Background: Coffee is of the most traded commodities in the world and its market has grown regularly over the last 150 years. During production and processing of coffee beans many by-products are generated such as skin, pulp, mucilage, parchment, silverskin, and immature /defective coffee beans. Around 50% of coffee fruit is discard and can contaminate the environment. Scope and approach: The purpose of this review is to raise potential applications for coffee by-products in topical formulations. Besides, to present the main bioactive compounds responsible for their biological activity. With population changing habits, use and consumption of natural products has been growing, so there has been greater interest in research in this area. Added to this interest, is the concern caused by the environmental impact caused by tons of industrial waste discarded daily. Key findings and conclusions: Coffee by-products have several biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-cellulite and sunscreen. Therefore, they are a good alternative for the composition of topical pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, because in addition to their numerous activities, they have low cost, and are sustainable, safe and effective. However, most studies are mainly focused on their antioxidant activity, and studies on the finished product are still lacking.
