It’s great news for any of us that always need a little bit of a caffeine boost in the morning, but caffeine has recently been put the test in skincare. Everyone knows the benefits of coffee on your body during the day but what does it do for your skin?
Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, which means that it works to constrict the flow of blood in your capillaries. This lack of blood to the surface of your skin can benefit people that need help in calming in their skin. “It’s also a powerful antioxidant, so topical application can help fight free-radical damage.” cosmetic dermatologist Dr Frances Prenna Jones. Antioxidants are massively important when it comes to looking after your skin. As they protect your skin from free radical and oxidative stress that can be caused by the environment. Free radicals are unstable molecules in the environment that want to steal electrons to fill the outer shell of their molecule. In most cases, it has been found that they claim electrons from our skin, which can leave it looking dull and help the premature appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Not only does caffeine protect your skin from this but it also can help your skin look more energised. "When caffeine is combined with other ingredients, we combine it with ginseng, it can energise the skin and optimise cellular energy to help keep skin hydrated, conditioned and looking fresh," explains Lizz Starr. "Not only that, but it's a great anti-irritant and promotes skin smoothing."
However, there can be some downsides to using Caffeine in your regular routine. Paula Begoun summarises, “Unfortunately, research into caffeine’s effects in this regard are mixed. There is little research indicating that caffeine can have any benefit for puffy eyes; in fact, some research has shown that caffeine has an inhibitory action on a key protein in skin that helps it look younger. Truly, it’s a mix of pros and cons for skin, though lower amounts (less than one per cent) in skincare products probably doesn’t present much, if any risk.” There has also been debate over the way in which caffeine is absorbed in our skin. Dr Prenna Jones says, “It's not the concentration of caffeine within a product that necessarily key, but whether caffeine can penetrate sufficiently when applied topically. For instance, a study published in the British Pharmacology Journal in 2009 looked at the penetration into the skin, and found that it was limited.”
Caffeine can be found in our Anti-Cellulite Reshaping Miracle Treatment. Caffeine has been known to reduce the appearance of Cellulite. The antioxidants within caffeine can work to help your skin to produce more collagen and plump your skin, therefore make the appearance of cellulite less obvious. Dr Prenna Jones notes, “Caffeine has dehydrating properties, which means that it can reduce fluids in cellulite tissue, although this can perhaps be regarded as a temporary fix.”
