Coffee is one of the most traded commodities in the world. I was born in Haiti. For centuries, coffee was one of Haiti’s major export crops. To date, Haitian coffee is one of the best tasteful, potent coffees in the world. For many of us, coffee is a lifeline as we rely on it to start our busy day. However, coffee is more than an energy booster. It has many bioactive compounds that are highly beneficial for our skin’s health, including Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, skin elasticity protection, hyper-pigmentation, and anti-cancer, anti-cellulite, and sun protection. Coffee is also cost-effective, sustainable, safe, and effective.
Just like the skin, the structure of coffee beans is complex. Coffee has several layers: these layers include the skin, pulp, mucilage, parchment, silverskin, and bean. The husk, the pulp, and the silverskin layers of coffee beans are rich in antioxidants. The pulp also has grant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, as well as pigment properties.
The potential topical application for coffee by-products
Antioxidants
Coffee is rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals. There are several antioxidant compounds in coffee: glutathione, vitamins C and E. These antioxidants help to protect the membrane lipids, proteins, DNA, and other macromolecules against several reactive specific including hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion radicals, nitroxide radicals, peroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide. Thus, antioxidant-rich extracts like coffee are good at protecting the skin against oxidative damage due to exposure to sunlight or pollution.
Skin elasticity
Coffee by-products can help protect the elasticity of the skin. It can reduce the appearance of sunspots, redness, and fine lines. The specific part of the coffee that helps keep the skin elasticity intact is the silverskin. The silverskin of the coffee bean contains natural preservatives, antioxidants that help to slow down premature aging, and cellulite. The silverskin also contains phenolic compounds.
Chlorogenic acids are a group of phenolic compounds that are most prevalent in green coffee beans. This phenolic compound has shown to have a high collagenase inhibition. Phenolic also contains great antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory properties. Trigonelline can compounds can be found in the silverskin of coffee. These compounds have several health benefits: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic properties. It also causes attenuation of UV-B mediated photo damage.
Reduced Inflammation
Skin inflammation is rather prevalent in dark-skinned individuals. Skin inflammation can lead to tissue destruction, skin discoloration, and hyperpigmentation. The anti-inflammatory property of coffee helps to increase collagen synthesis. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid (CGA) as well as melanoidins. Studies have linked CGA to reducing hyperpigmentation that may have a connection to inflammation
Reduced Photo Aging Damage
Coffee also reduces the sign of photoaging thanks to the presence of chlorogenic acids. You can use ground coffee to make a soothing treatment for sunburned skin.
Reduced Photo Aging Damage
Coffee also reduces the sign of photoaging thanks to the presence of chlorogenic acids. You can use ground coffee to make a soothing treatment for sunburned skin.
Cellulite treatment
Cellulite is an alteration in the skin surface that leaves it with an irregular and wavy appearance with an orange peel or cottage cheese-type dimpling aspect. Approximately 85%-98% of women develop cellulite after puberty. One of the causes for this alteration is the accumulation of fat in the adipose tissue.
The promotion of lipolysis is one of the main ways to treat cellulite. Caffeine is known to stimulate lipolytic activity. For decades, caffeine extract from the coffee silverskin has been used in the treatment of cellulite. Caffeine is associates with nanoparticles that can cross the skin barrier. During a six-week study, they provided the volunteers with a cream that contained 3.5% water-soluble caffeine and xanthenes as a cellulite treatment. After three weeks, the appearance of cellulite had improved in 36% of the participants. By the sixth week, 86% of the participants showed significant improvement.
Essentially, the study revealed caffeine works wonders on cellulite. Caffeine is a hydrophilic molecule with low water solubility. It can penetrate the dermis to facilitate lipolysis.
In conclusion, coffee offers a wide variety of skin benefits. Of course, like many things, you may be allergic to coffee. In that case, it is always a good practice to follow up with your dermatologist if you experience any side effects during the implementation of coffee in your beauty routine.
On average, desquamation (the shedding of the dead cells) occurs every twenty-eight (28) day. You must give any skin treatment at least a few weeks to perform its magic before becoming discontented with the results or lack thereof.
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References
Érica Mendes dos Santos, Lucas Malvezzi de Macedo, Louise Lacalendola Tundisi, Janaína Artem Ataide, Gisele Anne Camargo, Rita C. Alves, Maria Beatriz P.P. Oliveira, Priscila Gava Mazzola,
Coffee by-products in topical formulations: A review, Trends in Food Science & Technology,Volume 111,2021,Pages 280-291, ISSN 0924-2244, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.02.064. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224421001710)
R. Boran, Investigations of anti-aging potential of hypericum origanifolium Willd for skincare formulations, Industrial crops and products, 118 (2018), pp. 290-295.
