inside as part of a balanced diet (which matcha is a part of).
So yes… out of any tea in the world – matcha green tea powder is by far the most nutrient-dense – key nutrients and antioxidants that are responsible for skincare properties.
The bottom line: Matcha green tea is here to stay in skincare products and DIY skincare routines
In the global skincare industry, clean and natural skincare and makeup products are becoming more popular, and rightfully so. As wellness products shift away from synthetics when possible, green tea is on the frontier of ingredients available for use which may possess functional, safe, and positive benefits for skin health, and really health overall. While we are all well aware of the health benefits of drinking matcha tea, re-thinking our use of daily matcha for our skin health (even if just as a daily drink) is really a powerful statement to the long history of this natural product.
These days, you can find at-home recipes for face creams, moisturizers, toners, serums, - you name it - that use matcha tea powder as a natural add-in. All you need is a little matcha and whatever else is called for and you’ll be all set. We recommend any of our matcha teas for use in those at-home skin products – ceremonial grades may contain higher levels of those antioxidants we talked about.
And… as for daily drinking, please look at our ceremonial teas which possess a more savory flavor, and overall higher concentration of key nutrients and other health-boosters which may benefit your skin from inside-out.
SHOP OUR CEREMONIAL MATCHA TEAS HERE
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Disclaimer: These statements in this blog post have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. It's essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes.
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