SAO PAULO, Brazil—A study at the University of Sao Paulo analyzed the effects of caffeine and siloxanetriol alginate caffeine (SAC) on fatty tissue through historical evaluation (J Cosm Derm. 2008;7(1):23-29) (DOI: 10.1111/j.1473-2165.2008.00357.x). Caffeine and its derivatives have been used in anticellulite cosmetics due to their lipolytic activity on fatty cells. SAC is a silanol derived from organic silicon. Radicals primarily from SAC are caffeine and the mannuronic acid.
For 21 days, three developed formulations with caffeine, caffeine and sodium benzoate, or SAC were applied topically to Wistar female mice. The caffeine mixture reduced the diameter of the fatty cells by 17 percent, compared with the control. The caffeine and sodium benzoate mixture did not cause alterations on cell diameter; and the SAC mixture reduced fatty cell diameters by 16 percent. There were no significant alterations observed on the diameter of fatty cells treated with gels, although gel with SAC promoted a 26 percent reduction on the number of fatty cells.