Wake Up Your Skin With Caffeine

When thinking of caffeine, most of us think of that intense energy kick delivered by a strong espresso shot. However, thanks to some of its qualities, caffeine can also have a place in your skin care products, including our ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion and Body Scrub. Here’s how your skin can benefit from a dermal caffeine kick.

Caffeine is a natural chemical that has a stimulant effect on the body. Most of us consume it in the way of hot and cold coffee and tea drinks and beverages, and enjoy it for the tingly stimulation in delivers to our central nervous system, usually early in the morning when we want to jump-start the day.

Coffee and Skin

Used in Asian and Arabic traditional medicine for centuries for its biological activities, when combined with the right ingredients, caffeine can also deliver positive effects to the skin. While this means that drinking copious amounts of coffee or washing your face with black tea will most certainly not reduce wrinkles, topical applications containing caffeine, however, can deliver certain benefits to the skin, like photo-protection and reduced inflammation. Let’s take a closer look.

Antioxidant

Caffeine is a popular antioxidant, which is why some drinks like green tea mention it on their packaging. Antioxidants protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals – those molecules that cause oxidative stress in cells, causing fine lines, hyperpigmentation, dryness, sagging and dullness. Furthermore, free radicals attack skin structures, damaging collagen and elastin fibers that keep the skin firm and smooth. Creams and lotions containing caffeine, like ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion, can deliver antioxidants to the body and protect your skin from the effects of oxidative stress. 

Anti-inflammatory

Caffeine has vasoconstrictor properties, which means it has the ability to constrict blood vessels, reducing blood flow. As caffeine can penetrate the skin barrier, it can help reduce inflammation by restricting the amount of blood in the area. This is one reason caffeine is often used in under-eye creams aiming to reduce puffiness. Products like ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion, containing caffeine, marine chitosan and moisturising coconut oil, help to reduce redness or inflammation in the skin, offering a cooling effect and a shot of hydration.

Helps protect from sun damage

Thanks to its potent antioxidant properties, caffeine helps protect cells from harmful UVB rays. UV radiation is the number one cause of premature skin aging, so boosting your UV protection is welcome at every chance. UV radiation accelerates photoaging of the skin, reduces skin elasticity by inhibiting collagen production and can cause wrinkles, dark spots, redness, cracking of skin blood vessels, even certain types of cancer. Double-up on your sun protection by keeping skin hydrated and moisturised and by applying a sunscreen with a SFP of 30 or higher before spending time outdoors. ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion, contains caffeine, soothing aloe vera and photo-protective Vitamin E among other nutrients, and helps to lock in moisture and keep the lipid layer of the skin healthy.

Reduces the look of cellulite by retaining moisture

Cellulite is a complex disorder involving the microcirculatory and lymphatic systems, the extracellular matrix and the presence of excess fat in the hypodermis layer of the skin. Caffeine can enhance microcirculation of the blood in capillary vessels and affect intracellular signalling pathways. In turn, this can help to remove the accumulation of fat, waste and toxins from body tissues by stimulating lymphatic drainage, reducing the signs of cellulite. Stimulate your blood microcirculation with ChitoCare beauty Body Scrub, containing caffeine, marine chitosan, and walnut shell and bamboo stem micro-granules, that work to slough away dry and flaky skin, exfoliating the surface and making way for new cell growth.