Just like fashion trends that come and go, the beauty world is marked by sweeping crazes. In recent years, we’ve seen a frenzy over oils - specifically rosehip, argan and jojoba, followed by micellar water and a push for peptides. Now, the industry has set its sights on stimulants. While they feature in our diets (who isn’t indulging in a daily cup or five of coffee?), there’s been a strong move for stimulants to be incorporated into our beauty regimes.
No downtime
Liquid Skin Care owner Anthony McDonough believes the shift is a result of consumers being both results-driven and impatient. “There is an increasing expectation that products deliver more than ever before… Stimulant use will be driven by the consumers’ desire to seek out products that actually deliver real benefits,” he argues.
He says customers are not prepared to pay big bucks if they are not going to be satisfied with the results - hence why stimulants are booming. “If skincare products aren’t able to produce a significant difference to the skin, then you have to question why would you use them. The industry can’t continue to just sell hope,” says McDonough. Cosmeceutical offering agrees, saying consumers are no longer interested in “downtime”.
Swisse skincare head Jason Buesst agrees stimulants are making waves because consumers want to improve the delivery and efficacy of skincare products. “Stimulants are now a hugely popular ingredient. I believe we will continue to see it as an ingredient in products designed to ‘wake up’ your skin - such as eye creams and day creams, as well as in body products designed to improve skin texture.”
It’s all about caffeine
Caffeine in particular has taken the beauty world by storm. Cosmetics Design recently reported The British Journal of Dermatology discovered the ingredient has the ability to “overwrite the unwanted side effects that testosterone can have on a man’s skin, scalp and hair”.
Alongside products that prevent the thinning of hair, caffeine’s most recent incarnation is in the form of a shaving cream. Its makers, Pacific Shaving Company, firmly believe the ingredient is an incredible multi-purpose addition. Founder Stan Ades says: “Caffeine is a versatile ingredient with many health benefits and, when topically applied, the benefits of caffeine can take effect very quickly.” According to the company, caffeine is an effective antioxidant and vasoconstrictor that helps to reduce swelling and redness.
McDonough is also incorporating caffeine into his latest creations, explaining: “We’ve recently developed a body wash which we will be launching soon that has coffee bean oil as a key active ingredient. Not only does it smell amazing without adding any fragrance or phthalates to the product, but it also works as a stronger antioxidant than green tea. There is also a lot of research around the benefits of caffeine in reducing the appearance of cellulite in the skin, and who wouldn’t want that in a body wash?”
Buesst is also a fan of caffeine, saying it boosts circulation, making it ideal to include in products like eye creams. He explains: “The key benefit here is the caffeine reduces stagnation of blood and lymph, which increases blood flow. With increased blood flow, you can reduce undereye puffiness and dark circles, and improve the appearance of cellulite which can be exacerbated by reduced circulation.”
Getting a daily vitamin fix
Vitamins are just as popular as caffeine when it comes to stimulant use in beauty. Indermica incorporates vitamins in its products to “stimulate the skin’s own regeneration process by preventing tissue breakdown from free radical damage”.
The majority of beauty brands tend to favour vitamin C. A stimulant of elastin and collagen, the ingredient is often found in products that target anti-ageing
The crystal ball
As for the future of beauty and stimulants? The experts believe their relationship will be steady. Buesst says: “One of the newest developments in cosmetic chemistry is looking for substances that stimulate aquaporins (key protein channels responsible for water transport into the skin). Some of the substances that are capable of enhancing skin hydration through aquaporin stimulation are caffeine, glycerol, and peptides.”
He adds there will be a noticeable shift towards natural caffeine - as is fitting of a wellbeing-obsessed age. “Caffeine is an alkaloid, which is a well-known stimulant, and guarana is chemically nearly identical, so its use in skincare will also be on the increase.”
With their immediate, visible results, it’s clear why stimulants are now beloved by beauty’s leading innovators. As for consumers, if heightening our results and lessening our waiting periods is what we will receive in return, it sounds like a little stimulation is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.
