A cup of joe, cuppa or if you'd prefer to just call it coffee, is one of the most popular beverages in the world bested only by water and tea!
I find the absolute best way to wake up in the morning is to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee making it's way to my room (which is two stories/floors above the kitchen). Just imagine - if just the smell of coffee can perk you up, what could it do to your body when consumed!
I personally love tea more than coffee (but can never refuse a cup of filter coffee) and I must admit that any tea I've had till date comes nowhere close to how coffee can almost instantaneously wake me up and put me in a good mood. Ever wondered what coffee could do to your skin? - Well I have, especially with the introduction of many skincare products which have coffee in them, mostly in scrubs. Then there are claims that coffee can get rid of cellulite - seems to be a far fetched idea, but is there any evidence backing these claims?
Before we try to understand whether coffee can actually get rid of cellulite and "perk your skin up", let us first try to understand what are the components that together form your favourite cup of coffee.
What is in it?
There are predominantly 4 types of coffee plants, of which Arabica is the most consumed, followed by Robusta (Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora respectively). Why this is important is because the composition varies by the type of coffee you are using. For e.g., Robusta coffee tends to have almost double the amount of caffeine in it, as compared to Arabica.
Coffee has a number of beneficial components, however, most of them are useful when consumed. I have highlighted a few components that could potentially have benefits when applied to the skin -
1. Caffeine - The reason why coffee is so popular, and even the name caffeine originates from the word coffee! A single coffee bean (Arabica) contains about 6 mg of caffeine in it, and a cup of coffee can on an average contain upto 100 mg of caffeine (depending on the type of coffee used and the brewing technique).
Caffeine is essentially a chemical produced by many plants as a natural insect repellent and is toxic to many types of bugs. When humans ingest coffee, the caffeine blocks the neurorecepters for sleep inducing chemicals in our body.
Caffeine is water soluble and is hydrophilic (water loving) and when ground coffee is brewed, almost 90% of the caffeine in the coffee can be extracted. However, since it is hydrophilic the exact opposite happens when coffee is mixed with oil - the caffeine stays inside the coffee particles and do not get infused in the oil.
Caffeine can penetrate the skin and is easily absorbed, however, it would take about 1 hour to absorb 100 mg of caffeine (equivalent to a cup of coffee) into the body. When applied topically, caffeine acts as a potent anti-oxidant and there have been studies that have proved that it can help with the synthesis of procollagen (the precurser of collagen). Studies also indicate that caffeine could potentially help in blood circulation and draining of lymphatics to reduce puffiness and inflammation.
Another benefit of caffeine is its ability to reduce transepidermal water loss, and help keep your skin hydrated.
2. Ferulic Acid & Caffeic Acid - I have spoken about both of these in earlier blogs, and these essentially work as good anti-oxidants when applied on the skin, with caffeic acid said to even have anti-microbial properties which can help get rid of any unwanted guests on your skin, and keeping them away for good.
3. Quinic Acid - Another anti-oxidant which also has been reported to have DNA repair enhancing properties. Theoretically it is understood that Quinic Acid improves cell survival when exposed to a variety of stress factors, however, there are very few studies done to get any concrete evidence regarding this.
(If you want to understand the main components of coffee and their benefits when consumed, here's a good reference paper on the same)
What are the benefits?
1. Hydrating - Caffeine has the ability to reduce transepidermal water loss from the skin, leaving your skin feeling more hydrated and moisturized. Do keep in mind that best results are seen in leave on products and not rinse off products.
2. Reduces puffiness - Caffeine is also known to improve blood circulation (improved results on consumption and not topical application) as well as drain the lymphatics, and it is believed to reduce under eye puffiness. You might have heard about keeping green tea bags on your eyes to reduce puffiness - it's due to the caffeine content in green tea that can potentially help.
3. Temporarily reduce celulite - Caffeine has the right chemical composition to potentially inhibit the compounds in our body that cause cellulite. However, do note that this is temporary and would not deal with the root cause of cellulite, just its appearance. Also, keep in mind that this won't happen over-night, as usual, consistency is key.
4. Anti-microbial - Caffeic Acid has anti-microbial properties and can help keep acne / pimple causing bacteria and germs away. However, this is not strong enough to be used alone to deal with acne, but can help slightly.
5. Sun Damage & Anti-Aging - A significant number of components in coffee beans are strong anti-oxidants, which can help reducing free radical damage, especially those caused by exposure to UVA & UVB rays. Its anti-oxidant properties also mean coffee beans can act as a potent anti-aging agent with the ability to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage, pigmentation, etc.
How safe is it?
Coffee is quite safe to consume as well as apply on the skin.
Regarding caffeine, while most studies show that it can help in the production of procollagen, there has been a study that found that it can inhibit the synthesis of collagen - which is contradictory to most findings.
Keeping this in mind, I do not prefer to use products with caffeine in them regularly, and prefer to limit it to once a week. If you have been using it, and find it beneficial for your skin please do continue as every skin type reacts differently.
Coffee At Home (DIY)
I do not like wasting any product and look to repurpose many products and ingredients. I rarely ever use unbrewed coffee grounds and instead choose to store and reuse larger quantities of brewed coffee grounds to get the required concentration. This also tends to make some of the DIYs mild, which I genuinely prefer rather than taking a strong shot of coffee to the skin.
If you want better and quicker results, I would suggest using fresh coffee grounds. Additionally, packaged coffee would contain some sort of preservatives or additives which are easily digested when consumed, but your skin might not particularly be happy with it and can cause irritation especially for those with sensitive or very sensitive skin. I use normal packaged coffee, however, I would always recommend choosing freshly ground coffee instead, for consumption and topical application as well. It you have a coffee grinder, that's even better.
1. Body Scrub - You can choose to make this ahead of time, or make it as and when you need it. You'd need about a fistful of coffee grounds for your entire body. If you're using used coffee grounds, ensure you dry them beforehand. Mix a fistful of coffee grounds with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil (til oil). Mix this well, you'll want to see that the coffee grounds are well coated with oil but the granules are separate and are not an oily sticky mess. You can use only one oil if you prefer and can substitute it with almond oil or olive oil as well, however, these might be slightly more runny and you might not get the same texture (which is fine).
Uses - This will work as a wonderful exfoliator for your body. You can use the same for the face, but I would prefer using powdered coffee and gentler coffee grounds if you are using it for your face. The skin on your body is tougher than that on your face.
2. Under Eye Packs - There are multiple ways of making under eye packs, however, despite the method, the results will be similar.
Soak used coffee grounds in water and keep it overnight (keep it refrigerated). Once you see the water turn a nice coffee brown you can separate the coffee grounds from it and use just the water. Alternatively you can keep the coffee grounds as they sink to the bottom and use the water from the top. You can directly massage this coffee concentrate to the under eye area which can help reduce puffiness and to a small extent some of the dark circles.
After soaking, you can transfer the water into an ice-cube tray and let it freeze. You can then use the coffee ice-cubes every morning to help reduce puffiness. Keep in mind to never apply ice or anything extremely cold directly to your skin as it could damage it. Use a muslin cloth or any other thin cloth as a barrier between the ice and your skin. Also, this will definitely stain the cloth.
Note: If you're making coffee ice cubes, I'd recommend using fresh coffee grounds instead of used one as some of the goodness might get lost as you'd have to use a cloth as a barrier. Also, if you keep coffee ice cubes around, it's great to make a cold coffee with!
3. Hydrating Mask - Similar to the eye patches, soak the coffee and separate the water from the grounds and keep it refrigerated. You can gently massage the concentrate into your skin till it completely dries. Keep it on for half an hour or so, and rinse your face with luke warm water (if you're not comfortable leaving it on). You can use this once a week as a hydrating mask.
Tip - Alternatively, dip a compressed face mask in this, and use as a sheet mask.
4. For Cellulite - There are many DIYs online that say mix oils with coffee grounds and massage it on cellulite - this will not work! Massaging with any oil will cause slimming of the thighs, and is commonly mistaken for coffee working. The caffeine in coffee will release best when mixed with water and NOT oil. Use fresh coffee grounds and make coffee concentrate. Massage this onto the areas with cellulite and leave it for atleast 15-20 mins before heading to the shower. You can try doing this daily or as frequently as you're comfortable.
Disclaimer - I do NOT have cellulite, and cannot guarantee that this will work, I am just trying to break down the science of how the ingredients will work best. Theoretically caffeine has been noted to help with cellulite, but there is no concrete evidence of the same. I have listed a number of references below - please do take a look if you want to understand more about how it might work.
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The overview of the ingredient has been sourced from multiple reputable websites that provide well researched and latest information on ingredients commonly used in skincare and make-up. Wherever specific facts and figures are mentioned, these have been sourced from published Journals, Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. Wherever, information has been taken from the source, the references will be listed as well.
I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim of the ‘What’s on the label’ segment is to help people understand what the ingredients in their skincare or make-up routines are, and more specifically how these ingredients can deliver benefits to our skin. If I have made any error or mistake, please do let me know, and we can work together to make the necessary changes.
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