Does Coffee Cause Acne? What Research Says

If your skin seems to break out after a week of extra lattes, it is natural to blame the coffee. So, does coffee cause acne? The honest answer: there is no good evidence that plain black coffee causes acne. Research points instead at what often rides along with it, especially milk and sugary drinks, and at indirect effects such as poor sleep. Acne has many causes, including genetics and hormones, and diet is only one possible piece.

Here is what studies have found, where the evidence is thin, and how to run a simple experiment on your own routine.

Key takeaways

• No study has shown that black coffee itself causes acne.
• Milk and high-sugar or high-glycemic foods and drinks have been associated with acne in several observational studies.
• A large 2020 French study linked milk, sugary drinks and fatty, sugary foods with current adult acne; coffee was not among the findings reported.
• Caffeine can raise cortisol briefly and late-day caffeine can disturb sleep, but a direct link from that to acne has not been shown.
• If you suspect your coffee habit, change one variable at a time for several weeks and talk to a dermatologist.

In this article

1. Does coffee cause acne? The short answer
2. Milk, sugar and the latte question
3. Caffeine, cortisol and sleep
4. How to test your own coffee habit
5. FAQ

Does coffee cause acne? The short answer

Acne develops when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells, often with inflammation and bacteria involved. Hormones, genetics, certain medications and skin care all play a role. Diet has been studied for decades, and the clearest signals so far concern dairy and the glycemic load of what you eat and drink, not coffee itself.

Coffee is rarely studied on its own in acne research. When it appears in health writing, it is usually through indirect reasoning: caffeine affects stress hormones, coffee drinks can be loaded with milk and sugar, and caffeine can cut into sleep. Those are plausible pathways, but plausibility is not proof.

Milk, sugar and the latte question

If coffee plays any role, the milk and sugar in your cup are the most likely suspects.

Milk

A 2016 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology compared teenagers with and without acne and found that those who drank more low-fat or skim milk had more acne than those who drank whole milk or none. A smaller 2018 Malaysian study also found that people with acne who drank more milk tended to have more acne. Researchers have suggested milk’s effect on insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone linked to oil production, as one possible mechanism. These are associations, not proof that milk causes breakouts in any individual.

Sugar and glycemic load

A 2017 study of New York City adults found that those with moderate to severe acne ate diets with a higher glycemic load than those without acne, and a systematic review the same year suggested that lower-sugar diets may help some people. A flavored syrup, whipped cream and a large milk drink can add up to a substantial dose of sugar, so a daily café dessert drink is a different thing from a cup of black coffee.

The big French study

In 2020, researchers analyzing more than 24,000 adults in France’s NutriNet-Santé cohort published a cross-sectional study in JAMA Dermatology. After adjusting for other factors, current acne was associated with higher intake of milk (odds ratio about 1.12 per glass), sugary drinks (about 1.18 per glass) and fatty and sugary foods (about 1.54 per portion). Coffee was not among the reported associations. The authors’ design cannot prove cause and effect, acne was self-reported, and the group was mostly women, but it is one of the largest datasets on adult acne and diet.

Caffeine, cortisol and sleep

Caffeine can raise cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, especially in people who are not regular users. Separately, studies have associated higher stress with more acne; one 2017 study of female medical students in Saudi Arabia found that higher stress went along with more acne. Connecting these two findings into “coffee causes acne through cortisol” is a leap that no study has tested directly. Habitual coffee drinkers also tend to develop some tolerance to caffeine’s cortisol effect; we cover that in coffee and cortisol in the morning.

Sleep is a more practical concern. Caffeine taken later in the day can shorten and lighten sleep, and short sleep can leave you more stressed. If your last cup is mid-afternoon or later, moving it earlier is a sensible change for many reasons, acne aside. Our guide to caffeine and sleep explains timing and half-life.

What about antioxidants?

Coffee is a significant source of antioxidant compounds such as chlorogenic acids. That does not make it an acne treatment: there is no evidence that drinking coffee clears skin. Treat any claim in either direction with caution.

How to test your own coffee habit

Because acne varies so much between people, the most useful evidence may come from a careful look at your own routine. Change one thing at a time and give each change several weeks, since skin changes slowly.

1. Write down your baseline. For two weeks, note what you drink (size, milk type, syrups, sugar), when your last caffeine is, how you sleep and how your skin looks.
2. Swap the sugar first. Drop flavored syrups and sweetened creamers, or halve the sugar. Keep everything else the same for four to six weeks.
3. Then look at milk. If you drink large milk-based drinks daily, try smaller ones or a plant-based option for another four to six weeks. Our guide to coffee creamer alternatives has ideas.
4. Move your cutoff. Stop caffeine about eight hours before bed and see whether sleep improves.
5. Keep skin care consistent during the experiment, and see a dermatologist if acne is painful, scarring or affecting your confidence. Effective treatments exist.

Making a less-sweet cup enjoyable

Cutting sugar is easier when the coffee itself tastes naturally sweet and smooth. Freshly roasted beans help, and so does choosing a roast with soft, rounded notes. Our Blonde blend is light-bodied with caramel sweetness, and the House Blend brings nutty, sweet chocolate notes that many people enjoy without sugar. For afternoons, Half Caf offers the same ritual with half the caffeine. For more tips, read how to enjoy coffee without sugar.

Coffee and acne FAQ

Can quitting coffee clear acne?

There is no evidence that quitting black coffee clears acne. If your coffee drinks contain a lot of milk or sugar, cutting those back is the change with more research behind it.

Does decaf coffee cause acne?

Decaf has not been shown to cause acne either. The same advice applies: watch the milk, sugar and syrups you add.

Is espresso better than a latte for acne-prone skin?

An espresso or Americano contains no milk or sugar unless you add them, so it avoids the two ingredients most often associated with acne in studies. That is not the same as proven skin benefits.

Is it the caffeine or the dairy?

Current evidence points more toward dairy and high-sugar intake than toward caffeine. Caffeine’s possible role through stress hormones and sleep is indirect and untested.

Sources

1. Coffee and acne: What is the link?, Medical News Today, medically reviewed, updated 2023.
2. High-fat, high-sugar diet may promote adult acne (summary of Penso et al., JAMA Dermatology, 2020), MDedge, 2020.
3. LaRosa et al., Consumption of dairy in teenagers with and without acne, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2016.
4. Burris et al., Differences in dietary glycemic load and hormones in New York City adults with no and moderate/severe acne, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017.
5. Zari and Alrahmani, The association between stress and acne among female medical students in Jeddah, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017.
6. Lovallo et al., Cortisol responses to mental stress, exercise, and meals following caffeine intake, 2006.

Facts checked in October 2026.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask your doctor before changing your caffeine intake.

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