Green Tea Leaf Extract & Your Skin: What Are the Benefits?
Green tea isn’t just a great drink to start your day—it’s also a powerful ingredient that can help improve your skin health. Green tea leaf extract, derived from the same green tea leaves that make up your morning cup, offers a range of skin benefits that contribute to soothed, hydrated, and younger-looking skin.
Looking to learn more about the many benefits of green tea leaf extract for skin health? Read on to discover all you need to know about this ingredient, including how it contributes to better skin health and our favorite skincare products.
- What is green tea leaf extract?
- 6 green tea leaf extract benefits for skin
- Who should use green tea leaf extract?
- How to use green tea leaf extract in your skincare routine
- Our top products with green tea leaf extract
- Make green tea leaf extract a part of your skincare routine
What Is Green Tea Leaf Extract?
Green tea leaf extract is derived from the plant Camellia sinensis, the plant used to make black, oolong, and green teas. It contains a number of different beneficial compounds, including antioxidative polyphenols, rejuvenating caffeine, hydrating theobromine, anti-aging theophylline, numerous vitamins, and other beneficial skin ingredients.
When used topically, the compounds in green tea leaf extract protect, soothe, and nourish your skin and contribute to a more youthful appearance.
6 Green Tea Leaf Extract Benefits for Skin
When used in skincare products, green tea leaf extract delivers countless benefits. Let’s break down how this compound contributes to your best skin health. Here are the advantages of green tea leaf extract:
1. Neutralizes free radicals
Green tea leaf extract contains a high concentration of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant for skin. This compound fights free radicals from UV rays, pollution, and other sources of environmental stress. Over time, oxidative stress can lead to DNA damage and cell death, two processes that contribute to fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of premature aging.
Antioxidants, like those in green tea leaf extract, are essential for maintaining youthful-looking skin. By incorporating green tea extract into your daily routine, you can:
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Prevent oxidative stress
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Slow signs of aging
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Support healthy skin
2. Soothes inflammation and redness
Another benefit of green tea extract is its ability to soothe redness and inflammation. These conditions can derive from various sources, including seasonal allergies, skin irritants, or underlying skin conditions.
Several of the compounds of green tea leaf extract, including polyphenols, theobromine, and catechins, help reduce redness and inflammation by suppressing an inflammatory protein known as cytokines. Green tea extract for skin can calm red, swollen skin for a more even skin tone.
3. Fights acne and oil production
Do you struggle with acne and breakouts? Green tea leaf extract may be able to help. Numerous studies have shown a reduction in acne lesions when applied topically, particularly among those with post-adolescent acne.
In one study, more than half of the participants reported at least a 50% reduction in acne lesions after applying green tea extract topically for eight weeks.
Research also suggests that this may be due to polyphenols, which help regulate sebaceous gland activity. Even those who don’t suffer from acne but struggle with oily skin may be able to reduce excess oil and benefit from adding green tea extract to their skincare routine.
4. Supports aging skin
Green tea leaf extract combats many processes that contribute to visibly aging skin. Collagen is a major component in youthful, supple skin. This protein gives skin its structure and elasticity. As we age, our collagen production slows and its quality degrades, resulting in:
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Fine lines
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Wrinkles
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Sagging skin
The catechins in green tea leaf extract inhibit collagenase, a naturally occurring enzyme that degrades collagen and helps maintain the skin’s structural integrity. There’s also some evidence that catechins can stimulate fibroblasts, cells that synthesize collagen and improve skin elasticity.
Together, the antioxidants and catechins in green tea extract can help skin look younger, remain supple, and prevent premature aging.
5. Hydrates skin
Another benefit of green tea extract is its hydrating properties. The skin barrier plays an essential role in skin health and hydration. This protective outer layer of skin helps lock in moisture and prevent hydration loss throughout the day.
Theobromine, a compound found in green tea extract, promotes skin cell regeneration, impacting essential cells that make up your skin barrier for greater barrier health and moisture retention.
6. Evens skin tone
Another advantage of catechins is their ability to even skin tone. Uneven skin tone is often a result of excess melanin production, which can lead to:
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Hyperpigmentation
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Dark spots
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Discoloration
Catechins inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme that contributes to melanin production. In doing so, catechins can reduce hyperpigmentation and promote a more even skin tone.
Who Should Use Green Tea Leaf Extract?
People of all skin types can improve their skin quality with green tea leaf extract. This skin-friendly compound is suitable for those with oily, acne-prone skin, dry skin, and even sensitive skin. That said, those who struggle with inflammation, acne, irritation, or skin dryness may particularly benefit from this skin ingredient.
How to Use Green Tea Leaf Extract in Your Skincare Routine
While green tea extract can be taken orally, many studies show it works best when applied topically. Fortunately, this ingredient can be found in a range of topical products, including makeup primers, toners, masks, cleansers, and more.
Some formulations are designed to be applied and then rinsed off, while others are allowed to sit all day to soak in the benefits of green tea extract.
However it’s applied, incorporating green tea leaf extract into your skincare routine can contribute to healthier, more beautiful skin.
Our Top Products with Green Tea Leaf Extract
Looking to unlock green tea leaf extract benefits? Shop our top products featuring this ingredient.
Mattifying Primer SPF 20
For those with oily or acne-prone skin, our Mattifying Primer SPF 20 harnesses the power of green tea leaf extract to control shine and blur imperfections.
Green tea leaf extract’s oil-controlling polyphenols take a front seat in this primer. The non-comedogenic formula comes in a whipped texture for a lightweight primer that extends makeup wear while allowing your skin to breathe.
In addition to green tea leaf extract, this primer contains other ingredients to combat oily skin, like acne-fighting salicylic acid, antibacterial tea tree leaf oil, and antimicrobial lavender oil.
Calming Primer SPF 20
Calming Primer SPF 20 is designed to soothe skin and even skin tone with the help of polyphenols, theobromine, and catechins found in green tea leaf extract.
Apply under your makeup to balance redness, extend your makeup’s wear, and leave your skin feeling soothed, hydrated, and nourished. Plus, its non-comedogenic and fragrance-free formulation makes it an essential part of any gentle skincare routine.
Along with soothing green tea leaf extract, this primer contains cooling cucumber extract, soothing prickly pear extract, evening Vitamin C, and other calming ingredients. There’s no better choice for sensitive, redness-prone skin.
Bronzing Primer SPF 20
If you're looking for a primer that preps your skin, improves skin health, and adds a little color, shop the Bronzing Primer SPF 20.
Apply under makeup to even your skin tone and achieve an instant, sun-kissed tint without damaging UV exposure, thanks to non-comedogenic mica. You’ll also benefit from broad-spectrum sun protection that’s water-resistant for up to 40 minutes.
In this formula, green tea leaf extract brings many benefits: hydration, protection, soothing relief, and more. This primer also contains protective and skin-strengthening hydrolyzed rice protein, oil-balancing jojoba oil, gentle oat kernel protein, and antioxidative spirulina.
This primer is perfect for everything from a beachside vacation to a day at the office.
Brightening Primer SPF 20
Brighten your complexion and combat dullness while extending your makeup wear with Brightening Primer SPF 20. Thanks to a soft, yellow tint, this primer immediately illuminates your skin.
Over time, your skin will also benefit from its numerous ingredients. Palmitoyl tripeptide-5 improves your skin firmness and texture, aloe leaf extract neutralizes environmental stressors, jojoba seed oil and esters condition and hydrate skin, and green tea leaf extract calms and soothes.
Make Green Tea Leaf Extract a Part of Your Skincare Routine
Ready for your best skin yet? It’s time to discover what green tea leaf extract can do for you. Shop expert-formulated products made from clinically tested ingredients today.