Here’s the short answer: Caffeine can help, sure, but it won’t smooth the appearance of cellulite for good. Instead of soothing green tea, this is where your coffee scrubs come into play; you can use a coffee exfoliant to buff targeted areas, and you might even see temporary improvements in skin texture. But cellulite is a deeper skin issue, says Gabriel. “Topical preparations can improve the superficial component of cellulite, but typically deeper procedures are necessary to eliminate the appearance.”
Ciraldo agrees: While caffeine can tighten the skin superficially, it won’t get to the root of the problem. “Cellulite reflects the fact that women have a much thinner dermal layer than men,” she says. “Men have a thicker dermis, so you don’t typically see the uneven texture of the fat layer.” That is to say, caffeine can help the appearance but certainly not forever (and it won’t solve the actual issue at hand).