With beauty consumers having an increased awareness of where their ingredients come from, it is no surprise that upcycled ingredients are growing in popularity. Caffe Inc are a brand on a mission, helping to give a second-life to disregarded coffee grounds across the Netherlands. We’ve been talking to Cynthia, the Business Development Manager at Caffe Inc, about upcycling, circular economy and how coffee is paving the way to more sustainable and innovative beauty ingredients worldwide.
Hi Cynthia, thank you for talking to us all about the Caffe Inc. upcycling mission. How did it all begin?
It all started with a simple but powerful realization by our founder Evaluna Marquez: coffee is one of the most consumed products in the world, yet the majority of it ends up as waste after brewing. Only 20% of the coffee bean comes in your cup of coffee, the remaining 80% is regarded as waste. At Caffe Inc., we saw this not as waste, but as an untapped resource.
By collecting spent coffee grounds locally in Amsterdam, we began exploring how to transform them into valuable raw materials. What started as a sustainability-driven idea quickly evolved into a mission: a world without coffee waste, by creating high-performance ingredients while actively reducing waste streams.
What is the process of taking coffee grounds that would otherwise be discarded, and turning them into such innovative beauty ingredients?
Our process is built around efficiency, traceability, and zero waste. We collect spent coffee grounds from professional environments and process them through a controlled extraction method.
From this, we obtain high-quality coffee oil, rich in fatty acids, antioxidants, and naturally occurring caffeine. The remaining material is further refined into exfoliating powders, surfactant, colorants, or even biomaterial.
The key is that every part of the coffee is utilized. Nothing is wasted, it’s a fully circular approach.
What are the main challenges when taking a product that would otherwise be discarded and giving it a new lease of life?
One of the biggest challenges is perception. The word “waste” can carry negative connotations, especially in industries like beauty where purity and quality are essential.
Another challenge is consistency. When working with a secondary raw material, ensuring stable quality, traceability, and compliance with strict cosmetic standards requires significant control and expertise. This was really our focus in the beginning and we found a solution to offer consistent quality.
Finally, there’s the challenge of adoption. Introducing a new, upcycled ingredient means formulators need to trust not only its performance, but also the company behind the ingredients.
With such an incredible range of innovative coffee ingredients, what has been the most surprising upcycled product you’ve created so far?
One of the most surprising developments has been our coffee-based surfactant: EspressFoam, derived from our EspressOil® (Upcycled Coffee Oil). Turning a waste stream into a functional cleansing ingredient, something that traditionally relies heavily on palm or fossil-based sources, was a big step forward. We also just launched our CoffeeButter, a high-quality ingredient that outperforms traditional Shea butter, Cocoa butter and Coconut butter in thermal stability, thanks to it’s higher melting point.
It shows that upcycling can go beyond storytelling and actually contribute to core formulation systems. That’s where real impact lies.
What exciting projects are next for Caffe Inc.?
We are currently strongly focused on substantiating the efficacy of our ingredients through in-vivo testing on key skin parameters such as wrinkle depth and elasticity. At the same time, we are developing formulation guidelines to support our customers in seamlessly integrating our ingredients into their products. In parallel, we are working on next-generation actives in collaboration with research partners.
Do you think upcycled ingredients will become a standard in beauty formulations in the next decade?
Yes, we believe a circular economy is the future and at Caffe Inc., this is already reflected across all of our ingredients. However, the market still expects the same performance standards as conventional raw materials; sustainability alone is not enough.
That’s why all of our upcycled coffee ingredients are developed with three key pillars in mind: performance, consistency, and scalability.
As the industry faces increasing pressure to reduce environmental impact, we see upcycling not just as a concept, but as a tangible and credible solution, one that can replace traditional raw materials without compromising on quality.
How can formulators get these wonderful upcycled ingredients?
Formulators from Indie brands in the UK can reach out to Incicellar, all others can reach out to us directly at Caffe Inc. We typically start by understanding their project, formulation needs, and timelines. From there, we provide samples, technical documentation, and formulation support to help integrate our ingredients as smoothly as possible.
We see ourselves not just as a supplier, but as a partner, supporting brands in bringing more sustainable and innovative products to market.
To find out more about Caffe Inc, and their upcycling mission, check out their website. You can find a selection of Caffe Inc. ingredients at Incicellar (where you can also get 15% off with the code BEAUTYFOLIO15).
You can find the full interview, as well as a selection of products using these wonderful ingredients, in the latest issue of Beauty Folio magazine.
Beauty Folio 