Japanese Matcha Benefits for Skin

Matcha has risen in popularity in recent years, but did you know that the vibrant green powder also has impressive benefits for the skin, too? Pore refining, calming, balancing, and more, keep reading to see what matcha can do for your skin — and how to best use it.

Matcha is a special type of finely powdered green tea that is prized for its bright green hue, distinct cultivation, ceremonial preparation process, and transformative health benefits. Matcha is also now found in many skincare formulas, which might sound strange at first, but the green tea’s powerful antioxidants also work wonders on the skin, helping to soothe, calm, and balance. It’s also not a new concept: For centuries, women in Japan would care for their complexions with kind-to-skin home remedies from kitchen staples, including matcha. After all, the powdered green tea is lauded for its antioxidant properties, both when drunk and applied topically. Here’s everything you need to know about matcha’s benefits for the skin.

Matcha Skin Benefits

While you may be more familiar with its culinary delights, the matcha benefits for skin are just as impressive. Matcha has high concentrations of L-theanine and chlorophyll, as well as epigallocatechin gallate (known as EGCG), an antioxidant only available in green tea that is linked to numerous proven skin and health perks. However, not all green teas were created equal: Matcha has been scientifically proven to have significantly higher concentrations of these antioxidants compared to conventional green tea, thanks to the unique growing and consumption processes. Thanks to its high potency levels, matcha is prized for its links to a reduction in inflammation, imparting dull skin with a healthier-looking complexion, stimulating the dermis’ natural collagen and elastic productions, and addressing free radical damage from environmental stressors.

Matcha Rich History

Matcha dates back to the Tang Dynasty in China, but is mostly produced in Japan today. The distinctive tea was introduced to Japan in the 1100s by a Zen Buddhist monk who, returning from study in China, brought tea seeds with him and established what we now recognize as a tea ceremony, designed to honor the beauty of nature. To this day, matcha is an essential part of the Japanese diet and is believed to aid in one’s longevity. This is because when you consume matcha, you consume the entire leaf (versus steeping the leaves in hot water), which allows you to increase the level of nutrients compared to green tea.

Another reason matcha is so special? The tea leaves are carefully grown under parasols for weeks before harvest, all to help increase the amount of l-theanine in the delicate leaves. This special practice has granted the title “princess of green tea” to this particular crop.

Benefits Of Matcha For Skin

While it might seem like just a good-for-you cup of tea, matcha has been shown to reduce acne when applied topically. Thanks to the tea’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it has been shown in five randomized-controlled studies that green tea extract “significantly reduced” the amount of breakouts. The research concluded that green tea is beneficial for the treatment of acne without causing significant adverse reactions.

Best Matcha Skincare

Matcha is proudly featured in the Matcha Foam Cleanser, an extraordinary new formula that harnesses the benefits of matcha with a luxurious ultra-fine foam. The cleanser purifies, refines, reduces excess oil, balances the microbiome, targets blemish-causing bacteria, and calms skin redness. Also, Tatcha specifically features the famed Kyo-matcha in the Matcha Foam Cleanser. In Japan, the prefix “Kyo” means it's sourced from Kyoto, a region renowned for its extraordinary matcha production. We’re also proud to say that the matcha in the Matcha Foam Cleanser is ceremonial grade because your skin deserves the best. The potent antioxidants address pores and calm the skin, while prebiotic inulin supports the skin barrier and clarifies the pores, and green clay reduces excess oil. A gel cleanser that lathers into an ultra-fine foam – much like freshly whisked matcha – to deeply decongest pores, reduce oil, and visibly calm skin without stripping? Matcha really can do it all.