Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and photo-protective; green tea is well-researched and does it all. Green tea may minimize the appearance of skin damage by helping to tone the epidermis and improve elasticity to reduce the appearance of sagging skin / fine lines.

UVR (ultra violet radiation) leads to photoaging and inflammation - both very aging to skin. Plant polyphenols do the heavy lifting in terms of free radical neutralization (source). Topical ECGC (from green tea) provided greater benefits than oral dosage, against UVB irradiation-induced depletion of antioxidant enzymes and signaling protein phosphorylation (source).

Additionally, related to free radicals neutralization, a 2001 topical ECGC study demonstrated blockage of UV-induced infiltration of ROS-producing CD11b+ cells and restoration of epidermal antioxidant enzymes reduced glutathione, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (source).