Could your Morning Coffee Protect you Against UV Damage?

Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, with many common sources including coffee, tea, and soft drinks. In addition to being used as a food item, several applications have been devised of this compound in the treatment of various conditions affecting the skin, especially with regards to protection against UV damage.

What we know:

• Oral caffeine consumption is linked to a variety of antioxidant effects, with low doses of caffeine reducing skin senescence and UV-mediated damage through the elimination of free radicals. Topical application of caffeine onto UVB irradiated skin also reduces UV-induced skin roughness post-exposure and other physical skin parameters associated with UV damage (Li et al., 2018; Koo et al., 2007)

• Consistent topical application of caffeine could reduce the risk of skin tumour formation by inducing the death of cells irradiated with UV radiation, and reduce the formation of both nonmalignant tumours and malignant cell carcinomas by 44% and 72% respectively after 20 weeks of irradiation (Lu et al., 2002)

• It may reduce photoageing by inhibiting enzymes responsible for degrading proteins like collagen and elastase that keep the skin firm and flexible, being able to reach a maximum inhibition of 41.86 and 36.44% for collagenase and elastase respectively (Eun Lee et al., 2019)

• Caffeine could reduce the effects of skin conditions like rosacea, with one study reporting an inverse relationship between dose-dependent caffeine consumption and risk of rosacea in over 4000 women. This can be explained by its ability to trigger vasoconstriction to limit blood pressure and risk of skin flushing (Li et al., 2018; Terai et al., 2012).

• Another reported the beneficial effects of green tea extract dietary supplementation on the skin metabolome promoting the production of metabolites associated with increased skin barrier function, reduced erythema formation and improving UV stress response (Jung et al., 2019).

Industry impact & potential:

Its UV-protectant and antioxidative properties have meant several companies have started implementing caffeine into their skincare formulations. Clinique’s Even Better™ City Block™ Brightening Aqua Gel + Anti-Pollution Primer contains caffeine that helps absorb and protect the skin against UVA/B waves while also preventing dark spots forming. MDSolarSciences’ caffeine-containing Mineral BB Crème SPF 50 helps reduce skin discoloration and redness, while also providing broad spectrum protection from UV & blue light.

Link to Sequential:

Sequential’s in vivo end-to-end testing pipeline can provide clients with detailed reports on the efficacy of their product in protecting both the microbiome, including whether the inclusion of ingredients like caffeine can being about such photoprotective effects, as well as expert formulation advice for those seeking to optimise the power of their formulation.

References:

Eun Lee K, Bharadwaj S, Yadava U, Gu Kang S. Evaluation of caffeine as inhibitor against collagenase, elastase and tyrosinase using in silico and in vitro approach. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem. 2019 Dec;34(1):927-936. doi: 10.1080/14756366.2019.1596904. PMID: 31039625; PMCID: PMC6493221.

Jung ES, Park JI, Park H, Holzapfel W, Hwang JS, Lee CH. Seven-day Green Tea Supplementation Revamps Gut Microbiome and Caecum/Skin Metabolome in Mice from Stress. Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 5;9(1):18418. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-54808-5. PMID: 31804534; PMCID: PMC6895175.

Koo SW, Hirakawa S, Fujii S, Kawasumi M, Nghiem P. Protection from photodamage by topical application of caffeine after ultraviolet irradiation. Br J Dermatol. 2007 May;156(5):957-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2007.07812.x. Epub 2007 Mar 28. PMID: 17388926.

Li S, Chen ML, Drucker AM, Cho E, Geng H, Qureshi AA, Li WQ. Association of Caffeine Intake and Caffeinated Coffee Consumption With Risk of Incident Rosacea in Women. JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Dec 1;154(12):1394-1400. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.3301. PMID: 30347034; PMCID: PMC6583325.

Lu YP, Lou YR, Xie JG, Peng QY, Liao J, Yang CS, Huang MT, Conney AH. 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 U S A. 2002 Sep 17;99(19):12455-60. doi: 10.1073/pnas.182429899. Epub 2002 Aug 30. PMID: 12205293; PMCID: PMC129466.

Terai N, Spoerl E, Pillunat LE, Stodtmeister R. The effect of caffeine on retinal vessel diameter in young healthy subjects. Acta Ophthalmol. 2012 Nov;90(7):e524-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.02486.x. Epub 2012 Aug 3. PMID: 22863322.