Mar 2003, Spa Magazine, p.44

The Magic Bean

Try coffee on your body for beautiful skin.

You would think that coffee is a bad word in spas, where cucumber-infused water and steaming cups of herbal tea reign. But that notion is changing as the beauty business wakes up to the healthy side of java.

"It's an astringent, antioxidant, and a deodorant," says Stephanie Profitt, a founder of BODYCOFFEE™, a recent entry in the spa skincare and treatment arena. "It cleanses, moisturizes, and protects the skin from the dulling and damaging effects of environmental toxins, and it stimulates micro-cellular circulation, which can diminish the appearance of cellulite." And, according to a recent study at Rutgers University, topically applied caffeine may even help protect against skin cancer.

Profitt discovered the benefits of coffee while working in Moscow in 1996, where she made regular visits to the banya - traditional Russian spa. There, spa-goers rubbed coffee grounds on their bodies as part of a stimulating exfoliation. "It was so amazing, I wondered why we didn't use it topically here in the U.S."

Now we do. Spas like Ten Thousand Waves in Santa Fe, New Mexico, The Day Spa at Ojai, California, and Burke Williams Day Spas in Los Angeles all use BODYCOFFEE™ products in their treatments.

Complementary natural ingredients boost the bean's beautifying power. Invigorating Body Polish enlists Dead Sea salts with magnesium and potassium to further detoxify the skin, while the coffee grounds work on decreasing the appearance of cellulite. Hydrating Body Balm uses soybean and hemp seed oils to delivery moisture plus vitamin E and coffee extract to act as antioxidants. But the Moisturizing Body Lotion is our favorite: Shea butter and aloe vera refresh and hydrate, while extract of coffee flower subtly scents the skin with a delicate jasminelike fragrance.

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