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Skincare experts are constantly working to discover the next ingredient powerhouse, but only some experiments end in success. The combination of green tea and Red Light Therapy has gained quite a bit of attention in the skincare world, with many brands launching products that claim green tea extract can enhance the effects of Red Light Therapy, promising even more radiant and rejuvenated skin. This growing trend has led to a surge in products and treatments that pair these two elements together.
We hate to burst the bubble, but we're here to debunk the claim that green tea boosts the effects of Red Light Therapy and shortens its result time. Taking some time to analyze available research and expert opinions, we've discovered that this combination may not be as effective as it is often portrayed.
In this post, we'll talk about the study that sparked these claims, how Red Light works in skincare, how Green Tea works in skincare, and a few recommendations for proven ingredients that actually work to help support the work being done by your Red Light Therapy devices.
How Does Red Light Therapy Work?
Red Light Therapy, a type of photobiomodulation, works by utilizing specific wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin and stimulate cellular activity.
The proven benefits of Red Light Therapy center around its ability to effectively reduce the appearance of fine lines and visibly smooth out wrinkles, giving the skin a healthier, more radiant-looking appearance. Additionally, Red Light Therapy can help to reduce the appearance of irritation and redness caused by acne, visibly brighten dark circles, rejuvenate the skin, and depuff the skin.
This non-invasive treatment is painless and gentle on the skin, making it a powerful and highly-desired tool because of its high safety standards paired with its potently visible results.
On top of that, companies like Solawave offer professional-grade Red Light Therapy devices that can be used from the comfort of home, making the skincare treatment a convenient, accessible, easy-to-use option, especially compared to other in-clinic anti-aging therapies and treatments that can incur a high cost and undesirable recovery period.
Our Wrinkle Retreat Red Light Therapy Face Mask is just one example of how intentionally designed Red Light Therapy can actually help to visibly revitalize skin. We combine Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy to combat full-face wrinkles and sun damage while rejuvenating and re-energizing skin. Our FDA-cleared mask is designed to fit comfortably on the face, with a treatment time of just 10 minutes.
While many of our devices combine Red Light with other wavelengths of light and other therapies in order to deliver more benefits, it's important to note that Red Light Therapy alone is highly effective for skin rejuvenation. The treatment has been extensively studied and proven to deliver significant improvements in skin appearance without the need for additional ingredients or concurring treatments.
What Does Green Tea Do in Skincare?
One thing we'd like to make clear: we don't doubt green tea as an excellent skincare ingredient overall.
Green tea is renowned for its rich content of antioxidants, particularly catechins. These antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals, which can cause oxidative stress and damage to the skin. By combating these harmful molecules, also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), green tea can help to combat some of the signs of skin aging while nourishing the skin overall.
In addition to its antioxidant properties, green tea is also known to possess anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities. These attributes make it an effective ingredient for helping to soothe irritated skin and reduce redness. The polyphenols in green tea can help to regulate sebum production, which can be particularly beneficial for those with oily or acne-prone skin.
Green tea is commonly used in a variety of skincare products, including cleansers, toners, serums, and masks. It is often incorporated into formulations designed to calm and protect the skin, providing a gentle yet effective solution for supporting skin health. Not to mention, it's a very popular choice for those seeking natural, clean skincare ingredients.
Because of its strong antioxidant properties, caffeine levels, and amino acid potency, green tea is also widely used as a holistic wellness ingredient and has been shown to help support a healthy metabolism, on top of often being used for weight loss and detoxification efforts, too.
Where Did the Green Tea and Red Light Therapy Idea Come From?
The idea of combining green tea and Red Light Therapy can be traced back to a small-scale study that suggested potential synergistic benefits for skin rejuvenation. Conducted with a limited number of participants, the study involved applying green tea extract to skin that was exposed to “extreme” levels of oxidative stress before exposing it to Red Light Therapy. The researchers aimed to observe whether or not the antioxidant properties of green tea could enhance the effects of Red Light Therapy, potentially leading to improved skin appearance.
Despite the study's small sample size and methodological limitations, the results hinted at enhanced skin rejuvenation with the combination of Red Light and green tea, at a rate of achieving results within one month with green tea compared to an alleged 10 months without.
Unsurprisingly, this claim quickly caught the attention of the skincare industry. Brands began to promote products that combined green tea extract with Red Light Therapy, claiming that this combination could amplify the benefits of the therapy and shorten the time needed to visibly see results. Marketing materials often emphasized the antioxidant properties of green tea and its ability to combat free radical damage, suggesting that green tea could further stimulate collagen production and enhance skin rejuvenation when used alongside Red Light Therapy.
Why We're Not Convinced: Limitations of the Green Tea and Red Light Study
With the study's claims leading to a surge in popularity for products and treatments that pair green tea with Red Light Therapy, we decided to look into it ourselves.
We found that the study's results couldn't be statistically significant due to the small sample size and lack of a control group.
Despite these limitations, the hype around this combination has continued to grow, driven by marketing efforts and anecdotal testimonials.
The study's small sample size means that the findings cannot be generalized to a larger population. Additionally, the lack of a control group and the short duration of the study further undermine its credibility. It's also worth noting that one of the parameters involved exposing the skin to “extreme” levels of oxidative stress for two months prior before testing green tea’s effects; in an everyday person's average day-to-day, they'd likely be unexposed to these extreme levels, which was a key condition of the study.
The study is also really the only one of its kind, with other studies focusing on green tea or Red Light only, and other search results for the combo stemming from sites trying to sell a green tea product.
Ultimately, without robust data, the claims that green tea can boost the effects of Red Light Therapy remain unsubstantiated.
What Really Works To Help Boost Red Light Therapy
Maximizing the benefits of Red Light Therapy is all about using the right products consistently and following a complementary skincare routine.
As far as using the right devices: we already mentioned one of our favorite Red Light Therapy devices above, but if you want to explore different options, take our Skin Quiz here for suggestions on which devices may be your best fit!
When it comes to consistency, our devices make it easy to add Light Therapy into your regular routine — treatment times range from 3 to 12 minutes depending on the device, and treatment fits right into your skincare routine after cleansing and before topicals. We generally recommend three days per week for the first four weeks.
Finally, a complementary skincare routine. With Red Light Therapy, treatment is gentle enough that you typically don't have restrictions on what products you can and can't use in the same routine. That said, there are ingredients and products that can help nourish the skin and make for a more effective overall routine.
You can check out our guide here for our full recommended skincare routine, but let's talk about one product in particular that we specifically designed to help support the effects of Red Light Therapy: our Skin Therapy Activating Serum.
This serum is specifically formulated to enhance the effects of Red Light Therapy and includes key ingredients that support skin health:
- Hyaluronic Acid provides a healthy dose of hydration, prepping the skin to retain maximum moisture for a plump and healthy complexion.
- The Ionic Mineral Complex, which includes magnesium, zinc, and copper extracts, delivers powerful antioxidants that help skin glow while also helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Additionally, Nona Peptide 1, composed of nine amino acids, works synergistically with Red Light Therapy to give the skin a visibly energized and luminous appearance.
Incorporating the Solawave Skin Therapy Activating Serum into your routine can help amplify the benefits of Red Light Therapy. While we usually advise that serums go on after your Light Therapy session, this one will go on before. Apply the serum to clean your skin before your Red Light Therapy treatment to help you achieve smoother-looking, more radiant skin.
Conclusion
While both green tea and Red Light Therapy can individually offer a lot of benefits for your skin, they do not necessarily enhance one another's effects. The study that suggested a synergistic benefit had significant limitations when it came to sample size and a control group, resulting in a lack of legitimate substantial evidence.
Red Light Therapy alone is a powerful tool for achieving healthier-looking, glowing skin, and green tea remains a valuable ingredient in skincare for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
We hope this article has helped to clarify the true benefits of each treatment individually so you can make informed decisions about your skincare routine. Trust in reliable evidence and proven practices to achieve the best results for your skin!
Sources:
- Green tea and red light--a powerful duo in skin rejuvenation
- A Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy of Red and Near-Infrared Light Treatment in Patient Satisfaction, Reduction of Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Skin Roughness, and Intradermal Collagen Density Increase - PMC
- The beneficial health effects of green tea amino acid l-theanine in animal models: Promises and prospects for human trials
- A Recent Update on the Potential Use of Catechins in Cosmeceuticals
- A comprehensive review on the effects of green tea and its components on the immune function - ScienceDirect
