Caffeine

For some, caffeine is Mother Nature's greatest gift. Found naturally in coffee, tea and chocolate, caffeine wakes us up in the morning, helps us pull all-nighters and keeps us from dozing off on long road trips. But caffeine has more benefits than providing an energy kick; as a popular ingredient in face and body lotions and creams, caffeine is now also revered for its fat-reducing, cellulite-smoothing and dark-circle removing superpowers.

What makes caffeine a potent skin care ingredient is its ability to constrict blood vessels, which is a component of your body's swelling response to stress or injury. Caffeinated eye creams can reduce the appearance of dark circles beneath the eyes. When applied to body trouble spots, cellulite creams and slimming lotions with caffeine reduce the size of fat cells in the same way, temporarily creating a tighter and smoother appearance.

Look for products that feature additional antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E for skin that is ageless and radiant.