by Skincare-news.com team
There’s nothing like the latest skin care product to motivate one to run to the store and stock up in hopes of attaining revolutionary results. Such is the case with caffeine, an ingredient that has made its début in the last few years. Though it has experienced quite a wishy-washy past – with studies showing benefits and other research castigating caffeine for its harmful consequences – caffeine is now commonly included in a range of beauty products. So, do skin care products that contain caffeine really work, or is it all decaf baloney?
For instance, instead of your usual cup of morning coffee, you have the option of indulging in a shower that gives you the same buzz – supposedly. Sold as a shower gel or soap, Shower Shock promises to provide you with a wake-me-up equivalent to two cups of caffeine by directly going into the skin.
So, how long do you need to shower to feel these invigorating effects? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Thirty? According to thebeautybrains.com – cosmetic chemists who blog about beauty products – in order to soak up what amounts to one cup of coffee, you’d have to scrub your skin for one hour, minus the rinsing portion of the shower, writes Anna Jane Grossman for The New York Times. Not exactly a quicker alternative.
Oddly innovative and ineffective products aside, what about the beauty merchandise that make up our routine?
Grossman writes that caffeine’s properties as a diuretic and stimulant are the reasons companies are using the ingredient in skin care products. Rewind to 1999 when the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery published a study that found “caffeine-based liposome-encapsulated cream reduced the thickness of fat,†writes Grossman, and you’ll notice that afterwards, a slew of cellulite creams containing caffeine hit the market.
But, there’s no research showing that caffeine actually “works on cellulite,†says dermatologist Michelle Rivera, in an article in The Washingtonian. She adds, “Caffeine is simply not absorbed by the skin; It’s like trying to shove an elephant through the eye of needle.†However, according to a recent study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 80% of women who used a caffeine solution for 30 days saw a reduction in skin dimpling, their skin appeared tighter, and they lost 2 cm off their thighs. This study comes from researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. They essentially sampled 130 women who applied the solution – which contained seven percent caffeine – to one thigh and hip but left their counterparts untouched.
Whether creams banish cellulite is arguable – and an area in need of more research – but they seem to help its appearance. Cellulite creams, explains Linda Wells, Allure’s editor-in-chief, contain caffeine because it dehydrates fat cells, giving skin the appearance of smoothness. If you’d like to see for yourself, try Pevonia Body-Svelt Gel or Bliss Fat Girl Slim.
Caffeine may also reduce puffiness around the eyes and dark circles, says Wells. It works by draining excess lymph fluid and blood short-term. Try Murad Moisture Silk Eye Gel and Murad Essential-C Eye Cream, SPF 15, which include caffeine and work on diminishing puffiness and fine lines.
Interestingly, having a swig of caffeine is anything but helpful for your skin. In an article from SELF magazine, dermatologists state that one of the important tips for looking younger is to avoid drinking caffeine, because it dehydrates the skin and thus accentuates wrinkles.
Products with a coffee-like aroma are also common. But do these really give you the jolt you need? From lip glosses to creams to scrubs, getting a whiff of these beauty products may make you more alert, but only because it’s a learned response for us to connect coffee with feeling energized.
Overall, it appears there isn’t a definitive answer one way or another. Thus far, research has yet to prove caffeine’s benefits for skin. As more studies are conducted, it’ll be interesting to see whether the skin care industry repeats the same contradictory history of caffeine and health.