# Caffeinated and Vitamin E shampoo **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247 "2016-01-15T16:52:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/1 "2016-01-15T16:52:39Z")
Nowadays you can buy shampoo infused with caffeine and/or vitamin E. Surely I’m not alone in thinking that caffeine and/or vitamin E in the eyes is a bad thing? (Any shampoo product will inevitably get in someone’s eyes at some point.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/2 "2016-01-15T17:22:59Z")
Shampoo ingredients are generally not designed to go in the eyes (although as you point out, it will happen occasionally). Any reason to think that caffeine or Vitamin E is going to be more dangerous to your eyes than the detergent that’s already in the shampoo? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/3 "2016-01-15T17:25:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Surely I’m not alone in thinking that caffeine and/or vitamin E in the eyes is a bad thing? W…hy? Why would it be any worse than, say, in the hair? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/4 "2016-01-15T17:29:39Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > W…hy? Why would it be any worse than, say, in the hair? For the same reason lots of things that go on your hair are going to be much more benign than going in your eyes? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/5 "2016-01-15T17:35:10Z")
Vitamin E drops in the eyes were investigated as part of a treatment for glaucoma a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/6 "2016-01-15T19:08:45Z")
I can kind of see vitamin E, but why would anyone want caffeinated shampoo? It’s not like you can absorb caffeine through your scalp, right? ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/7 "2016-01-15T22:14:40Z")
There’s a theory that caffeine can stimulate hair follicles to “manage” their activity (aka, make you “not bald” as easily). AFAIK, the science is speculative, at best. But hey - getting direct espresso shots to the cornea will wake you up in the morning! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeinated-and-vitamin-e-shampoo/743247/8 "2016-01-16T16:45:18Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I can kind of see vitamin E, but why would anyone want caffeinated shampoo? It’s not like you can absorb caffeine through your scalp, right? I was informed in a thread here some time ago that caffeine can, in fact, be absorbed “topically.”