 "Photo: Corwin Wickersham")
Caffeine is often a main component in a college student's diet. As finals approach, coffee shops are packed with students craving a fix for the long night of studying ahead. Monster and other energy drinks fly off the shelves.
ThinkGeek Inc. has created a new product for those seeking a change from routine coffee consumption - Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap.
According to ThinkGeek Inc.'s Web site, Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap is infused with 2,400 milligrams of caffeine anhydrous, with each four-ounce bar containing approximately 12 servings of the stimulant. Each shower supplies the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee. Each bar costs $6.99.
The Web site Energy Fiend is dedicated to caffeinated products and lists various amounts of caffeine in foods and beverages. According to the Web site, Coca-Cola Classic contains 34 milligrams of caffeine for 12 ounces of soda, Red Bull contains 80 milligrams for 8.3 ounces of juice and, on average, a Starbucks tall coffee contains 279 milligrams for 12 ounces of coffee. To compare, Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap contains 200 milligrams of caffeine per wash.
The soap is scented with peppermint oil and it has a vegetable-based glycerine composition which does not contain ethanol, diethanolamine, polyethylene glycol or cocoyl isethionate - ingredients commonly found in other soaps. The product has been on the market for five years and has been featured on NBC, "Good Morning America" and "Ripley's Believe It Or Not."
Cathy Davies, assistant professor for the department of animal and food sciences, stated in an e-mail message the product is generally safe. The soap would not necessarily be a healthier alternative to coffee, however, because the biggest health problem with many caffeinated drinks is with the sugars they contain and not with the amount of caffeine.
"Some compounds are absorbed through the skin, it isn't necessarily through pores, so I do not see why the product would be ineffective," Davies said. "But it is probably mostly a marketing gimmick."
Central Perk owner Nancy Salaitah said she thinks frequent coffee drinkers might be tolerant to the effects of the soap, while those who do not drink coffee often might be more susceptible to its effects.
Because the manufacturer offers no scientific proof the soap works, Salaitah would not consider buying it or selling it at Central Perk.
"It would be even funnier if they tell you that you need to take a shower on the colder side not on the warmer side because that even wakes you up more," she said. "Then you get shocked in the shower when it's cold."
Dallas Hoover, professor of food microbiology, said to get the effects of caffeine, it has to be ingested in order to be taken into the blood stream and stimulate the brain tissue, skeletal muscles and other organs.
Hoover said caffeine is water- soluble, and he doubts it would be absorbed by skin unless it was fat- soluble to a degree. According to the ingredients list, the soap contains caffeine anhydrous, a caffeine compound that does not include water in its composition.
"I'm skeptical that you'd get any type of stimulation from the caffeine from soap unless you tried eating it, which is probably unpleasant," he said. "I would stick with coffee or tea."
Senior Caitlin O'Neill, a Brew Ha Ha employee, said she thinks Shower Shock is an innovative idea, but would not use it.
"It's too hard to control because people use different types and amounts of soap and a person isn't sure of exactly how much they'd be using," O'Neill said. "What would happen if someone used your soap by accident and they have a heart condition or have thinner skin, what would be the effect of it?"
David McCoy, another Brew Ha Ha employee, said he thinks Shower Shock would work and he would consider trying it.
"I'm kind of worried about what you would smell like," McCoy said. "I always smell like coffee all the time so I don't know if it would worsen that."
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