November 2023 in “Hair transplant forum international” Results are not reported in this abstract, which raises the question of whether caffeine has a stimulating effect on hair growth both in laboratory settings and live subjects.
18 citations
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May 2023 in “Preprints.org” This review provides an overview of caffeine's effects on cancer, cardiovascular, immunological, inflammatory, and neurological diseases, highlighting both its potential benefits, such as neuroprotection and anti-aging, and possible adverse effects like elevated blood pressure, anemia, and migraine.
2 citations
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January 2022 in “Materials today: proceedings” This study suggests that caffeine may enhance hair growth and be beneficial for cosmetic applications due to its high binding affinity to keratin, but further validation is needed.
153 citations
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October 2012 in “Skin Pharmacology and Physiology” This review discusses the use of caffeine in cosmetics for its fat-reducing, antioxidant, and hair growth properties, but reports no new research findings.
August 2024 in “Cosmetics” This review highlights caffeine's diverse benefits in cosmetics and nutricosmetics, noting its antioxidant properties, ability to treat skin disorders like androgenic alopecia, and potential to enhance sunscreen effectiveness, though penetration into deeper skin layers remains challenging.
December 2022 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” This review discusses the potential benefits of using topical caffeine products for treating androgenic alopecia but reports no new clinical findings; the authors highlight caffeine's possible positive effects based on existing studies.
May 2026 in “Revista Iluminart” In this study, researchers found that adding coffee grounds to neutral shampoo, a popular DIY trend, resulted in peak caffeine extraction after seven days, with concentrations surpassing those in commercial products, suggesting educational potential for chemistry classes.
4 citations
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September 1999 in “Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine” Caffeine in hair might help identify people, but it's not always reliable.
January 2026 in “Dermatology Research and Practice” This study found that ex vivo, the skin permeability of caffeine increased with formulations using natural caffeine from coffee extract, particularly when combined with 2.5% Transcutol P, compared to synthetic caffeine formulations.
182 citations
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December 2007 in “BJCP. British journal of clinical pharmacology/British journal of clinical pharmacology” This study demonstrated that hair follicles significantly expedite the absorption of caffeine through the skin compared to interfollicular pathways.
This review examines the roles of adenosine and caffeine in regulating hair growth cycles but reports no new results, highlighting unanswered questions about their specific mechanisms.
60 citations
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May 2014 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This study found that caffeine enhanced hair growth and keratinocyte proliferation in human hair follicles, with female follicles showing greater sensitivity than male ones.
3 citations
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January 2023 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science” This review discusses recent patents on the cosmetic use of coffee and its by-products, highlighting their potential as promising topical formulation ingredients with skin health benefits.
January 2025 in “Molecules” In this review, the authors discuss caffeine's potential mechanisms and benefits as a hair loss treatment, noting its possible effectiveness and safety, though they caution that existing studies often have significant design flaws.
September 2023 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, the authors conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of caffeine supplementation on hair growth, finding the current evidence for caffeine's efficacy remains unclear.
May 2025 in “International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science” This study found that regular caffeine consumption among medical students is linked to a higher risk of insomnia, with around 30% to nearly 50% of those surveyed reporting sleep disorders, and highlights the importance of health education on caffeine's side effects.
January 2024 in “Indonesian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education” In this experimental laboratory study, three cream formulations containing 1% Caffeine Herbasome® were developed and evaluated for stability, homogeneity, pH, dispersion, and adhesion, with results showing satisfactory stability and suitable adhesion properties for skin application.
February 2025 in “Healthcare” In this systematic review, the researchers observed that topical caffeine preparations appear safe and effective against hair loss, but most studies had low-quality evidence due to design flaws, indicating the need for better-designed trials before drawing definitive conclusions.
11 citations
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July 2012 in “International Journal of Trichology” Caffeine may help hair growth in hereditary hair loss.
March 2007 in “International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery” This study found that caffeine stimulated hair follicle growth in an ex vivo model of androgenetic alopecia, counteracting testosterone-induced suppression in male patient samples.
8 citations
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June 2022 in “Cosmetics” This study found that coffee berry extract demonstrated anti-aging properties in skin and hair cells, showing significant anti-collagenase activity and stimulating hair-related gene expression, suggesting its potential for use in cosmeceuticals.
93 citations
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January 2007 in “Skin Pharmacology and Physiology” In this study, caffeine applied in a shampoo penetrated hair follicles faster and more effectively than through the skin surface within the first 20 minutes.
1 citations
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March 2025 in “Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research” This publication overview describes the Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research's rigorous peer review process and their focus on genetic, biomedical, and technical knowledge research within an open access format, but does not report specific study results.
1 citations
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July 2023 in “Cosmetics” This study found that a novel shampoo formulation effectively delivers caffeine to hair follicles, with 8–9% of absorbed caffeine reaching the follicles, suggesting it may support hair retention by enhancing antioxidant activity.
33 citations
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September 2006 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science” This study found that applying caffeine significantly improved the skin barrier function of male volunteers by reducing transepidermal water loss compared to female volunteers.
This review discusses caffeine's potential role in treating androgenetic alopecia by counteracting DHT effects on hair follicles and enhancing cell proliferation, but reports no new clinical results.
35 citations
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January 2018 in “Skin pharmacology and physiology” This study found that nanoemulsion formulations with oleic acid or eucalyptol significantly enhanced the delivery and retention of caffeine through hair follicles and surrounding skin regions.
In this study, the SFE-4 extract from coffee pulp demonstrated potential effects for treating androgenetic alopecia by enhancing cell proliferation and gene expression related to hair growth pathways in vitro, using human hair follicle dermal papilla and prostate cancer cells.
October 2025 in “Journal of Drugs in Dermatology” This study suggests that topical caffeine may be a safe and promising treatment for hair loss, but the researchers highlight the need for more large-scale randomized trials to confirm its efficacy.