Japanese sake baths are the best new way to revive your skin

Japanese skincare treatments, from green tea facials to SK-II sheet masks,have become essential components of our weekly skincare routines, so naturally we’re very interested in the age-old Japanese skincare ritual that’s suddenly gained world-wide acclaim: The Sake Bath.

Yes sake is a fermented rice wine, but as a result of fermentation, it produces some extremely effective anti-ageing agents: 20 different types of amino acids, kojic acid and loads of enzymes. These elements are well known for their ability to deeply hydrate and fade pigmentation — you’ll notice many of them feature in face serums due to their unique, youth-activating abilities.

Because pouring your own sake bath at home sounds a little sticky, and flying to Tokyo or New York for the in-spa experience may be a little exuberant, beauty brand 'Fresh' have brought a sake bath soak to Sephora. It combines real peaches and 38% sake to increase circulation, and induce a 'purifying sweat' that eliminates toxins, in addition to reviving the skins surface with the acids and enzymes mentioned.

"For centuries, Japanese Geisha have used sake and rice to exfoliate the face, detoxify the body, and regenerate and smooth the skin," says Fresh Co-founder, Alina Roytberg.

“To keep our bathing ritual authentic, we incorporated pure sake into this unbelievably detoxifying formula."

If you’re willing to DIY it, Allure recommends pouring two 75ml bottles of sake into a hot bath. If bathing in sake doesn’t quite sound like your thing, there’s evidence to suggest even just sipping on a glass of the potent beverage can have positive health benefits, such as lowering your risk of developing diabetes and osteoporosis.