Spearmint Tea for Acne: Does It Work?

If you’ve spent any time on Google or Reddit researching hormonal acne, you’ve likely encountered spearmint tea. 

Spearmint tea is an herbal tea made from the spearmint plant (yes, the same one flavoring your chewing gum and toothpaste) that’s high in antioxidants and has shown promise for balancing hormones that can impact skin health. 

Some people claim it’s a cure-all for their acne, while others don’t notice much of a difference. So, what does the research say? Can spearmint tea help hormonal acne? Keep reading to see what we found out!

How Does Spearmint Tea Work for Acne?

If you have acne primarily caused by elevated androgen levels (“male hormones,” mainly testosterone), spearmint tea might be an herbal remedy that will work for you.

However, there are many causes of acne, and you can often have more than one contributing to your breakouts. 

For example, other common causes of acne include using comedogenic (pore-clogging) makeup or skincare, eating excess dairy products, high sugar intake, stress, or consuming supplements or energy drinks with high levels of biotin or vitamin B12. 

Spearmint tea won’t work for most of these causes, but it can work for people (primarily women) with high testosterone levels. 

High testosterone levels in women cause excess sebum production in the skin, leading to clogged pores, comedones, and acne. 

Some studies have shown that spearmint tea lowers free testosterone levels, which may be a natural solution for treating hormonal acne.

Spearmint Tea Benefits for Skin Health

There isn’t yet an abundance of scientific evidence on spearmint tea and acne, but we do have a few studies to highlight. 

Most of the research has been done on women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a collection of symptoms that are often characterized by high androgen levels. 

In one small study of 21 females, those who drank spearmint tea (one cup twice daily for five days) significantly decreased their free testosterone levels, with no changes to total testosterone or DHEA-S. The women also saw significant increases in estrogen (estradiol), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).¹

Total testosterone refers to all forms of testosterone in the blood, while free testosterone is not bound to a protein. Free testosterone appears to be more often elevated in women with acne than total testosterone.²

Elevating estradiol may also help with acne, as research has shown that estrogen suppresses sebum production.³ 

Estrogen may also benefit acne because, during its metabolization in the liver, estrogen increases SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin). SHBG binds preferentially to testosterone, lowering testosterone and its conversion into DHT (dihydrotestosterone).³

Higher levels of DHT contribute to elevated sebum production, so increasing estrogen and SHBG may benefit acne symptoms.⁴

Another study randomized 42 women with PCOS to drink either spearmint or chamomile herbal tea twice a day for one month.⁵

Those who drank spearmint tea had significantly reduced androgen levels. Their self-reported skin-related quality of life markers also improved. 

Because of the testosterone-lowering effects, spearmint tea has also shown great promise for reducing hirsutism (excessive hair growth, especially male-pattern facial hair growth in females), a common symptom of PCOS.⁶  

Topical spearmint oil may also help people with acne. In this study, 30 people with mild-to-moderate acne either used a topical treatment of spearmint essential oil and Berberis integerrima (the barberry plant where berberine comes from) or a topical antibiotic.⁷ 

Those using the spearmint-barberry cream for one month had significant reductions in total acne lesions and their score on the mGAGS (Modified Global Acne Grading Scale). However, the results were not significantly different from those using the antibiotic cream.

Spearmint Tea Side Effects and Precautions

As spearmint tea can change testosterone and estrogen levels, there are side effects and precautions to be aware of. 

If you don’t know that you have acne from high androgens, you may want to get blood hormone testing done first to ensure you aren’t messing with hormones that are already normal. 

It’s possible that spearmint tea might increase your estrogen levels too much, leading to a state called estrogen dominance. Symptoms include mood changes, changes in menstrual cycles, breast tenderness, insomnia, and more.

Men may also want to avoid spearmint tea to prevent lowering their testosterone too much.⁸

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid drinking excessive amounts of spearmint tea, as there is not enough research on these populations. Very large doses or quantities of spearmint may cause damaging changes to hormone levels during pregnancy.⁹ 

People with liver or kidney disease should ask their doctor first, as using excessive amounts of spearmint tea may make these conditions worse. Those with blood clotting disorders should also avoid spearmint, as elevated estrogen can increase the risk of developing blood clots.⁹

Consuming large amounts of spearmint may cause rare side effects, including sleepiness, slowed breathing, heartburn, allergies, and contact dermatitis (if used topically).⁹ 

Taking spearmint tea with other medications or supplements that harm the liver could increase the risk of liver damage. Some of these supplements include high doses of green tea extract and Garcinia Cambogia, while medications include NSAIDs like ibuprofen, blood pressure medications, heart rhythm drugs, antibiotics, and more.⁹ 

There’s also a chance that spearmint can interact with hormonal birth control. 

With all of these potential side effects and interactions, the likelihood is greater with spearmint capsules (which are more concentrated) compared to drinking spearmint tea. However, they would still be possible with excessive quantities of tea.

If you’re unsure whether you should drink spearmint tea, ask your doctor or healthcare provider.

Spearmint Tea and Acne FAQs