GET BACK TO TEA

It’s a proven antioxidant whether it’s green, white or black. What it is also reportedly good at now: being a skin hydrator and irritation soother.

This proven antioxidant is now a hydrating soother, too.

Green tea has a lot of something coffee doesn’t have: theanine, an amino acid found to improve skin hydration and quell inflammation. Both actions are crucial as they help lessen sensitivity, dark spots and zits brought on by inflammation.

These findings are reportedly supported by a Korean university study which found that tea (green, black or white) is more effective than even arbutin as a melaninbuster. And the point isn’t lost on Clinique and Innisfree. The former brand added Japanese gyokuro green tea to some of its Even Better brightening products, while the latter spent more than 10 years cultivating a new tea variety it calls Beauty Green Tea, said to have far higher levels of amino acids than the tea previously used in its products, for better moisturising punch.

Tea also has caffeine and tannins that soothe redness and irritation by constricting micro blood vessels. Being astringent, tannins provide sebumcontrol too, and minimise the look of enlarged pores.

Hong Kong’s Sa Sa has brought in Teaology, an Italian brand that taps the benefits of teas for skin and body. In place of water and tea extracts, its products have pure tea infusions – which the brand says is unique in the market. The use of a patent-pending hot infusion technology is said to allow active ingredients from the tea leaves to be extracted and maintained so the skin receives the maximum benefits.

Blithe Patting Splash Mask Soothing & Healing Green Tea is a liquid mask with lactic acid, salicylic acid and tea tree leaf oil to exfoliate, refresh and calm acneprone skin. Use it as an in-shower rinse-off mask, or add to a bowl of water and splash on generously. $54

Clinique Even Better Brighter Essence Lotion has gyokuro, a top-grade Japanese green tea whose harvesting process creates high levels of theanine and caffeine in the leaves. $72

Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence has fermented black tea for anti-pollution, -dullness, -dehydration, -sensitivity and -clogged pores benefits. $108

Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum has nutrientrich water from specially cultivated green tea, which has 16 more skinmoisturising amino acids than regular green varieties. $37

Teaology White Tea Miracle Drops, an anti-ageing concentrate, has white tea – the variety with the highest antioxidant content among all teas. $62

Laneige White Dew Vita Capsule Sleeping Mask has green tea for clearer, more translucent skin the morning after you apply it. $28 for eight capsules