What Does Coffee Have To Do With Skin Care?

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What Does Coffee Have To Do With Skin Care?

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

by Robert Cooksey

While coffee and skin care might seem like a strange combination, you may be surprised to learn that in 2006, there were more than one hundred forty products on the US market. That’s up from only twenty-one products three years previously. Coffee got a bad reputation in the twentieth century, with the FDA unsure whether it was beneficial or harmful. Now that we’re moving into the twenty-first century, we’re finding out more and more about the beneficial effects of coffee. That’s showing up extremely well in the skin care industry.

Caffeine and coffee are primarily used in skin creams and lotions because of their firming and tightening abilities, as well as their antioxidant properties. Applying caffeine to the skin is effective in three ways. It acts as a diuretic, a vasoconstrictor, and an antioxidant. Among other manufacturers, products from L’Oreal, Neutrogena and Avon have all included caffeine.

Caffeine has been part of cellulite reduction products for years. That’s because it’s quite clear that caffeine has the ability to dehydrate fat cells, producing a smoother, cleaner appearing surface. The end result is more attractive legs, arms, and any other area where cellulite appears.

Caffeine’s ability to constrict small veins also means that it’s a favored ingredient when it comes to gels meant to reduce puffiness and dark circles near the eyes. It’s also used for tightening skin in this area. It’s a good idea to remember that no cream, gel or lotion can give permanent results. However, caffeine containing products can create a noticeable improvement for a few hours.

Now, the explosion of coffee use in skin products means that you’ll find it in fragrances, face creams and body scrubs. Lots of products not only smell like coffee, but also have ground coffee in them as an exfoliant. Some manufacturers even suggest that absorbing caffeine through your skin could produce some of the same alertness effects that drinking a cup of coffee does.

Dermatologists say otherwise, however. That’s because none of these skin care products contain a high enough concentration of caffeine to give you the kind of jolt you’d get from drinking coffee. Skin absorption also happens quite slowly, making it questionable whether you’d get enough penetration from the caffeine to enhance alertness at all. On the other hand, the smell of coffee might be enough to stimulate feelings of alertness, just because we associate coffee with a burst of energy.

There have been a few promising studies using mice which suggest that coffee’s caffeine can also be used to kill off cancer cells in the skin. At the moment, these results look promising, but can’t yet be translated to human. Since caffeine has been shown to have some sun blocking effects, you’ll also find it as an ingredient in sunscreens.

There are even a few people out there who say there’s no need to spend a lot on skin care products when you can get the benefits of coffee at home. According to them, making your own brewed coffee soaps and ground coffee body scrubs is just as good, if not better. There are recipes out there, for those who feel like giving it a try.

About the Author:

Robert Cooksey is the creator of several websites providing information and sales of skin care products including Information About Skin Care, and specifically providing a series of articles about Taking Care of Your Skin.