Made with coffee grounds, coffee butter and coffee oil, this easy scrub is perfect for any coffee-lover. Coffee grounds exfoliate away dead skin, while the coffee oil and coffee butter leave skin feeling smooth. A touch of potassium cocoate prevents an overly-greasy feel.
This scrub can be used with fresh or used coffee grounds. If you add used coffee grounds, make sure they are completely dry to avoid bacterial growth. Any product that contains water needs a preservative to prevent mold. While this scrub is only made with oil and potassium cocoate, the recipe does contain Optiphen because it may come in contact with water in the shower. It can be omitted if you prefer.
Coffee oil is the star of this scrub. It is extracted directly from roasted coffee beans and has a thick texture and dark color. The combination of the coffee oil, coffee butter, and coffee grounds gives the recipe a nice coffee smell. We added a touch of Espresso Fragrance Oil to give the scrub slightly sweeter notes. If you’re using quality, fresh coffee grounds, you may find you don’t need to use any fragrance oil at all.
This scrub is quite “dry,” but leaves behind a light oily-feel on the skin. While the coffee oil is quite dark, the scrub doesn’t leave any color on the skin, thanks to the potassium cocoate. You could also use a liquid soap base if you prefer.
What You’ll Need:
Four 4 oz. Bail Jars
7 oz. Fresh Coffee Grounds
3 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz. Coffee Butter
1 oz. Coffee Seed Oil
1.5 oz. Potassium Cocoate
6 mL Espresso Fragrance Oil
0.1 oz. Optiphen
Dropper
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ONE: In a heat-safe container, add the sweet almond oil and coffee butter. Place the container in the microwave and heat using 20-30 second bursts until the coffee butter is melted.
TWO: Add the coffee oil to the warm oils and stir to combine. Add the potassium cocoate, Optiphen, and Espresso Fragrance Oil to the mixture and stir until everything is completely mixed together.
THREE: Measure the coffee grounds into a large mixing bowl. Pour the warm oil mixture into the coffee grounds and stir to fully combine.
FOUR: To use, apply the coffee grounds to wet skin and scrub. Rinse off and pat dry.
- Four 4 oz. Bail Jars
- 7 oz. Fresh Coffee Grounds
- 3 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
- 1 oz. Coffee Butter
- 1 oz. Coffee Seed Oil
- 1.5 oz. Potassium Cocoate
- 6 mL Espresso Fragrance Oil
- 0.1 oz. Optiphen
- Dropper
- In a heat-safe container, add the sweet almond oil and coffee butter. Place the container in the microwave and heat using 20-30 second bursts until the coffee butter is melted.
- Add the coffee oil to the warm oils and stir to combine. Add the potassium cocoate, Optiphen, and Espresso Fragrance Oil to the mixture and stir until everything is completely mixed together.
- Measure the coffee grounds into a large mixing bowl. Pour the warm oil mixture into the coffee grounds and stir to fully combine.
- To use, apply the coffee grounds to wet skin and scrub. Rinse off and pat dry.
This is a fun looking recipe. I to make a play on coffee a with cream and sugar scrub by adding coconut milk powder (would substitute some of the coffee for sugar). My question is would this have a higher chance of rancidity due to the milk powder or would the preservative specified be sufficient?
Thanks!
Erin
Yes the shelf life would be lower as outside of a completely sealed container the Coconut Milk Powder only has a shelf life of about 3 months. The preservative will still work fine to prevent bacteria and mold growth but if the milk rehydrated after it comes into contact with water it will spoil quicker than the 3 month shelf life.
hi
I making this coffee scrub but I’m changing few things like instead if coffee butter I will be using Shea butter and coconut oil with sweet almond oil so, what amount should I use also in my country neither I can find potassium cocoate nor liquid soap so can I only use optiphen plus or leucidal liquid SF.
at what percentage should I use all this and is this all ingredients vegan and 100% natural.
what will be the shelf life of this scrub?
You can definitely use those oils instead of the Coffee Butter and Oil.
Any oil soluble preservative should work though I’m not sure about the other ingredient you mention. You can just leave the Potassium Cocoate out, it just won’t have the same cleansing properties. You could also use a liquid soap base instead for similar results.
Liquid Soap Concentrate: https://www.brambleberry.com/Liquid-Soap-Concentrate-Base-P4278.aspx
It will be up to you to test for the percentages for your substitutions. The shelf life would be about 1 year.
I tried this recipe because it looks so good in the picture. I didn’t have coffee oil so I substituted it with sweet almond oil. The coffee butter felt amazing on the skin and smelled yummy. The only problem I had was getting the coffee grinds off my skin. I think because of the coffee butter the grinds stick to the skin. I’m going to try this recipe with half and half grinds and brown sugar to make it easier to wash off.
Is it ok to use phenopip instead of optiphen?
You can definitely use Phenonip instead, and you can even keep the same usage rate as well.
hello,
i am in australia and can’t find coffee butter, potassium cocoate and optiphen.
do you know of any alternatives?
i have found Nipaguard® SCV which is an alternative to optiphen plus, do you know if this is the same?
You could try liquid soap base instead of potassium cocoate. You could try avocado butter instead of coffee butter. We haven’t worked with Nipaguard SCV, so you’ll want to check with the manufacturer to be sure it is a good alternative.
is this a vegan recipe?
Yes, there are no animal byproducts in this recipe.
Hi,
These tutorials are great and thank you for sharing them. I wanted to ask what are the possible substitutes for Potassium Cocoate?
Because it is difficult to find it where I am located.
Many Thanks
You can use liquid soap in place of potassium cocoate. Liquid Castile Soap works well: https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Castile-Liquid-Soap-Base-P4609.aspx
Due to the high level of Coffee in this recipe, would you expect a challenge test to be required?
Thanks
We recommend using dry coffee grounds to avoid introducing water into this recipe. If you are selling this product, you may consider challenge testing to ensure there is no contamination.
Thank you for your reply Kelsey
Would the contamination potentially occur due to the mix of the dry and wet ingredients?
Thanks
I believe it can happen if water is introduced to the recipe, which is why we recommend dry coffee grounds and preservative.
Hello,
So if I replace the potassium with castle soap,
And the coffie butter with coconut.
And wanted to make 4 times this amount.
Do i just multiply everything by 4.
Including the preservative?
Yes, you would multiply all the ingredients by 4. With the substitutions it will feel different, so you may want to make a small test batch first to see what you think.
Hi can I replace the potassium cocoate with castille soap?
Yes, liquid Castile soap will work in place of potassium cocoate. You can use the same amount (1.5 oz.)
Natural Liquid Castile Soap Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Castile-Liquid-Soap-Base-P4609.aspx
Hi, Can I omit the coffee butter altogether? Would I then need to increase the amount of oil that I am using? And if yes, can use coconut oil along with sweet almond oil?
Yes, you can omit the coffee butter. The scrub will be a bit more dry and won’t have the creamy feeling that coffee butter adds. You can replace that with coconut oil or add another soft butter like avocado: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Butter-P3207.aspx
Coconut oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Coconut-Oil-P3196.aspx
Thank you!
Hi Kelsey,
Where I stay, I am unable to get optiphen or phenonip . Someone suggested Dmdmh for water based products and laphen for oil based products. Are these products okay to use?
Thanks
We haven’t worked with those products so I’m not sure. You’ll want to contact the manufacturer for more information.
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe. I am making my own coffee scrub and it is oil based (i used coconut & almond) with no other butter added and now thinking bout incorporating potassium cocoate into the recipe. May i know how much to be added to the formula ?. Is there a ratio to the oil?.
For preservatives, can i use dmdm hydantoin instead?.
How much potassium cocoate you add is personal preference. It’s similar to a liquid soap, so it adds cleansing properties to the scrub. I would recommend starting with half as much potassium cocoate as oil, and trying it out on your skin. If you want more cleansing properties, add more potassium cocoate until it’s the consistency you like.
Potassium cocoate: https://www.brambleberry.com/Potassium-Cocoate-P5902.aspx
As for the DMDM hydantoin, we haven’t tried that so I’m not entirely sure. You may check with the manufacturer to find out if it works in your recipe.
is there any guide for the percentage of ingredients to be use in scrubs? is the percentage of preservatives influenced by other ingredients?
How much of each ingredient you use in scrubs is personal preference. If you prefer a dry scrub like this one, you can use more exfoliants. If you like a more wet scrub, you can add more oil and butter. This category on Soap Queen has scrubs of all types so you can find a recipe you like: https://www.soapqueen.com/category/bath-and-body-tutorials/soaks-and-scrubs/
As for the preservatives, they’re usually used around 1% of the total weight of the scrub. Learn more about that here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
Hi,
This is awesome! I heard that coffee grounds can clog pipes though and cause bad damage from build up; has anyone ever run into this problem? Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Thanks!
I use this scrub in my shower and haven’t had any clogs. You can check with the manufacturer of the drain to be sure. It can also help to place drain cover on top that catches smaller items like coffee grounds, that way you can empty them into the trash.
Hi Can I use Coco Betaine (cocamidopropyl betaine) in place of potassium cocoate?
We haven’t worked with that ingredient so I’m not entirely sure. You may make a small test batch to see how it feels in this scrub.
Thank you! I’ll give it a try.
Hello
Can I ask where you source the coffee grounds from? Are the used coffee grounds and then dried out prior to making, and if so do you have any tips on drying out the grounds?
Many THank
We used fresh coffee grounds from the grocery store. You can use any brand you like, if they’re fresh you don’t have to dry them out. If they’re used, spread them evenly on a towel, pat them down, and let them air dry in a cool, dry place.
Thank you for the reply Kelsey
Do you know by any chance, if drying them overnight like this is ok to prevent any bacteria growth?
Thanks
If the grounds are wet, there is a small chance they can grow mold and bacteria. To be extra careful, I’d recommend using fresh, dry grounds to prevent that.
Hi, I usually take a bath at night and wondering if this scrub will bother my sleep with caffeine in the coffee grounds. I am wondering how much caffeine can be absorbed topically.
I’m not sure how much caffeine is absorbed topically from this scrub. Because it’s a wash off product I don’t think it would be a high amount. You may want to test it to see what you think.
Hi Anne-Marie,
Can I use foaming bath butter to replace the potassium cocoate?
Many thanks,
Philly
You can use Foaming Bath Butter in this scrub, but it will change the consistency because it’s a solid base rather than the liquid potassium cocoate. I would recommend a small test batch to see what you think. It helps to whip the Foaming Bath Butter first to get it fluffy and loosened up.
Foaming Bath Butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Foaming-Bath-Butter-P4955.aspx
This video shows you how to work with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R_SiiojI04&t=1s
Hello
Can you let me know the percentages for the ingredients to enable me to alter the batch size? or do you know how I can work out the percentages?
Many Thanks
Absolutely, here are the percentages:
7 oz. Fresh Coffee Grounds (51.4%)
3 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (22%)
1 oz. Coffee Butter (7.4%)
1 oz. Coffee Seed Oil (7.4%)
1.5 oz. Potassium Cocoate (11%)
0.1 oz. Optiphen (.7%)
To find those percentages, add up all the amounts to get the total weight of the scrub (13.6). Then, divide each number by the total weight. So, 7 oz. of coffee grounds divided by the total weight, 13.6, is 51.4%.
This is fantastic! Thank you so much I have been racking my brain for days trying to figure this out.
X
Hello
I noticed the fragrance has been left out of the formula, and it has totalled 100%, does fragrance need to be added into the formulas? Or are they just worked out separate? (Such as via the fragrance calculator?
Thanks
Fragrances are considered additives, so they’re not included in the scrub formula. You can find out how much to add with our Fragrance Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
Hello!
I’m puzzled over a particular matter which I need some clearification on – I am planning on launching a range of coffee scrubs which I want to keep 100% preservative free. However, I am required to state a ‘best before’ date on my jars. The thing is, I’m not being able to figure out how long the scub would last.
Ingredients I will use are: Ground coffee, Sea Salt, Oil (Coconut OR Jojojba), and Vitamin E Oil @ 1%. For such a mix what kind of a lifetime can I attribute to the product from date of production?
It’s tricky to say for sure. Usually, the shelf life of products will be whatever ingredients has the shortest shelf life. For example, if the coconut oil has a shelf life of 1 year and all the other ingredients have a shelf life of 2 years, the shelf life of the product would be 1 year. Looking at your ingredients, the coconut oil will have the shortest shelf life of about a year. Jojoba oil has an indefinite shelf life. You may want to contact the makes of your ground coffee to see if they have more information on its shelf life.
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I want to make scrub which doesn’t feel greasy and oily. what should i use?
If you don’t like an oily finish to your scrub, you have a few options. While this scrub is oil based, it does contain a bit of potassium cocoate. Potassium cocoate is essentially a very concentrated liquid soap. It helps the scrub to wash away off the skin to leave a more “clean” feeling. That being said, it does not contain quite enough to leave skin feeling “squeaky clean.” One option would be to experiment with adding more potassium cocoate, until you achieve your preferred texture and feel.
Another option would be to use a scrub that is made with the Foaming Bath Butter. This product is a creamy soap product, that bubbles when it comes into contact with water and does not leave a greasy feel. I’ve included a few recipes below that you might like. With these recipes, feel free to eliminate or reduce any butters or oils to suit your preference.
Cucumber Melon Sea Salt Scrub: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cucumber-sea-salt-scrub-diy/
Orange Butter Body Scrub: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/orange-butter-body-scrub-diy/
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
How long will this product last in a sealed pouch?
This scrub will last about a year. It stores best in a cool, dry place. 🙂
Learn more about product shelf lives here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/shelf-life-bath-products-ingredients-rancidity-vs-mold/
And more about how to store your products here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have a question the coffee butter can you exchange that with another butter like cocoa butter or kokum butter. Thanks in advance
You can. Avocado butter is a good substitute because it feels similar to the coffee butter. Cocoa or kokum work too, but they are harder than coffee. That means the scrub will have a firmer consistency. You may want to make a small test batch with the substitutions to see what you think. If the recipe is too firm, you can add a bit more coffee or sweet almond oil.
Learn more about butters here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/all-about-butters-in-bath-beauty-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi
Would Shea butter make a good substitute?
Thanks
Shea is more firm than coffee butter, so the scrub will be more firm. You can make a small test batch and add more sweet almond oil if you want it softer.
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
Can Shea Butter be used instead?
Shea is more firm than coffee butter, so the scrub will be more firm. It also won’t have as strong of a coffee smell with that butter. You can make a small test batch and add more sweet almond oil if you want it softer.
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
What can I substitute Almond Oil for? I’m allergic to almonds and am not comfortable using it. is there another Oil that will work in its place? Thanks!
You can use avocado oil instead, it has a similar lightweight feeling to the sweet almond oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi! I couldn’t find any Potassium Cocoate in my country. Is there any substitute for this? Or can i make my own Potasium Cocoate in my kitchen? Many thanks!
You can use liquid soap in place of potassium cocoate, they’re very similar and both will help cleanse the skin.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
You sugar be added to this for a litttle more scrubby action and how much?? Also, instead of using potassium cocoate can fractionated coconut oil be used instead? Thank you.
You can add sugar for more exfoliation. I would recommend starting with an ounce and adding more from there. Als, the potassium cocoate is similar to a liquid soap. It’s added to the scrub to help cleanse the skin. The coconut oil won’t cleanse the skin, but will instead moisturize it. You may want to make a small test batch with the substitutions to see what you think.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
hi i need to ask private question can i have ur e-mail about making lotion
thanks
You can email info(at)brambleberry(dot)com for help. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hey ladies,
Loving this recipe. Just wondering if you can change out the Potassium Cocoate for standard coconut oil? And also could you break the sweet almond in half and add half olive oil? Would the effect still be the same?
Thanks
You can make those substitutions, but the scrub won’t feel the same. The potassium cocoate is similar to a liquid soap. It’s added to the scrub to help cleanse the skin. The coconut oil won’t cleanse the skin, but will instead moisturize it. Because it’s solid at room temperature, it will also change the consistency of the scrub. Also, olive oil is thicker than sweet almond oil, so that will change the consistency as well. You may want to make a small test batch with the substitutions to see what you think.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry