BEAUTY PANTRY

Beauty Supplements for Your Skin:
All You Need to Know

From collagen to probiotics, the skin supplement market is growing

As the beauty and wellness worlds collide, the relationship between nutrition and skin health has become a hot topic. As a result, beauty supplements (also known as dermatology supplements) for skin and fighting anti-aging are popping up everywhere, but can taking one of these beauty supplements really improve your skin’s health? Beauty from the inside as they say, does it really work?

As it turns out, the case for adding a beauty supplement to your daily skin care routine is growing. Some of these supplements are now supported by several well-designed, published scientific studies that indicate it is in fact possible to manipulate and to delay skin aging and to improve skin conditions through supplementation with selected nutritional supplements. This anti-aging strategy is most effective when treating extrinsic skin aging -- aging that is caused by external environment factors such as sun exposure, air pollution, smoking, and poor nutrition, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles, rough-textured skin, and loss of elastin and collagen.

Keep in mind: not every skin care beauty supplement out there is going to work, and the evidence is sparse for many supplements -- the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements the way it does drugs. Many supplements contain active ingredients that can have strong effects in the body, so always consult your healthcare provider before taking beauty supplements. They can help you determine which supplements, if any, might be valuable for you.

What are beauty supplements?

Beauty supplements are capsules, powders, gummies, or liquids that contain ingredients such as vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids that are essential to your skin’s health, like vitamin A, vitamin C, and collagen — and these are in higher concentration. Yes, it is true that you can find many of the same ingredients formulated into topical treatments, but ingesting them can help your body enhance its natural antioxidant power.

Do supplements for your skin actually work?

Yes, high quality beauty supplements can have a positive impact on your skin. Your skin’s function and healthy appearance depends on a sufficient supply of essential nutrients (vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids).

Recent intervention studies focused on anti-aging strategies in relation to fighting extrinsic skin aging (aging that is caused by external environment factors such as sun exposure, air pollution, smoking, and poor nutrition) have found that it is possible to improve skin health and delay skin aging through select nutritional supplements. Frequently researched antioxidants, vitamins (A, C, D and E), carotenoids (vitamin A derivatives like retinol), tocopherols (forms of vitamin E), flavonoids (rich in antioxidants), essential omega-3-fatty acids, collagen (a type of protein), and even probiotics like lactobacilli have been referred as agents capable of promoting skin health and beauty. For example, there are many existing pre-clinical and clinical studies that provide evidence for how collagen hydrolysates supplementation improves skin health and signs of aging. Participants that were given collagen hydrolysate supplements saw an improvement in their skin’s moisture levels and reduced skin dryness, as well as improvement in the elasticity of their skin, resulting in reduced wrinkles, nasolabial fold depth, greater smoothness, and less skin roughness.

To evaluate whether a specific ingredient within a beauty supplement would benefit your skin, it is highly recommended that you consult with a qualified healthcare provider because a variety of factors will come into play including, but not limited to, the following: age, skin type, diet, exercise and metabolism, along with your existing daily skin care regimen.

Beauty supplements for skin care are focused on providing nutrients to your skin, however, you should not replace your regular multivitamin or healthy diet with a beauty supplement because it may not provide the full range of nutrients your body requires. Instead, consider beauty supplements as a complement to your current vitamin or dietary supplement routine, and as an extension your daily skin care regimen that uses topical treatments.

Are beauty supplements safe?

Beauty supplements can be safe, but it depends. The use of unhealthy, low-quality, or unlisted ingredients is a problem in the beauty supplement industry. Even though there are many high-quality and safe beauty supplements on the market, there is always the possibility that the beauty supplement a consumer chooses could contain dangerous or illegal ingredients. Despite the claims a beauty supplement might make in its marketing and advertising, there are no regulatory or enforcement agencies that check to make sure the advertisement claims are accurate.

When researching which beauty supplements you may want to try, it is important to remember the lack of FDA regulation when it comes to beauty supplements. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements the way it does drugs. As a result, not all beauty supplements are products with the same quality-control and the label “natural” doesn’t always mean safe. Since beauty supplements aren’t as strictly regulated, supplement companies can basically claim anything they want without having the correct ingredients and research to support it. Therefore, you should always consult your healthcare provider before taking beauty supplements.

'Regulation' for beauty supplements is as follows:
Beauty supplement companies (manufacturers and distributors of beauty supplements) are responsible for producing products in a quality manner (no contaminants or impurities), for having evidence that their products are safe, and for accurately making label claims that are truthful and not misleading by following the Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and labeling regulation.

However, as long as the product does not contain a new dietary ingredient (one introduced since October 15, 1994), the supplement company does not have to provide this safety evidence to the FDA before the product is marketed. In other words, beauty supplement companies can take a product to market without providing the FDA with any safety evidence, as long as they don't use any new dietary ingredients in their product. If the beauty supplement does contain a new ingredient, the beauty supplement company (manufacturers and distributors) must notify the FDA about that ingredient prior to marketing the product to the public. However, the FDA will only review this new dietary ingredient for safety -- they will not review it for effectiveness.

If you are interested in trying out a beauty supplement, keep these things top of mind…

  • Always consult with your healthcare provider about the beauty supplement you’re considering taking to see if it would be safe and beneficial for you.

  • Be aware of the fact that since the FDA does not regulate beauty supplements the way they regulate drugs, not all supplements are produced with the same quality-control standards.

  • Be cautious about taking beauty supplements if you are pregnant or nursing.

  • If a beauty supplement claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be skeptical of product claims such as “works better than [a prescription drug],” “totally safe,” or has “no side effects.”

  • Do not consume too much of one individual nutrient (also known as nutrient "overdosing") -- nature creates them in a balanced manner, and that’s how they should be consumed

  • The term or label natural doesn’t always mean safe.

  • If, while using a beauty supplement, you have a serious reaction or illness -- stop using the product, contact your healthcare provider to find out how to take care of the problem, and report the problem to the FDA by either contacting the Consumer Complaint Coordinator in your area or by filing a safety report online through the Safety Reporting Portal.

The bottom line: always get your beauty supplements from a reputable source that follows cGMP regulations and uses current scientific research to produce their products, and always ensure you consult your healthcare provider before taking any beauty supplements.

What are ingredients commonly used in beauty supplements for my skin?

Below are top ingredients that are commonly found in beauty supplements for your skin:

  • Collagen
  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10)

How soon will I see results from a skin care supplement?

Beauty supplements are a long-term commitment that requires consistency. Beauty supplements will take at least 4 weeks to start working for your skin, with maximum benefits showing within 3 to 6 months of continual, daily use -- that is, if you end up seeing results at all.

Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to skin care and skin health since everyone’s skin reacts differently to certain ingredients or products. Therefore, anti-aging skin care, including the intake of beauty supplements, often comes with trial and error, and is necessary for prolonged periods until eventually a resolution occurs.