Green tea for acne: lotion, pills and tea bags

Green tea has small trials on acne, and the product with results is a 2 percent tea lotion made by researchers. Lotions of that type lowered counts of inflamed pimples in trials of 20 to 60 people. Green tea extract pills did not lower total spot counts in the one acne trial that tested them. No trial read for this guide used tea bags or brewed tea on the skin. This page is part of Skinli's guide to home remedies for acne.

Skinli gives general education and is not a doctor. For the studies below, Skinli read the published summaries (abstracts) only. No source read for this guide gives a home recipe for green tea on skin or a number of cups to drink, so this page gives none.

The trials of tea lotion on skin

Trial	People and length	Product	Result
Saudi Medical Journal, 2006	60 people aged 14 to 22 enrolled, 49 finished, 2 months	"freshly prepared 2% tea lotion twice daily", against a control solution	Good response in 64 percent of the tea group and 20.8 percent of the control group. No response in 12 percent and 33.4 percent
Saudi Medical Journal, 2008	47 people enrolled, 40 finished, 2 months	2 percent tea lotion, against a 5 percent zinc sulphate solution	Fewer inflamed spots with the tea lotion
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2009	20 people, 6 weeks, no comparison group	2 percent green tea lotion twice a day	The average count of inflamed spots fell from 24 to 10
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2013	The abstract gives no number of people, 8 weeks	A solution of EGCG, a compound from green tea, on one side of the face	Acne improved, the abstract says, with no figures

Each of these studies has limits.

The two Baghdad trials. Both came from one research group at one teaching hospital. People were put in groups by chance, which is what "randomized" means. The abstracts say only "tea", so the type of tea is unknown. The researchers counted inflamed pimples (the abstracts call them papules and pustules) and left blackheads out. The 2006 authors wrote that the lotion "lacks any side effects", a claim based on the 25 people who used it. The 2008 trial states: "patients with severe acne were excluded."

The 2009 study. Everyone used the lotion, so there was no group to compare with. Acne changes with time, and a fall from 24 spots to 10 cannot be separated from that.

The 2013 study. The trial treated one side of each face. The abstract reports that EGCG improved acne "and was well tolerated", and it gives no patient numbers, strength or spot counts.

In every one of these studies the product was made for the study at a known strength. None used a tea bag, cooled tea from a cup or a store toner.

What the pooled analysis and the reviews found

A 2021 paper in Phytotherapy Research pooled the randomized trials. This type of study is called a meta-analysis. "Five randomized-controlled studies were included in the meta-analysis (N; experimental = 125, control = 122)." That is 247 people in total.

How green tea extract was given	Change in the count of inflamed spots, against the comparison group
On the skin	11.39 fewer (the range of likely values runs from 6.86 to 15.91 fewer)
By mouth	1.40 fewer (0.30 to 2.50 fewer), which the authors call "minimal effect"

The authors concluded that "topical GTE application is beneficial for the treatment of acne without causing significant adverse events while oral GTE intake has limited effects." Topical means put on the skin, and "GTE" is green tea extract. They added: "Further high-quality clinical trials are warranted."

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the US National Institutes of Health, is more reserved than the pooled analysis. Its green tea page says "definite conclusions cannot yet be reached on whether green tea is helpful for most of the purposes for which it is used." The page does not mention acne. It names one approved use on skin: "The FDA has approved a specific green tea extract ointment as a prescription drug for treating genital warts."

Green tea extract pills: one trial and a liver warning

One trial tested green tea extract capsules on acne. It was published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2016 and ran in Taiwan.

• Who: "80 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 1500 mg of decaffeinated GTE or placebo (cellulose) daily for 4 weeks." A placebo is a product with no active ingredient. 64 women aged 25 to 45 finished.
• Dose: the capsules supplied "a daily dose of 856 mg of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)".
• Main result: "there were no significant differences between groups for total lesion counts." A lesion is a spot.
• By area: the extract group had fewer inflamed spots on the nose, around the mouth and on the chin.
• The authors' view: "More research is required".

A 2023 review in JAMA Dermatology looked at 42 trials of pills and supplements for acne, with 3,346 participants. It listed green tea among the products with "potential benefit" in studies of fair or good quality, and warned: "Many studies were of small size".

Extract pills have safety reports that the drink does not. The NCCIH says that, although it is uncommon, "liver injury has been reported in some people who used green tea products, primarily green tea extracts in tablet or capsule form." It says people with one gene variant appear more likely to get this injury, and "Between 5 and 15 percent of Americans have this variant."

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), which writes standards for supplements such as green tea extract, reviewed the liver reports in 2020. The published case reports link liver injury with EGCG intakes from 140 mg to 1,000 mg a day. The 856 mg a day in the acne trial is inside that range. The USP now requires this caution on the extract it sets a standard for: "Do not take on an empty stomach. Take with food. Do not use if you have a liver problem". Two of the review's authors work for the USP.

Supplements also go on sale without a drug review. The NCCIH says: "Unlike drugs, dietary supplements are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are sold to the public."

Skinli does not suggest green tea extract pills for acne. The same trial is described for adult women in natural remedies for hormonal acne.

Drinking green tea

No trial read for this guide tested the drink on acne. Every acne study of green tea by mouth used extract in capsules.

The NCCIH says: "No safety concerns have been reported for green tea consumed as a beverage by adults. However, green tea does contain caffeine."

On food and drink in general, NICE, which writes the acne guideline for England, says: "Advise people that there is not enough evidence to support specific diets for treating acne." No source gives a number of cups, and this page gives none. The guide does diet cause acne covers the foods that have been studied.

Tea bags, toners and masks

No study read for this guide put a tea bag, cooled tea or a store-bought green tea product on acne.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has one comment on tea bags, and it is about a different tea. In a 2025 news release, a dermatologist said of chamomile that "there isn't enough evidence to support using it as an acne treatment". She added: "I would recommend against using chamomile directly from tea bags on the skin, because it could cause irritation". The AAD has made no such statement about green tea in the pages read here.

The AAD names green tea extract once, on its page about facial masks sold as products. Under ingredients for dry or sensitive skin it lists: "Green tea extract, to help reduce inflammation." Its list for oily or acne-prone skin has other ingredients, such as salicylic acid, clay and aloe. The page on aloe vera for acne covers that last one. The AAD is clear about the limit of any mask: masks "can't replace treatment for diseases and conditions such as eczema or acne."

For a new mask or toner, the AAD says: "Test a new facial mask on small areas of skin first to help prevent reactions." It also says: "Immediately wash off a facial mask if you feel itching, burning, or stinging. This could be a sign of skin irritation or an allergy."

Questions that no source answers

• How long tea bags or a store product take to work. The 6 weeks and 2 months in the table describe lotions made by researchers.
• Overnight use. No source gives a time on the skin.
• Cystic acne. One lotion trial left out people with severe acne. No study covers deep lumps.
• Preventing acne. Every trial enrolled people who already had acne.

What the AAD, the NHS and the FDA rule support

The same AAD news release that discusses tea bags sums up the standard treatments: "Common acne treatments include vitamin A-based products called retinoids that unclog pores, benzoyl peroxide to reduce bacteria, and salicylic acid to ease inflammation."

For a deep, painful pimple, the AAD says: "Choose a product that contains one of these acne-fighting active ingredients: adapalene, azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or salicylic acid." Adapalene is a retinoid that the AAD says is sold online and in stores. The AAD's acne pages name a maker of prescription acne drugs as their supporter.

The NHS acne page tells readers to "try acne treatments you put on your skin such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide". It names no tea, plant or home remedy.

The FDA rule for acne drugs sold without a prescription lists benzoyl peroxide at 2.5 to 10 percent, salicylic acid at 0.5 to 2 percent, sulfur at 3 to 10 percent, and sulfur combined with resorcinol. Green tea is absent from that list.

The NCCIH reports that the AAD's acne guideline found the data on herbal and other complementary therapies too limited to recommend them.

The guide to over-the-counter acne treatments explains how the listed ingredients are used.

When to see a doctor

If you take a green tea extract supplement, the USP caution says to stop and consult a healthcare practitioner "if you develop symptoms of liver trouble, such as abdominal pain, dark urine, or jaundice". Jaundice is yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Stop using any tea product on your face if the skin itches, burns or stings, and see a doctor if a rash does not settle.

For acne itself, the NHS says to see a GP, which is a family doctor, if "you've tried treating it yourself but it's not getting better", or if "you have lots of spots, or the spots are deep, painful or causing scars". The AAD says: "A dermatologist can prescribe stronger medicine and perform treatments to treat your nodular or cystic acne." Nodules and cysts are the deep, painful lumps of severe acne.