Ingredient glossary
Caffeine
On your shelf ✓What Caffeine does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Caffeine
In short: Caffeine delivers antioxidant and de puffing, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is moderate. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently.
- What it does
- Antioxidant, de puffing
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently
- Evidence
- Moderate
The molecule
The Glow take
Nice to have, and nothing to overthink.
Caffeine plays a quiet supporting role, rounding out a formula rather than being the reason you buy it.
— Maya
What it does
- antioxidant
- de puffing
- microcirculation
moderate evidenceSmall eye area trials with three percent caffeine creams and combination protocols show reductions in periorbital edema and dark circle scores but sample sizes…
Why we say this
- Small eye area trials with three percent caffeine creams and combination protocols show reductions in periorbital edema and dark circle scores but sample sizes and effect sizes are modest.
On a label: usually effective at 1-3%.
How much do you need?
2%+
The vehicle-controlled trials worked from 2%; no published dose comparison sets a ceiling.
The trials, and what they used
- Floor 2%: Therefore, 2% CAF nano-cream formulation containing LAN was chosen for clinical testing.
- (Ponto 2026, Curtin University: a double-blind, placebo-controlled paired trial on 24 women's thighs, cellulite grade at 12 weeks - the body, not the eye.) The periorbital claim has no supporting dose: the one vehicle-controlled split-eye trial gave 34 volunteers 3% caffeine gel on one lid and the gel base on the other after a sleepless night and the swelling did not differ, a paper PubMed does not index (Amnuaikit 2011, cited in this base).
- The cellulite figure is a 7% caffeine solution applied for a month with thigh circumference falling in over 80% of treated women and no untreated arm, and the microcirculation it was meant to change did not (Lupi 2007).
- The other indexed trials are hair products at 0.2% (Dhurat 2017) and multi-active slimming lotions (Escalante 2019, Roure 2011).
- Products carry 1 to 3% around the eye and nothing measured shows any of it does what the label says.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- normal
- combo
- oily
- periorbital concerns
Approach with care
- very sensitive
- compromised barrier
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskModerate
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveTake care
Often chosen for periorbital concerns. Take extra care if any of these apply to you: compromised barrier.
Where it fits in your routine
Plays well with
- peptides
- retinoids
- vitamin c
Caffeine, answered
Is Caffeine safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Caffeine is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Caffeine?
Approach Caffeine with care if any of these apply to you: very sensitive and compromised barrier. Its irritation risk is moderate, so introduce it slowly and patch test first.
What concentration of Caffeine actually works?
Caffeine tends to do its job in the 1 to 3% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
During pregnancy
Treat Caffeine as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
Compare Caffeine with
18 comparisons built, the 1 most looked-up above.
Can you mix Caffeine with
2 pairings built, the 1 most looked-up above.
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Sources & how we reviewed this
- PMID 39049435abstract read, not the full text
What changed on this page
- : the effective dose from trials, the highest dose tested
- : what the EU regulates
- : sources, the effective dose from trials