If you would have asked me a few months ago whether I might be interested in a beauty product that would incorporate additional caffeine to my daily existence while also making a huge mess every time I shower, it would have been a hard pass. My lofty aspirations vary from week to week, but recurring themes include “Drink less coffee because your organs hate you” and “Be tidier than a sixteen-year-old boy.” But that’s because up until a few months ago, I’d never tried Frank Body before.
If, like me, you’ve been living unaware of this magical coffee scrub’s existence, let me fill you in: Founded in 2013 by friends Bree Johnson, Jess Hatzis, Alex Boffa and Steve Rowley in Australia, Frank Body was something of an accident: Rowley, had previously worked in the coffee industry. Tinkering around in the kitchen one day, they made a batch of body scrub out of leftover coffee grounds and like that first sip of the strong stuff in the morning, there came a sudden revelation: It had incredible effects on their skin.
In the three and a half years since, Frank Body’s growth, built around a handful of products, is impressive: They’ve sold over 2 million coffee scrubs in 149 countries and in addition to direct sales on their website, you can order their goods on Amazon and from Urban Outfitters. They’ve largely built their following on Instagram, where nearly 700,000 people follow their bright, cheery, cheeky account, which features shots of happy customers with smears of coffee grounds on their cheeks, arms, legs, butts.
What sets Frank Body apart from the sea of exfoliants out there? Well, for one, it really does make your skin incredibly soft. The grit of the grounds works to slough away dead skin and the coconut oil moisturizes to the max. But the best part about it, in my opinion? It’s really fun. You make a complete mess in your shower and the stuff gets everywhere, but it’s totally liberating in a five-year-old-that-just-got-done-playing-in-the-mud kind of way. Plus, you come out with skin that hasn’t been that soft since you were a five, so chalk it all up to some good old fashioned nostalgia and the miracle drug that’s waking you up in more ways than one.
–Deena Drewis
