Supported by scientific studies and health gurus worldwide, today’s skincare experts are repurposing green tea’s natural healing powers into gentle, effective solutions like face masks to help fight early aging and soothe angry skin conditions including redness, inflammation, and acne. We did the work for you and can help you find the ideal face mask for your unique skin.
Buying Guide for Green Tea Masks
Why buy a green tea mask?
Adding a green tea mask to your skincare journey can do the following:
- Fight Acne: A leading cause of acne is our body’s tendency to oversecrete sebum, an ugly-sounding, oily substance produced to moisturize and protect the skin; the key component of your body’s natural oils. It’s also a necessity in nature, but there’s such a thing as too much sebum, leading to stubborn, clogged pores, which lead to acne. Green tea is a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial aid, which can effectively reduce sebum secretion and prevent oily or acne-ridden skin.
- Battle Early Aging: One of green tea’s most healing properties is EGCG, a rejuvenating antioxidant that enters the skin to help repair dying cells and fight against early signs of aging. Another important tool against premature aging is maintaining collagen levels, which is supported by green tea’s abundance of vitamin B12, a major benefactor in more firm, youthful skin.
- Attack Redness and Inflammation: Polyphenols are one natural way to reduce skin inflammation, redness, and irritation, and green tea is full of these little guys. Irritated skin is fragile and requires gentle handling, so it’s important to invest in an all-natural product, like many green tea masks, that will soothe and hydrate angry skin. Green tea’s anti-inflammatory properties have also been proven to heal itchy skin caused by dermatitis, rosacea, and other painful conditions, with approval from your doctor or dermatologist, of course.
- Protect Against Skin Cancer: This is arguably the most important benefit of implementing green tea into your skincare routine. When ingested or applied topically, the tea’s antioxidants (the same ones that battle early aging) work against UV rays to help promote DNA repair and prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer.
What should you consider when shopping for green tea masks?
It’s important to know your skin and your skin goals before purchasing a green tea mask to help treat any conditions in question. Green tea’s plentiful antioxidants are proven effective in skin prone to acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and other types of inflammation. If you want to lighten dark facial spots or treat hyperpigmentation, for example, green tea wouldn’t be the natural remedy you’re looking for. Also be on the lookout for all-natural products (or mostly natural—some offer 75% organic ingredients) because some face masks can have harsher ingredients, which increase the chance of negative side effects (good thing green tea is super gentle and non-irritable by nature).
Why are green tea products so popular today?
The Western world inherited its obsession with green tea after centuries of experimentation in Eastern parts of the globe, the healing plant hailing from a species of evergreen plucked straight from nature. Today, health-science studies (and skincare gurus) sing its praises, confirming the restorative powers of green tea in weight loss, heart care, and brain health. This is why world-renowned brands, now more than ever, are offering green tea-based skincare products.
Our Top Picks for Green Tea Masks
Pros: Organic, vegan, and cruelty-free? The Teami Detox Mask checks every box and is loaded with natural matcha green tea antioxidants, moisturizing lemongrass, and detoxifying clay. It’s lightweight, super smooth, and created with all skin types in mind—normal, dry, oily, or combination. And it tightens as it dries, so it’s like you can feel it working. The ingredients are gentle on irritated, acne-prone skin without further aggravating it; just make sure you’re not allergic to any of the mask’s ingredients before ordering. Teami’s Detox Mask is 75% organic, contains only ethically sourced superfood ingredients (which can tighten skin and defend against the environment), and has zero parabens, sulfates, artificial chemicals, or dyes.
Cons: If you have extremely sensitive skin (we’re talkin’ stinging or burning when using applying as natural and gentle as aloe), be sure to test a small patch of skin before applying to your entire face. If you have dry skin, moisturize your face post-mask because it can leave skin desert-dry after treatment. Teami recommends using the face mask three to four times a week, but if you have dry, irritable skin, this may cause issues. Test, test, test before you settle on your new skincare routine.
Bottom Line: This 4-ounce jar of green tea mask is viral on social media, ethically made, and 75% organic; we can’t say this about every skincare product. Its ingredients are gentle, effective, and natural.
Pros: From another renowned skincare brand, the TONYMOLY I’m Real green tea sheet mask is a popular purchase among users looking to brighten their complexion (green tea to the rescue) and those with extremely sensitive skin. If other mask types, like clay or peel-off, leave your face stinging and burning, try this sheet mask for a soothing, gentle experience. It’s lightly scented and leaves a slight residue on your skin, which is great because your skin will continue to absorb remnants of green tea, aloe, collagen, and microemulsion-based essence (skin soother and hydrator) after you remove the mask—all of which can clear toxins and brighten your face over time. It’s also PETA-certified and cruelty-free.
Cons: You might notice the manufacturer’s claim that this green tea face mask can shrink or tighten pores, but be careful when you see this on skincare products and websites in general. Masks help soften and loosen dirt and other impurities within your pores, allowing for easier removal when you’re exfoliating and washing your face, which will help minimize the appearance of pores, but you’re not actually altering them. Also, your green tea sheet mask may tear easily, even though it’s designed with three layers, so be extra gentle when applying it.
Bottom Line: It’s a soothing, quality mask at the right price. This green tea sheet mask is an easy, 20-minute solution you can use five days a week without drying or irritating your skin, unlike some clay and exfoliating masks on the market. The added microemulsion-based essence helps leave your skin feeling brand new, even after the green tea, collagen, and other PETA-certified ingredients have worked their magic. Plus, sheet masks are easier to apply, remove, and clean up.
Pros: This volcanic mud and green tea matcha mask by Once Upon A Tea is a perfect example of natural ingredients working together to promote DNA repair and reduce signs of early aging caused by the sun and other environmental factors. Its main natural ingredients—matcha, magnesium- and sodium-rich mud, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid—are all scientifically proven to support clean, hydrated, and supple skin. And matcha, the high-quality, powdered cousin of green tea, contains higher levels of nutrients and antioxidants, so you’ll get in a deeper, more meaningful detox. The product is cool, buttery, easy to apply with the included brush, and simple to remove, as it doesn’t fully dry or harden.
Cons: This isn’t a 100% natural or organic mask. It’s also another product that claims to reduce pores, so simply replace “reduce” with “minimizes appearances of,” and you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve never smelled the sweet, grassy scent of matcha (whether it’s tea or Chapstick), it may be a turnoff, at first; it’s just something you get used to over time, and its benefits are totally worth its controversial aroma. If your skin (or nose) can’t handle added fragrance, however, this may not be the mask for you.
Bottom Line: You can’t go wrong with green tea or matcha in your skincare routine unless you’re allergic or have unusually sensitive skin. Add in some healing, volcanic clay, vitamin C, and other anti-aging ingredients, and it’s a soothing, effective, all-in-one mask solution if you don’t mind smelling like a cup of matcha for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
Pros: These mini, sticky, 100% natural masks by Suprance deliver full under-eye coverage. They’re soft, cool to the touch, and gently adhere to your face to preserve your fragile under-eye area. With main ingredients (outside of green tea extract) like hydrolyzed, vegan-based collagen, anti-aging hyaluronic acid (naturally found in our bodies), and vitamin E, it’s really the ideal blend to help relieve dark circles, bags, puffiness, and inflammation. These little, polyphenol-rich masks also reduce redness and minor signs of aging, like crow’s feet. They’ll leave you feeling cool and invigorated after a 15- to 20-minute session, and their ingredients are gentle enough for daily use, unlike other chemical-heavy masks. Leave them in the fridge for an extra refreshing experience!
Cons: Though fun to touch, the gel-like strips are slippery and oddly shaped, making them awkward to handle and place; you’ll probably have a better experience lying down. If you have sensitive skin, the area beneath your eyes is that much more fragile, and some eye masks may irritate it. Before applying to both eyes, test a strip under one, and if you feel any discomfort, remove it immediately.
Bottom Line: A gentle, all-natural product with healing powers? Yes, please. Just remember to test a strip first. If your skin agrees, you’re in for some sweet you-time that should result in brighter, tighter skin under and around the eyes. Simply wash your face, dry, and apply—the ingredients will do the rest.
Pros: It’s green tea on a stick! This AirroYE green tea mask stick with kaolin clay is easy to use, mess-free, and suited for dry, oily, and acne-prone faces. It’s especially effective on oily canvases in removing excess grease and leaving your skin smooth and balanced. This is one of the few masks containing sea salt and salt-mine mud found in nature and added to help penetrate and detox your skin’s surface layers. The roll-on mask also features glycerin, which pulls water from your skin’s deeper layers into the outer layer for natural, lasting hydration; glycerin is used in most moisturizers and cleansing lotions and is completely safe. Its small, plastic, roll-on body works just like lipstick—rotate the bottom and apply (but avoid your lips).
Cons: The AirroYE roll-on mask is strong enough to lift minor pore impurities but may not be abrasive enough to remove deep, stingy ones. For a deeper pore clean and to minimize the appearance of pores, it helps to use a facial steamer before the roll-on mask; that way, you’ll loosen toxins before attempting to lift them.
Bottom Line: This fun, natural, high-quality mask adds long-lasting moisture to your skincare routine. Use it hand-in-hand with a facial steamer or after a hot shower, and your pores will thank you. As long as you don’t expect it to move mountains (or completely clear them from your face), you won’t be disappointed.
Final Thoughts
Is there anything green tea can’t do? It’s one of nature’s many gifts that keeps on giving, and we’re thankful it does. From boosting brain function and weight loss to revitalizing damaged, painful skin, it’s, finally, getting the attention it deserves worldwide. Now that you know how green tea can help your skincare routine, pick your perfect mask, and give your face the attention it deserves.
