There is a reason coffee is a revered beverage almost everywhere in the world, and it’s benefits aren’t just bound to a hot cuppa java or a tall skinny latte. It turns out coffee isn’t just a pick-me-up to your energy; it’s also a vital boost to your skin. In addition to the benefits of its caffeine content, green coffee bean oil provides a highly concentrated source of essential fatty acids, sterols, and vitamin E. Green coffee oil provides a wide range of enhancements to your skin’s overall function, well-being, and appearance that is rarely found in any one ingredient.
Dr. Gary Goldfaden reports that green coffee bean oil’s “potent antioxidants…can offer protection against skin damage such as sunburn cell formation and DNA degradation”. He states further, “It can also assist in the prevention of the development of photoaging (skin damage by sunlight exposure) and inflammatory skin disorders.”[1] All this, and you don’t even have to add cream and sugar!
A scientific study on the effects of organic green coffee bean oil on skin cells explains the bio-chemistry of green coffee oil’s magic. “Collagens and elastin form a three-dimensional network that constitutes the architectural basis of the dermis, and are involved in skin integrity, suppleness, and plasticity.”[2] In their tests on human skin cultures, these scientists found that collagen and elastin production was increased by up to 2x in the skin exposed to green coffee oil as compared to a control group. In addition, green coffee oil can promote the skin’s overall metabolic function. (Science geeks see footnotes below).
Simply put for people more interested in taking fabulous care of their skin and looking younger and more radiant than in geeking out on Science, green coffee oil has been found to boost collagen, increase the skin’s elasticity, promote skin hydration. Green coffee oil is also known to improve the skin’s barrier function, protecting skin from water loss and aging environmental aggressors. Further, studies have shown that green coffee oil’s high glycerol content promotes lipid production – which creates a protective barrier in the sebum (think skin plumping and retained hydration for a more youthful, supple look to your skin).[3]
What is the net result of all of this bio-magic? According to scientific studies, choosing to include products replete with green coffee oil in your skincare regime can: decrease the appearance of wrinkles, increase your skin’s natural hydration[4], diminish the effects of sun exposure, protect the integrity of your skin, and improve your skin’s natural physiological balance. Green coffee oil’s natural anti-oxidant ability helps prevent the negative effects of those nasty free radicals (the one context in which free is bad for you). Green coffee oil’s high content of fatty acids is known to have a naturally anti-inflammatory and protective effect on the skin, reducing puffiness and promoting cell repair. In other words, not only will your skin look healthier – softer, more radiant, and more youthful – but it will actually be healthier on a cellular level. Now that’s taking care of yourself from the inside out!
Hmmm…where can I get some of this?
[1]Goldfaden, G., MD, & Goldfaden, R. (2013, November). Life Extension Magazine, (November).
[2]Del Carmen Velazquez Pereda, M., De Campos Dieamant, G., Eberlin, S., et al (2009). Effect of green Coffea arabica L. seed oil on extracellular matrix components and water-channel expression in in vitro and ex vivo human skin models. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology,8, 56-62.
[3]“Green coffee (Coffea arabica L.) seed oil displays a diverse range of bioactive secondary metabolites with important antioxidant ability, preventing deleterious actions of free radicals.
The diterpenes cafestol and kahweol have been identified as two potentially chemoprotective and anti-inflammatory agents in green and roasted coffee beans. Tocopherols (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-) and fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidic, andbehenic acids) are well-known compounds that have protective effects against skin damage such as sunburn cell formation, DNA degradation, and lipid peroxidation, preventing the development of photoaging and inflammatory skin disorders.”
[4]“Furthermore, glycerol content correlates with lipid synthesis, which contributes to the maintenance of cutaneous function through the formation of a protective lipid film on the skin surface. The basis of this film is sebum, which becomes mixed with sweat and stratum corneum lipids, resulting in a water-retaining emulsified layer over the skin surface, which prevents transepidermal water loss and keeps the skin healthy and smooth.