Beauty’s cup of tea: Lu Ming Tang

Lu Ming Tang, a tea-based skincare brand established in China, started when founder Marie Amiand (of French descent) was working in Shanghai and became ill from the stressful urban life and effects of pollution. A doctor recommended drinking tea on a daily basis to detoxify and relieve stress. In light of this, she frequently travelled to the acclaimed Longjing tea valley in Hangzhou, which resulted in the inspiration to create Lu Ming Tang.

The ‘fusion’ concept of the brand boasts an east meets west, tradition meets innovation, nature meets science ethos, offering natural skincare solutions that are based on tea ingredients and empowered by biotechnology.

In the wider beauty industry, green tea is frequently used in skincare. However, Lu Ming Tang’s range includes more varieties of tea sourced from different regions of China—such as pu’er tea from Yunnan Province. The brand also utilises a myriad of fruits as ingredients, in line with Mintel’s 2025 Global Beauty & Personal Care Trend ‘Gastronomia’.

What makes it so unique?

Lu Ming Tang’s experimental Hangzhou-based flagship store in Qianlong Imperial Library (a building dating back to the Song Dynasty in Longjing), offers a fusion of French elegance and Chinese tradition. The fact that it stands out in today’s fast-changing retail environment in China has made the store popular among consumers. Further, Lu Ming Tang’s presence in global beauty retailer Sephora will help it expand to other main cities of China.

The brand has cleverly established an image of providing premium quality products for its Chinese consumers, as the formula features Chinese ingredients and is developed in Japan using pioneering French bio-technology.

Crème de Marie
The hero product of Lu Ming Tang, Crème de Marie contains antioxidant-rich Longjing green tea, soy milk, hawthorn, acerola red berries and gentian flowers from the French Pyrenees. These ingredients claim to work to improve cell health while helping skin resist environmental aggressors and photo damage.

Hydra Perfection Tea Booster
The Hydra Perfection Tea Booster  is made with Wulong/Oolong tea (Tieguanyin, also known as Goddess of Mercy tea) for a perfect blend of antioxidant moisture and purity. The formula also contains bamboo leaves, mandarin peel and angelica roots.

Rose Balm
This is a delicious, melt-in balm that soothes and hydrates lips with floral tea. The formulation also contains white tea, almond oil and sesame seed oil.