Skin Penetration of Caffeine and Cafestol Using Liposomes: Exploring the Benefits of a Combined Delivery System

January 2026 in “ AAPS PharmSciTech ”

Nubul Albayati, Amitkumar Virani, Sesha Rajeswari Talluri, Bożena Michniak-Kohn

caffeine cafestol liposomes antioxidant anti-inflammatory skin penetration dermis epidermis encapsulation efficiency cytotoxicity green coffee beans

TLDR Liposomal formulations with caffeine and cafestol enhance skin penetration effectively.

This study developed a novel liposomal system to enhance the skin penetration of caffeine (CF) and cafestol (CA) from green coffee beans, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Using formulations with 1% CF and either 0.13% or 0.07% CA, the study tested skin permeation with human cadaver skin. The results showed that formulation F9 (1% CF, 0.13% CA) significantly improved skin penetration, doubling CF levels in the dermis and increasing CA levels by 5.5-fold in the dermis and 35-fold in the epidermis. Despite lower CF permeability compared to the control, F9 demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency and safety in cytotoxicity studies. These findings suggest that liposomal formulations combining CF and CA are promising for topical applications and warrant further clinical investigation.