Coffee has become quite popular in the world of wellness thanks to increasing studies of its properties and benefits for health and skin. You’ve probably heard about coffee grounds being used in skincare… Maybe you already use them yourself to scrub your hands, body and face after you’ve enjoyed your morning cup.
But, have you stopped to think, what exactly is it about coffee that makes it so good for skin? The grounds themselves only serve to exfoliate, the real good stuff is actually inside those grounds…
We’re talking about essential fatty acids like linoleic acid - a.k.a Omega 6 - and antioxidants like tocopherols and polyphenols, responsible for scavenging free radicals - protecting and repairing your skin from damage caused by photoaging (UVB). These elements are what Kaffe Bueno extracts from used coffee grounds, in the form of an oil; Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil - creative, right?
What is Recycled Coffee Oil and Why Is It Good?
Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil is a carrier oil, used as an active ingredient for natural personal care products. It is the first commercially-available upcycled coffee oil, and one of the handful of upcycled active cosmetic ingredients in the world.
Among its active compounds, it has more tocopherol content (Vitamin E family) than soybean oil. Vitamin E - major lipophilic antioxidant - is an efficient scavenger of alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals [Wang & Quinn, 1999]. This means it prevents and protects your skin from stress caused by oxygen in the air. Plus, it prevents lipids and lipid-containing ingredients from oxidation during storage = extending stability and shelf life of products.
These antioxidants mean that coffee oil has insanely good moisture retention and skin penetration capabilities, protecting your skin from detrimental agents that it's constantly exposed to on a daily basis; like UVB and pollution; which are main causes of skin ageing.
Furthermore, we cannot talk about coffee’s insides without talking about caffeine content. The caffeine content in coffee oil stimulates blood microcirculation, making it effective for cellulite treatments.
After carrying out a pertinent composition analysis of the oil (table below) we were able to quantify its compounds and compare it to other vegetable oils used as ingredients in cosmetics.
This helped us get a better idea of the products in which the oil would work best. But before making any claims, we proceeded to carry out further testing.
What can Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil be used for?
Uses in moisturisation, anti-ageing, skin whitening and repairing, anti-cellulite, sun care and hair care formulations have been demonstrated through in vitro efficacy tests on Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil, carried out by a partner laboratory in Madrid, Spain.
Compared to other specialty carrier oils, coffee oil contains the highest level of polyphenols ever to be found in a vegetable oil, [4 times higher than the highest quality of olive oil] and high level of saturated fatty acids, namely stearic acid and palmitic acid. When it comes to unsaturated fatty acids - also known as omega 3 and omega 6 - the oil has an important concentration of linoleic acid and linolenic acid, as well.
All of these biologically active components allow coffee oil to have a variety of applications: for instance, it is a valuable ingredient in skin firming products thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of caffeine and its collagen boosting effects.
Caffeine also proves effective in skincare products targeting the eye-area as it increases blood circulation, thus reducing eye contour discolouration and puffiness.
Finally, the antioxidants and caffeine also provide protection against skin UV damage.
Its coffee scent has aromatherapeutic effects, as it stimulates your central nervous system by elevating serotonin and dopamine, meaning it is also good for improving your mood, reducing stress while invigorating your body. You will feel calm, clean and clear. Due to its quick penetration, the scent doesn't last more than 10 minutes on the skin. This adds to the enjoyable application of the oil and provides a few minutes of invigoration to the daily skincare routine.
To sum up, Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil has demonstrated to be an active multifunctional ingredient for skin and hair care products with a high multitude of applications- from moisturising to skin whitening and to repair.
How is Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil produced?
In collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute [DTI], Kaffe Bueno spent the last 14 months optimising the oil extraction process from recycled coffee grounds the team collected from selected partners around Copenhagen, including Social Coffee and KPH, and has made a partnership with BC Hospitality Group to collect all their grounds from their hotels and conference centers (Marriot, Crowne Plaza, Bella Sky, Bella Center and Forum).
Above: Kaffe Bueno's collaboration with DTI Laboratories
Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil is extracted from used coffee grounds using only natural solvents, including H2O, pressure, heat and CO2. Extraction temperatures used are even lower than cold press, ensuring the preservation of bioactive compounds.
But wait, wouldn’t you get more benefits extracting oil from non-used coffee?
Initially, we thought so too. But, after A LOT of research, we found out that less than 1% of coffee’s compounds are actually used when brewing your cup, and its oil fraction remains intact. The remaining 99% has [sadly] been treated as waste since forever. So, the answer is no - the oil extracted from roasted coffee beans is no different in composition from our recycled coffee oil.
Why would I buy Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil instead of current coffee oils in the market?
Yes, we’ve agreed our coffee oil is technically composed of the same compounds that make other coffee oils 'Bueno' for you - so, if you are a cosmetic formulator/manufacturer/brand, why would choose our oil instead of existing coffee oils?
First of all, impact. Existing coffee oils in the market are extracted from green or roasted beans, which immediately kills coffee’s lifecycle, generating tonnes of waste a year. Over 9 billion kilos of coffee are consumed every year worldwide, with most of it ending up in landfills where it generates trillions of tonnes of methane every year. Since we use recycled coffee grounds, we avert 340m3 of methane being released into the environment for every tonne of coffee we use to extract this oil. With a 1600 tonnes objective in less than 5 years, we will avert the equivalent to the emissions of 3 million cars a year.
Moreover, extracting oil from green or roasted coffee means high and volatile costs of production, resulting in high prices. Our circular model allows us to price our oil at a fraction of current coffee oil producers.
Last but certainly not least, quality. While most coffee oils used in the cosmetic industry come from coffee beans discarded as not good enough for consumption, our oil comes from only specialty [and mostly] organic coffee beans from highly trusted and traceable origins. And, the extraction method we use is far less intrusive than cold press, preserving the whole spectrum of bioactive compounds.
So, you save the planet and save on costs… pretty good, right?
In these times of increased demand for green and responsible products, our Recycled Coffee Oil brings extra value to skincare brands and consumers, far beyond just being less expensive than other coffee oils. Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil is natural and produced in an environmentally friendly way, without any chemical solvents. Most importantly, it is sustainable since it contributes to reducing coffee waste and therefore to minimising CO2 and methane emissions. What’s not to love?
Who Can Buy Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil and Where?
At the moment, we have a small-scale production. We are taking pre-orders from cosmetic distributors, cosmetic manufacturers and brands for 2019, as this is when we will establish our own biorefinery to expand our capabilities. We're prioritising quality over quantity.
If you are thinking of joining our mission to unlock coffee's health potential while reducing carbon footprint in coffee and cosmetic industries, feel free to contact us to have a chat. We’d love to hear from you!
If you are an individual and want to see this oil in your products, please share this article and help us spread the word :)
Learn more about Kaffe Bueno Recycled Coffee Oil here.