How a Frenchwoman discovered fine Chinese tea’s healing powers and put it into a skincare line
China has been slow to harness the healing qualities of its finest teas for skincare products, unlike Japan and South Korea. Chinese-French brand Lu Ming Tang puts that right
When Shanghai-based French expat Marie Amiand began to experience mysterious health symptoms that included fatigue, dull skin and loss of hair in 2012, she was offered some interesting advice.
Her doctor suggested that she start drinking green tea after she was diagnosed as suffering from heavy-metal poisoning.
“I was told to drink five cups of Longjing green tea daily. It is one of the most precious teas in China and contains one of the most powerful antioxidants to accelerate cellular regeneration,” says Amiand. “I regained my health and my complexion improved.”
Her bout of ill health and the positive effects of tea drinking – which she did in conjunction with other treatments the doctor prescribed – inspired Amiand, a self-described former coffee drinker, to travel to the tea region of Longjing, where she learned about its beauty benefits.
The former cosmetics consultant then decided to use her experience with the beauty industry to create a tea-based skincare brand. It took four years of research with a Japanese cosmetics laboratory and the National Tea Research Centre in China before she finally launched skincare brand Lu Ming Tang in 2016, featuring extracts of some of China’s finest teas as key active ingredients.
