Spearmint tea lowers free testosterone in women with PCOS or excess hair growth. Two small trials found this, one lasting 5 days and one 30. No trial has yet tested it on acne. Two cups a day is the dose studied, and it is cheap and low-risk. Treat it as an add-on to see whether it helps you, not as a replacement for acne treatment.
Why people drink spearmint tea for acne
Hormonal acne usually means breakouts along the jaw, chin and neck that flare with the menstrual cycle. Androgens such as testosterone drive the oil glands that feed these spots. The same hormones cause excess facial and body hair, called hirsutism, which is common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Prescription anti-androgens such as spironolactone work by blocking these hormones. The idea behind spearmint is that it might do something similar, gently, in a cup of tea. The story began in Isparta in south-west Turkey, where local doctors suspected that men who drank a lot of mint tea had a lower libido.
What the spearmint tea trials found
Only two human trials have tested spearmint tea on hormones, and both measured hair growth and blood tests rather than skin.
| Akdoğan et al. (2007) | Grant et al. (2010) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | 21 women with hirsutism, 12 with PCOS | 42 women with PCOS |
| Dose | 1 cup, twice a day | 1 cup, twice a day |
| How long | 5 days | 30 days |
| Comparison | None (before and after) | Placebo herbal tea |
| Free testosterone | Fell significantly | Fell significantly |
| Total testosterone | No significant change | Fell significantly |
| Hair growth | Not measured | Women felt it improved. A doctor’s score did not change |
The 2010 trial is the better of the two because it had a placebo tea. After a month, free and total testosterone had both dropped in the spearmint group, and luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone rose. The women rated their unwanted hair as less of a problem, but the standard doctor-rated hair score did not change significantly.
The authors’ explanation is reasonable. A hair follicle takes months to cycle, so 30 days is too short to see a physical change. The same is likely true of skin. Acne treatments that act on hormones are usually given around three months before anyone judges them.
So does it work for hormonal acne?
Nobody knows yet. A 2026 dermatology review of drinks and skin health put it plainly: spearmint tea lowers free testosterone in women with PCOS, but a real clinical benefit has not been proven. There is no published trial that counts spots.
That does not make it a bad idea to try. The hormone effect is real, the tea is cheap, and side effects in the trials were not a problem. Boston dermatologist John Barbieri, who researches acne treatment, explains the reasoning and the limits in the video below.
How to try spearmint tea for acne
- Dose: two cups a day, as in both trials.
- Make sure it is spearmint. The label should say spearmint or Mentha spicata. Peppermint and generic “mint” blends were not tested.
- Brew: one teabag or a heaped teaspoon of dried leaves per mug, or a large handful of fresh leaves, in just-boiled water for 5 to 10 minutes. It also works as an overnight cold brew.
- Give it three months before deciding. Take a photo in the same light each month, because memory is a poor judge of skin.
- Keep your other treatment. Use it alongside what your doctor prescribed, not in place of it.
Is spearmint tea safe?
For most adults, two cups a day is a normal amount of a common herbal tea, and it is caffeine-free. In a 16-week trial in adults with knee arthritis, people drank spearmint tea twice a day without notable problems. Be more careful in these cases:
- Trying to conceive or pregnant. Anything that shifts reproductive hormones is worth checking with your doctor first.
- Already on hormone treatment such as spironolactone or the pill. Tell your doctor so they can judge the results properly.
- Reflux. Mint can relax the valve at the top of the stomach and make heartburn worse in some people.
Spearmint is also one of the milder options in our caffeine-free tea guide. If it is gut comfort you are after, look at the best tea for bloating. For winding down at night, chamomile has more evidence.
Quick answers
How long does spearmint tea take to work for acne?
Hormone levels fell within 5 to 30 days in the trials, but skin and hair change slowly. Allow about three months before deciding whether it helps.
Does spearmint tea work for men?
It has only been studied in women. Because it may lower testosterone, men have little reason to drink it for acne.
Is peppermint tea the same?
No. The Turkish researchers mentioned peppermint, but both trials used spearmint, Mentha spicata. Peppermint has its own evidence, covered in our peppermint tea guide.
Can spearmint tea help PCOS?
It lowered androgens in women with PCOS, which is encouraging for unwanted hair growth. It has not been shown to restore periods, help fertility or improve insulin resistance.
Last updated: 7 October 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using tea or herbs for a health condition, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or take regular medication.
