Recent patent applications for coffee and coffee by-products as active ingredients in cosmetics

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, and its production and consumption generate large amounts of by-products annually. Coffee by-products and coffee beans are rich in bioactive compounds of great commercial value, including potential applications as active ingredients in skin care products and cosmetic formulations. In addition, there has been growing interest in the use of natural ingredients for cosmetic purposes. Considering the importance of coffee in the world economy, its chemical constituents with potential for cosmetic and dermatological application, and the importance of patents for innovation and technological development, the present study aimed to review recent patents involving coffee and coffee by-product use in cosmetics.

This review was carried out using Espacenet. The following inclusion criteria were established: patents that included the terms "coffee" and "skin" in the title, abstract and claims and belonged to the classification A61Q, which is related to the "specific use of cosmetics or similar toilet preparations" considering the International Patent Classification (IPC) or Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).

Considering the 52 patents analysed, the bean was the main way to obtain extracts (39), followed by green beans (7), silverskin (3), peel and pulp (1), pulp (1) and beans and leaves (1). The formulations are mainly intended for use in nonspecific areas of skin (29), eye areas (12), scalp hair (9) and lip skin (2) with claims of anti-ageing, moisturizers, sun protection, hair growth, anti-dandruff, etc. CONCLUSION: Coffee and its residues have high amounts of phenolic compounds, caffeine, fatty acids and other substances known to have important biological properties for the skin. Coffee and its by-products are promising ingredients to be incorporated into topical formulations, ensuring skin health benefits and reducing the environmental impact.