Can Matcha Cause Acne?

Last Updated on October 3, 2022 by Scott

Matcha is becoming an increasingly popular beverage in the west due to its high amount of antioxidants and caffeine. Many coffee drinkers worldwide are beginning to switch to matcha as it provides a calmer alertness. But, but can this green tea product give you acne?

Matcha doesn’t cause acne. In fact, it’s one of the best beverages for fighting against acne. Matcha has been shown to reduce inflammation, protect skin from UV damage, and fight insulin resistance, often resulting in clearer skin.

In this article we answer questions you might have about matcha consumption and acne.

Has Matcha Been Shown to Cause Acne?

Matcha has become a popular morning and afternoon beverage thanks to its caffeine and high level of feel-good antioxidants. Matcha is made from processed green tea leaves and was traditionally drank in East Asia. 

Compared to coffee, matcha has around a quarter of the amount of caffeine, depending on how strong you like your coffee. A regular cup of medium-strength coffee can have as much as 100mg of caffeine, whereas matcha will have around 25mg.

While it’s a much smaller amount, you may still question whether or not this is enough to give you acne, as some studies have shown that caffeine in coffee can worsen acne. This is because the production of the stress hormone cortisol may be increased if your consumption of coffee is high. In turn, this increases the production of oil by your sebaceous gland, resulting in more acne breakouts. 

Helpful Tip:

Because the amount of caffeine in matcha is much less than your average cup of coffee, it’s less likely to cause any imbalance in your stress hormones. In fact, matcha is known for bringing a much smoother mental boost than coffee without the added crash. 

So while matcha is not known for causing acne, a few studies now claim that matcha can help your body fight against the causes of acne. 

The Benefits Of Matcha Green Tea For Acne

As matcha is a form of green tea, it comes with all the perks you’d expect. It gives you an excellent caffeinated focus, plenty of antioxidants, and all the skin-clearing benefits of a regular cup of green tea. As it’s three times as potent as green tea, these benefits are improved and enhanced. 

Matcha Is Loaded With Antioxidants

If you are subject to acne, drinking any beverage high in antioxidants (such as matcha) is crucial for fighting off squalene oxidation, a significant root cause of acne. 

Squalene oxidation is a product of your skin’s oil not receiving antioxidants. Thus it can’t fight incoming threats such as bacteria, chemicals, the production of excessive oil, and UV exposure.

So if you’re drinking a beverage such as matcha, this thoroughly increases your chances of reducing squalene oxidation thanks to the amount of antioxidants in this green tea beverage. Matcha allows your skin to maintain a healthy balance of oil that’s enough to protect the outer surface without clogging your pores. 

The essential antioxidant found with matcha is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG for short. This particular antioxidant fights against multiple root causes of acne, such as decreased insulin resistance, reduced inflammation, and lower production of sebum oil, and it protects you from UV damage. 

Studies have even found that high-quality matcha has around 135x more EGCG antioxidants than a regular cup of green tea and 3x more than any other tea, making matcha one of the best beverages for fighting against acne.

Matcha Helps Regulate Insulin Levels

Insulin is a hormone released after you eat a meal; it’s in charge of raising your blood sugar and helps the sugar in the bloodstream get absorbed by all the muscles and cells that need it.

Unfortunately, because many of us consume far too many carbs and sugar, our insulin levels are elevated much more than they should be. This leads to blocked pores, the production of an excess of oil, and inflammation, all leading causes of acne. 

The antioxidant EGCG, found in a reasonable quantity within matcha, is a natural way to lower insulin resistance and help your body absorb natural sugars or glucose. Thus, matcha helps your body better regulate its insulin levels and keeps many root causes of acne at bay. 

Matcha Is Anti-Inflammatory

If your skin is inflamed, it’s a breeding ground of nasty pimples, whiteheads, and red spots. Pimples emerge from acne infections that occur when your pores begin to block up. This is simply your body’s natural defense against blocked pores. 

Most people who suffer from severe acne have chronic inflammation due to an unhealthy and unbalanced diet; this result in an endless cycle of inflammation, stress, and a face full of pimples. 

Matcha can again help you here as the antioxidants found within this green powder have been shown to decrease the levels of inflammation within your body. Less inflammation means a lot fewer pimples and a much fresher face.

The Best Matcha To Buy For Acne

When buying matcha to help with the multiple causes of acne, it all comes down to quality. You want to buy the ceremony or high-quality matcha brands, easily identified by their vivid green color. 

Usually, for high-quality and organic products, you’d expect to pay a lot, and some people may not be able to afford organic products such as vegetables. However, Japanese ceremonial matcha is often easy to buy and mostly affordable considering the quality. 

Conclusion

So, if you’re suffering from constant acne, you know you have a new product to try. Go out and buy yourself some good quality ceremonial matcha, swap out your morning coffee for this calming green brew and see if it can reduce the causes of your acne like many other people have experienced.