I've always been a lover of Matcha.. A powerful antioxidant that is jam packed full of health and skin benefits. I had the extreme pleasure of sitting down with Sarah Holloway, one half of the power couple behind Melbourne based, Matcha Maiden.

Matcha Maiden is featured in our current Skindepth 28 Day Challenge, and there’s a VERY good skin happy reason for this…

Alice: What are the magical skin benefits of Matcha Maiden?

Sarah: The topical effects of applying matcha to the skin have now been well researched showing that its powerful punch of antioxidants benefits not only our insides but also the outside. Antioxidants can help protect your skin from the harmful UV rays that encourage premature ageing and hyperpigmentation and help avoid the dreaded fine lines and wrinkles. It is also well known for being an energy booster, meaning it has the power to stimulate and rejuvenate skin cells leaving behind fresh, healthy, glowing skin.

Alice: What other ingredients does it have that we should know about?

Sarah: There are no other ingredients in matcha other than green tea leaves – no additives or other nasties. But in terms of what other goodies it contains as well as antioxidants, our bright green powder also contains chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a powerful detoxifier that will help remove harmful toxins and fight free radicals that damage cells needed to protect our skin.

Alice: How much do we need to get the glowing skin and health benefits?

Sarah: The recommended serving size to get the benefits of matcha is between ½ to 2 teaspoons per serve. Our serving size is 2g or a generous half a teaspoon and you can have multiple servings per day, much like regular green tea except that matcha can bring the benefits of up to 10 cups of regular green tea!

Alice: Why is the powder better than the leaf?

Sarah: The powder is simply the leaf ground into powdered form. If you brew the leaves in a teabag, you only drink the brewed water and the leaf gets thrown out. If you dissolve the powder, you consume the whole leaf and all its green goodness along with it. So it’s not that the powder is better than the leaf, it’s that the form of matcha allows you to get more benefits from the leaf rather than throwing them out in a teabag.

And how can we buy it?

Online at www.matchamaiden.com or in one of our many wonderful stockists who are also listed online.

And the best news of all… You can sample a little of this green magic during our 28 Day Skin Challenge! Sign up now via our website. Now I'm off to have a cuppa xx