Brewing beauty

TEA lovers, listen up. You can do a lot more with your favourite brew than just drink it. You can spritz or slather on some tea-infused beauty products too. The biggest beauty giants have finally honed in on the popularity of the beverage as a healthful ingredient with plenty of other benefits - besides offsetting the lack of sleep.

British perfume house Jo Malone has recently unveiled a collection of six perfumes infused with precious teas such as silver needle tea, darjeeling and oolong. The scents are one of the few in the market that were made by steeping actual tea leaves in alcohol to preserve the plant's natural characteristics.

"I didn't want to create traditional tea accords or replicate the teas exactly," says Serge Majoullier, a master perfumer who created the collection. "There wouldn't be as much of an art in that. I wanted to create an interpretation, focusing on their most surprising and beautiful facets."

Check out our guide to looking, smelling and feeling great from the inside, out; with a little help from the humble cuppa.

Spritz Atelier Cologne Oolang Infini Cologne Absolue S$270 for 200ml Escentials, Paragon, #03-02/05

A seven-year-old Parisian perfume house dedicated entirely to the making of colognes, Atelier Cologne, has concocted a full-bodied, mysterious fragrance that captures semi-fermented blue tea and bergamot with the warmth of smoke and leather. A removable pump allows the wearer the choice to spritz on the scent or splash it on the body.

Maison Martin Margiela Replica Tea Escape S$129 for 100ml Tangs Orchard

Green tea is a perennial ingredient in fragrances and skincare. This particular scent by the esoteric fashion house attempts to capture the relaxing elements of the traditional Japanese tea ritual. The power of the green tea fragrance is mixed with spices such as bergamot and pink peppercorn, as well as a floral burst of osmanthus and jasmine, for a modern take on the ancient ingredient.

Jo Malone Rare Teas S$500 for 175ml Ngee Ann City, #02-09A

Exotic tea leaves, some of which are so rare that they are worth more than gold, weight-for-weight, have been infused straight into refined fragrances. Rare leaves hand-plucked from Japanese, Chinese or Himalayan foothills form the foundation of this upscale collection of scents - Silver Needle Tea, Jade Leaf Tea, Darjeeling Tea, Oolong Tea, Golden Tea and Midnight Black Tea.

Kiehl's Aromatic Blends: Vetiver & Black Tea eau de toilette S$45 for 30ml Vivocity, #01-01

A rich fusion of Haitian vetiver and Ceylon black tea essence, with underlying hints of spicy pepper and wood, this is a full-bodied yet light and invigorating scent. The earthy, sweet vetiver is harvested through sustainable farming practices on the tropical hillsides of Haiti, whereas the tea comes from the high mountains of Sri Lanka. A gentle extraction method was used to capture the most volatile components of the tea aroma.

Bulgari Eau de Noir Eau de Cologne from S$139 for 75ml Tangs Orchard

The latest in a series of fragrances that translates the art of tea into a line of unisex perfumes, Bulgari Eau de Noir Eau de Cologne sees the deep bold scent of black tea from Yunnan, China reinvented into a lighter cologne. Inspired by this "grand cru of teas", master perfumer Jacques Cavallier builds upon a natural mate tea base to create a sensual fragrance.

Slather IDS Refreshing Cleanser S$62 for 95ml IDS Clinic, Novena Specialist Center, #05-07

Green tea extract lies at the heart of this gentle, pH-balanced formulation to soothe even inflamed or sensitive skin. The foaming cleanser maintains the skin's natural protective barrier, while removing oil, makeup and unwanted residue without over-drying one's skin. Other botanical ingredients such as tea tree oil and licorice root soothe inflammation, heal and tighten pores.

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum from S$123 for 30ml Ion Orchard, #B3-45/46/47

Fermented black tea (kombucha) extract is combined with extracts of lychee seed and blackberry leaf to form the brand's free radicals-fighting complex, which in turn reduces the formation of wrinkles. The new serum is the latest in Fresh's Black Tea range of skincare, and creates a corset-like effect to give the appearance of more defined face contours while smoothing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Innisfree Extreme Safety 60 Sun Gel S$29 for 50ml Ngee Ann City, #B2-34

Protect yourself from harmful rays during the heatwave with this gel formulation, infused with green tea to keep skin hydrated and fresh all day. It comes in an easy-to-hold, sleek tube, which makes reapplying sunblock convenient and simple, even on-the-go. Resistant to sweat and water, the sun gel also provides maximum sun protection and is a must-have for water sports.

Plant Skincare Revitalizing Black Tea Body Mousse US$42 marketplace.catalogmagazine.com/plantskincare

An organic black tea infusion rich in antioxidants accelerates skin regeneration and revitalises the senses in this gentle formulation that could even be used on babies and children.

Meanwhile, moisturisation comes from a blend of high-grade olive, grape seed, avocado and apricot kernel oils, with added pure vitamin E and rose essential oil to relieve stress and nurture skin.

Nails Inc Overnight Detox Mask with Green Tea, Acai and Spirulina S$36 Sephora

A combination of powerful antioxidant actives including green tea, this water-based formulation has the ability to hold large amounts of detoxifying ingredients that penetrate into the nail bed. Spirulina, which has a high chlorophyll content, also helps to restore nails to health following a gel manicure, while the light green tea scent is an added plus for smelling great in bed.