Brewing Up a Green Tea Facial Regimen

Brewing Up a Green Tea Facial Regimen
By HIROKO TABUCHI
August 21, 2008; Page D8
~from The Wall Street Journal

For Lina Tanaka, green tea isn't just the perfect thirst quencher. The skin-products expert believes it's also great for her skin.

Alanna Cavanagh

Ms. Tanaka, co-founder of the Tokyo-based skin-care company Medical Research International, has made the inexpensive product into a central element of her daily skin regimen.

The medicinal properties of green tea have long been documented in Asia. Green tea contains chemical substances called polyphenols, which are antioxidants that mitigate the damage free radicals cause to the skin.

When Ms. Tanaka brews her daily cup in the morning, she sets aside a small serving to cool. Once the tea feels cold to the touch, she uses it to tone her skin. Ms. Tanaka likes to pour a little of the tea into her palms and splash it directly onto her face, but it's also fine to use cotton puffs, she says. She follows up with her usual facial creams so that the watery concoction doesn't dry out her skin.

Ms. Tanaka uses widely available brands in tea bags, but loose leaves also work, she says. "It's so cheap and natural," says Ms. Tanaka, whose company brings U.S. cosmetics to Japan, including those from Iredale Mineral Cosmetics Ltd. and Jan Marini Skin Research Inc. Medical Research International opened Japan's first Jane Iredale store in Tokyo's Isetan department store in February.

After her morning regimen, Ms. Tanaka transfers any tea she has left into a little spray bottle, which she carries in her handbag. Spritzing her face during the day soothes her skin, "and it's a great way to refresh," she says.

Ms. Tanaka makes sure to fill the spray bottle with fresh tea every day, because green-tea polyphenols start losing their strength when they are exposed to the air, she says.

In the evenings -- especially after a busy day -- Ms. Tanaka likes to use green tea bags to soothe her eyes. She steeps two bags in lukewarm water, then places them directly on her eyelids for about 10 minutes. She sometimes soaks cotton facial masks with green tea for a homemade facial. The facial is a treat for the summer, Ms. Tanaka says, because green tea can reduce inflammation and help lessen sunburn. But here, too, she uses moisturizing creams afterward to avoid drying.

And, of course, Ms. Tanaka simply enjoys drinking green tea. "Replace sodas with green tea, and you'll be much healthier," she says.