Many experts disagree on how bad coffee is for your skin, but the general consensus is how you drink your coffee and how much you drink, along with other lifestyle factors, can potentially be bad for skin. However, applying coffee topically can actually be very beneficial for your skin.
It doesn’t appear that coffee alone can have a bad impact on your skin. Its effect has more to do with other factors that, in conjunction with coffee, mght pose some risk. This risk does not affect everyone, and there are ways to avoid any risks while still enjoying your coffee.
Can Coffee Dehydrate Your Skin?
Caffeine is dehydrating, so if you drink a lot of coffee without also drinking water, you can become dehydrated. Not getting enough hydration can impact the look and feel of your skin.
When your skin doesn’t get enough hydration through water and moisturizing, it can potentially lead to your skin losing its elasticity, which is how wrinkles form.
Can Coffee With Milk Be Bad For Your Skin?
Dairy is a finicky thing, because it affects everyone differently. It’s possible that if you drink a lot of milky coffee, it could potentially impact your skin if you don’t tolerate dairy well.
It’s worth considering swapping your dairy for dairy-free milk if you can’t go without milk in your cuppa. If your skin is prone to breakouts, try this and see if it helps reduce the amount of breakouts you experience.
Does Coffee Cause Stress?
It is said that an overconsumption of caffeine, especially for those who use it to stay awake, can send your cortisol levels up. Cortisol is the stress hormone in your body, which, when activated, can have negative effects on your body, including your skin.
While this stress could potentially dry out your skin and trigger some breakouts, there is no scientific evidence that coffee itself will be what causes you to break out.
Does Coffee Cause Acne?
There are no definitive studies that can accurately conclude that coffee causes acne. It is possible that a person’s coffee drinking habits can make acne worse, but it will not cause someone who has never had acne to suddenly develop the skin condition.
There is some misunderstanding about coffee’s impact on acne due to widespread misunderstanding of what acne is. If someone gets an occasional zit, that is not acne. Acne is an actual skin condition consisting of recurring breakouts that typically cover a large portion of the face.
Why Do Some People Believe Coffee Causes Acne?
One prominent reason it’s believed coffee causes acne is because of how caffeine can impact cortisol levels, as previously mentioned.
It’s also suspected caffeine can impact insulin and estrogen levels, which can activate breakouts. However, limiting your coffee intake, swapping some cups with decaf, and skipping the milk and sugar should counteract these effects enough that it won’t aggravate acne.
Some people are also more prone to acne than others. There is some evidence that genetics have a part to play in who develops acne. Certain health conditions might make you more sensitive to coffee’s effects, so be sure to ask your doctor about potential interactions with coffee/caffeine and your specific health situation.
Is The Sugar In Your Coffee Bad For Your Skin?
If you have to pour a lot of sugar in your coffee to tolerate the flavor, it might not be the best option for you. If you must have sugar, you may want to limit your coffee consumption.
Glycation is caused by digested sugar sticking to the collagen in your body, which is what helps your skin stay supple and keeps it looking fresh. This process might potentially contribute to signs of aging or unclear skin.
Once again, it’s not necessarily your coffee contributing to skin issues, but the sugar you drink in your coffee.
Can Low Quality Coffee Be Bad For Skin?
There are some experts who believe that coffee made with low quality beans could potentially cause inflammation. Thus, opting for better quality beans or organic coffee beans could eradicate this, as these experts suggest that it gets absorbed into your system better so it doesn’t cause inflammation. Inflammation can show on your skin through redness and dryness.
What About The Antioxidants In Coffee?
Coffee is actually one of the best sources of antioxidants one can consume, and many experts will agree on this. Antioxidants are wonderful for your skin, considering they help reduce inflammation and eliminate free radicals, which are one of the worst things for your skin.
It is often recommended that you drink black coffee to get the best of its benefits without added calories and potential triggers for skin conditions and issues.
Why Are So Many Skin Products Made With Coffee?
Coffee has been used in face and skin products for a long time due to its benefits for the skin. The caffeine content and antioxidant content work wonders from your skin, even when it is applied on the top layer of your skin.
Coffee grounds are used in many facial products, especially eye treatments, because they can also reduce puffiness and redness.
How Else Can Coffee Actually Be Good For Skin?
Some studies have shown that a cooled cup of coffee diluted with water can actually be an effective solution to calm sunburnt skin. Coffee grounds are also an inexpensive natural exfoliator that is not harmful to the environment when rinsed off in the shower.
So Which Experts Are Right About Coffee?
It’s evident that it’s not coffee itself that can be bad for your skin. There are external factors that, when combined with coffee, can potentially have a negative effect on your skin. However, this will not be the case for everyone, as some people are more sensitive to coffee and caffeine than others.
In order to reduce the effects of coffee on your skin, try to reduce what you put into your coffee, avoid overly processed coffee-flavored drinks, and be sure to drink a lot of water in between cups.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.