INCI: Caffeine
99.9% Pure Pharmaceutical Grade
Pharmaceutical Grade: What does it mean?
There are basically three different grades of raw materials used in products:
* Pharmaceutical Grade - meets pharmaceutical standards.
* Food Grade - meets standards set for human consumption.
* Feed Grade - meets standards set for animal consumption.
The difference between each grade type is one of quality and purity. In technical terms, no substance is 100% pure, for there are always other substances added to various products. The difference between the grades is one of how much of these other substances are present in the product.
There are several criteria by which pharmaceutical grades are judged. The product must be in excess of 99% purity with no binders, fillers, excipients, dyes, or unknown substances.
United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
The USP provides assurance to the consumer, as well as those involved in manufacturing and processing, that the quality and purity of the raw materials utilized are of pharmaceutical grade. Consequently, the USP guarantees a certain standard of excellence sold only through physicians and selected pharmacies. The bottom line is, if the product is not manufactured properly it may not work or could cause side effects. If you're not sure what you are buying, ask for the facts.
Caffeine Powder has skin firming, toning, and astringent effects. It works to eliminate puffiness. It improves circulation to the surface area to which it is applied.
Let's explore the concept of
slimming effects of Caffeine.
Cellulite is the visible effect of an accumulation of fat, in the form of adipocyte cells, in the hypodermis. The adipocyte is a highly metabolically active cell, which plays a key role in the control of the body's energy balance. It is fully equipped with all the enzyme-producing capabilities needed to synthesize, store and eliminate fatty globules: the triglycerides. The adipocytes possess, inter alia, two antagonistic metabolic paths: the lipogenesis path leading to the storage of triglycerides, and the opposite path of lipolysis of triglycerides, which results in the reduction of fatty globules. Lipolysis corresponds to the hydrolysis of triglycerides in free fatty acids and in glycerol. This reaction is catalyzed by a key enzyme: HSL (Hormone-sensitive Lipase). The determining signal required to trigger lipolysis is cyclic AMP (cAMP). The intracellular concentration of cAMP depends on two opposed action systems, located in the plasmic membrane of the adipocyte: adenylate cyclase (AC) which activates it, and phosphodiesterase (PDE) which cleaves it into 5-AMP. Therefore a substance which is capable of stimulating adenylate cyclase or inhibiting phosphodiesterase will raise the intracellular cAMP levels, which activates the HSL enzyme and stimulates the lipolysis of fats by the adipocyte.
This is the case for caffeine - a xanthic base - which inhibits phosphodiesterase and thus encourages the synthesis of the cAMP which itself stimulates the lipolysis of fatty lobules. Many scientific studies carried out to date have confirmed the slimming action of caffeine applied topically.
Suggested Usage in Formulations: 0.1-1%