19-year-old Manchester woman spent £2k on matcha in a year leaving her with acne and severe migraines

A 19-year-old’s matcha habit saw her spend around £2,000 in a year before migraines, vomiting and other symptoms led her to cut back.

Isabella Wilson, from Bolton, said what started as a few matchas each week quickly became a daily habit, with her drinking as many as four in one day.

The retail assistant was consuming up to 400mg of caffeine a day at the height of her habit.

Isabella first tried matcha in summer 2024 after a friend offered her some, but her intake increased as more shops near her started selling the drink.

Having a Starbucks and Greggs just five minutes from her home made it easier for Isabella to buy matcha whenever she wanted one.

She soon found herself spending so much on the drink that she created a separate money pot in her bank account to keep track of her spending.

Isabella also began buying bags of matcha powder from a seller on Vinted, who would message her whenever new stock was uploaded.

via SWNS

Looking back, she realised the situation had become unusual, particularly as the seller was offering products through a platform where food sales were not permitted.

She said: “Who buys matcha from Vinted? It didn’t click to me how weird it was.”

Her habit became even harder to control after she started working at a local coffee shop, where she made matcha and received free drinks during her shifts.

Isabella would drink matcha throughout her working day before continuing to have more once she returned home.

She notes: “It got to the point it was quite scary – it occupied my thoughts completely.”

By this point, Isabella was experiencing daily migraines, nausea, vomiting and acne, while also gaining around two stone.

She described headaches lasting for an entire day, alongside dizziness, tunnel vision and what she called brain fog.

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“But the headaches – sometimes all I could do was sit in a dark room, and I was being sick once a week, and I’m hardly ever sick normally.”

Isabella also noticed changes in her weight and said she became upset by how different she felt physically:

“I had always naturally had an hourglass figure, but I looked at myself one day and realised I was square. It was very upsetting.”

via SWNS

By January, Isabella started connecting her symptoms with how much matcha she was drinking and began cutting down.

She eventually reduced her intake to around two matchas a week by March and noticed changes within weeks of reducing her caffeine consumption.

Her skin began to clear, while her headaches, brain fog and nausea improved, and she started losing some of the weight she had gained.

Isabella said reducing her intake also came with what she described as withdrawal symptoms, including dizziness and repeatedly thinking about having another matcha.

She stated: “I know addiction is a strong term to use, but it was a truly unbelievable experience.”

Isabella now only drinks matcha occasionally and has also started going to the gym and eating a more balanced diet.

Her experience came as Which? data found that some high-street matcha drinks contained more caffeine than an espresso.

High caffeine consumption can cause symptoms including headaches and anxiety, whilst also affecting the body’s absorption of iron.

Isabella noted: “People really don’t talk about it enough, they think this is a magical drink that will fix them.”

Featured Image via SWNS