Coffee -- it's one of life's little pleasures and one of those legal substances that we all like to use … and often abuse. We love its ability to put a pep in our step each morning and how the aroma alone has the power to drag us out of a sleepy fog, comfort us -- and yes, signify to us that energy is on its way.

So on day two of Cosmoprof North America, our pick for "best in show" goes to a new beauty brand that -- you guessed it -- is all about coffee. Barista Bath and Body is a paraben-free, sulfate-free and phthalate-free natural skin and hair care line that utilizes brewed coffee and coffee extracts.

The reason why the three founders of the brand -- all family members -- a mother, a daughter and a niece chose to use coffee as their star ingredient was because of the benefits it offers the hair and skin. Well, and because they (like the rest of us) love the little caffeinated beans, of course.

Here's the scoop: In order to have gorgeous, healthy skin and hair we need to have a balanced pH -- skin and hair both have a pH between 4.5 and 5. And many of the things like bacteria, water and soap that try to wreck havoc on our hair and skin have much higher pH. These things make hair rough and dull and make skin more prone to acne and infection.

So why the chemistry lesson? Well, coffee also has a pH of 4.5 to 5, so when used on your skin it will help to keep your pH in balance -- thus making your hair shinier, less frizzy and your skin soft and less problem-prone. That's why this new brand is so smart -- not only does every product smell like your favorite cup of joe, but from the Perk It Up, $16 shampoo (which foams like a champ even without the use of sulfates, and is safe and perfect for color-treated hair and gray or blonde hair) to the One Lump Or Two, $28 body scrub (caffeine can also help reduce the appearance of cellulite), each of the products leaves your hair "looking shinier and feeling softer," claims tester Jan Wiles, who tried the entire line after receiving samples last night, and skin "feeling much more supple -- instead of old and leathery like it usually does," says Wiles.

So if you're trying to cut back to just one cup of coffee a day (aren't we always trying to do this?!) -- give this new beauty line a whirl -- we don't think it will count as cheating.