Scottish scientists upcycle waste coffee grounds into skincare products
Biotech company Revive Eco is collecting waste from UK coffee shops to extract sustainable ingredients
Revive Eco, a Scottish start-up, is repurposing used coffee grounds from cafes into ingredients for skincare products. They are using a new innovative technology to extract coffee oil, which was finalised and patented in 2021.
Co-founders Scott Kennedy and Fergus Moore recognised the potential of coffee waste during their time as students at the University of Strathclyde, launching the business in 2015.
Coffee oil is growing in popularity as an ingredient in skincare and cosmetic products, replacing the need for virgin ingredients such as palm oil. It is high in antioxidants and offers a natural UV filter which can be incorporated into sun creams and protective beauty products. Revive’s upcycling of coffee grounds reduces the need for fresh coffee beans and diverts waste from landfill.
Alongside the oil, the remaining defatted coffee grounds can be further repurposed as a bio-derived exfoliant. The upcycled material replaces environmentally-harmful plastic microbeads and resource-intensive virgin exfoliants, such as jojoba beads.
In April 2025, they launched their debut product, the Mocha Body Scrub, at the Glasgow Coffee Festival. In partnership with the festival organisers, Revive collected all 90 litres of waste coffee produced during the event to create a batch of their Revived Coffee Oil. This product was launched in May, with the majority sold out on Amazon in a few weeks.
Kennedy said: “The reaction to our products has been great and a real demonstration of how we can offer an alternative to palm or coconut oil whose use in cosmetics has had such a devastating impact on some of the world’s ecosystems.”
He added: “The manufacturers are looking to change and we believe we have come up with a truly sustainable solution which will not diminish the quality of their product.”
Support and investment for Revive Eco
Revive moved into BioCity Glasgow in 2021, a Pioneer group site, alongside 19 other life sciences businesses at the site. The Pioneer Group operates 12 sites across the UK and Ireland, accelerating the growth of life sciences businesses by providing expert support and continuous investment in its R&D infrastructure. During the past 18 months Pioneer has spent around £2m on improvements to buildings, infrastructure, landscaping and services for laboratories.
John Mackenzie, Director for Scotland at Pioneer Group, said: “The work of Revive is so important in demonstrating that any ambition for a circular economy is not pie in the sky. This unlikely union of waste and skincare just shows what can be achieved with great imagination, fantastic science and a lot of hard work by Scott, Fergus and the rest of the Revive team.”
Revive also receives support from Scottish Enterprise, Zero Waste Scotland and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. They have secured further investment exceeding £350k, including a successful crowdfunding campaign.
Earlier this year, a pilot project took place in partnership with the French company SAS Pivert, utilising grounds supplied by Costa Coffee.
Moore said: “The next step is to work with a partner to produce coffee oil on a commercial level.”
“Spent coffee grounds have always been just the first step for us. Our goal is to demonstrate that we can create value and positive environmental impact from a range of different waste streams.”
