Supplements are not the first thing that comes to mind when talking about skincare. After all, there is a whole industry dedicated to skin creams, fillers, and many other treatments. Despite this, an increasing number of people are taking dietary supplements such as collagen in the hopes of improving their skin’s health and appearance from the inside out.
But which skin supplements are worth your time? And what are their specific benefits? On this page, we are going to look at the research behind popular skin supplement ingredients to see what works and what doesn’t. For more information on the science behind skin supplementation, check out our skin supplements guide.
Biotin
Biotin is a vitamin (B7). Like the other B vitamins, it is involved in energy metabolism – the extraction and use of energy from food. Biotin is one of the most popular skin & beauty supplements because biotin deficiency is known to cause dry skin and other skin, nail, and hair issues.
However, most people get plenty of biotin from their diet and deficiency is rare. Because of this, researchers believe that supplementing biotin is unlikely to provide any skin, nail, or hair benefits for most people. This is supported by a lack of studies showing any benefit of biotin supplementation in healthy individuals.
Read more: Biotin for skin
Collagen
Collagen is a structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues. The age-related loss of collagen is implicated in the development of wrinkles, dry skin, and other signs of aging. Because of this, collagen supplements and topical products are used in the hopes of restoring the skin’s collagen levels.
Collagen supplements have been subject to some controversy because topical collagen cannot be absorbed into the skin, whereas oral collagen has not been conclusively proven to stay intact in the digestive tract. Despite this, human studies report that oral collagen supplements can improve skin hydration, elasticity, and collagen content.
Read more: Collagen for skin
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a gel-like compound that plays a key role in retaining water in the skin and other tissues. Similar to collagen, HA is gradually depleted as we age, contributing to dryness and other signs of skin aging.
HA has a multitude of medicinal uses, ranging from surgeries to dermal fillers such as Restylane. As a supplement, it can be applied topically or taken orally to support skin health and appearance.
Research suggests that HA supplements can not only directly increase the skin’s HA levels, but also stimulate fibroblast cells, which produce collagen and other extracellular matrix compounds.
So far, clinical studies of HA demonstrate improvements in skin elasticity and hydration, wrinkles, dryness, and other benefits.
Read more: Hyaluronic acid for skin
Lutein
Lutein is a carotenoid compound abundant in fruits, vegetables, and other plants. Lutein’s major function in the human body is to act as an antioxidant, particularly in the eyes.
In addition, it is also known to accumulate in the skin, helping protect it from ultraviolet light. As such, lutein supplements are increasingly used as an ingredient in skin health supplements and topical products.
Studies of lutein show evidence of photoprotection against UV light and skin-lightening effects.
Read more: Lutein for skin
MSM
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organic sulfur compound. MSM is present in the human body and a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, and grains.
MSM is believed to function primarily as a source of sulfur. This essential nutrient is needed to build important amino acids and proteins in the human body. In terms of skin health, one such protein is keratin, which plays a key role in the skin’s protective properties.
Unfortunately, only a handful clinical studies of MSM’s skin effects have been done. Although they show reduction of wrinkles and rosacea, there simply isn’t enough evidence.
Read more: MSM for skin
Phytoceramides
One of the most hyped new skin supplements, phytoceramides are plant-derived versions of ceramides found in our skin. Ceramides are fatty compounds that act like cement to bind together cells in the skin’s outer layer. In doing so, they help retain water and protect the skin from damage and infection.
Much like collagen and hyaluronic acid, ceramides play a key role in keeping the skin youthful, but naturally decline as we age. Because of this, people take phytoceramides both topically and orally to increase the skin’s ceramide levels.
Although topical phytoceramides seem to suffer from poor absorption, studies of oral supplementation report improved skin hydration and related benefits such as reduction of dryness and eczema.
Read more: Phytoceramides for skin
Pine Bark Extract
As the name suggests, pine bark extract is a supplement ingredient made from the bark of certain pine trees. This extract contains potent antioxidants called procyanidins, and has a wide variety of health applications. Indeed, pine bark extracts are used in workout, vision, cardiovascular, joint, skin, and many other supplements.
In terms of skin health, pine bark extract has been shown to boost levels of collagen and other skin compounds. In addition, its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can help protect the skin from aging, ultraviolet light damage, and inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis.
Thus far, human studies of pine bark extract show protection against UV light and improvement of hyperpigmentation and skin elasticity & hydration.
Read more: Pine bark extract for skin
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant nutrient found in many foods. It is among the most popular skincare ingredients, used in both cosmetic products and oral supplements. In fact, vitamin E is used for everything from sun protection to healing acne scars.
Despite its wide use and presence in every kind of topical product, there is a surprising lack of research evidence behind its proposed skin benefits.
In fact, the only proven skin benefit of vitamin E is improvement of eczema and sunscreen protection (when combined with vitamin C).
Read more: Vitamin E for skin