More Than Just a Morning Pick-Me-Up
Key Ingredient — Caffeine
Caffeine is an alkaloid found in many plant beans, leaves, and fruits, including coffee, tea, cocoa, guarana, and kola nuts. Many of us are familiar with caffeine from our morning cup of coffee, but research is now showing that topically applied caffeine can also give your complexion a boost! Caffeine’s many known benefits make it an important component of Apriori Beauty’s NutrientReservoir.
Caffeine as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory | Caffeine contains high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, important for protecting skin cells from the damaging effects of oxidative stress. By nourishing the skin and protecting against inflammatory responses, caffeine can help address the accelerated aging that is associated with environmental exposure.
Caffeine as natural sun protection | An increasing body of research has shown that topically applied caffeine may help inhibit cellular damage caused by exposure to UVB rays. When applied prior to sun exposure, caffeine can help filter UVB rays and decrease DNA damage; after exposure, topically applied caffeine can encourage the death of damaged cells, potentially helping prevent skin cancer development.
Caffeine as a vasoconstrictor | Caffeine is well known as a vasoconstrictor, a compound capable of reducing the size of blood vessels in the skin. In topical applications, these vasoconstrictive properties of caffeine may be particularly effective in addressing redness associated with rosacea, and for helping reduce the appearance of dark under eye circles.
Caffeine is found in several of Apriori Beauty’s products, including Celloxylin Activating Tonic, Firming Complex, Eye + Lip Age Eraser, Day Defense Plus, Night Repair 3Deep, Precision Skin Rejuvenator, and Hydro-Burst Moisture Intense Lotion.
Koo SW, Hirakawa S, Fujii S, Kawasumi M, Nghiem P. Protection from photodamage by topical application of caffeine after ultraviolet irradiation. British Journal of Dermatology 2007; 156(5): 957-964.
Lu Y, Lou Y, Xie J, et al. Topical applications of caffeine or (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) inhibit carcinogenesis and selectively increase apoptosis in UVB-induced skin tumors in mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 202; 99(9): 12455-12460.
Shi X, Dalal NS, Jain AC. Antioxidant behavior of caffeine: Efficient scavenging of hydroxyl radicals. Food and Chemical Toxicology 29(1): 1-6.
Lisa Holmes Indianapolis Independant Consultant http://www.aprioribeauty.com/ic/lisaholmes
Posted on August 24, 2011
