A review of published research conducted by scientists at the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) calls into question some of the claims made for ‘beauty from within’ supplements.
BNF says its review “reveals a very limited evidence base” to support some of the ingredients used in popular orally consumed beauty supplements.
The review, released today, concludes that while a healthy, balanced diet, containing essential vitamins and minerals, is required for healthy skin, nutraceuticals for skin may not add further benefit to the effects already obtained from a healthy diet.
The BNF’s review entitled: Nutraceuticals and skin appearance: Is there any evidence to support this growing trend? investigates whether oral beauty nutraceuticals can provide a defence against skin damage from external factors, helping to reduce wrinkles and maintain skin elasticity.
BNF acknowledges that well-studied nutrients and ingredients, such as vitamins A, C, B2, B3, B7, and the minerals iodine and zinc, are proven to support the maintenance of normal skin, and that deficiencies of these essential micronutrients can result in skin abnormalities.
But is says there is little evidence to show that a host of other ingredients found in oral products – green tea extract, pomegranate extract, carotenoids, evening primrose oil, borage oil, fish oil, collagen and co-enzyme Q10 among them – provide any ‘anti-ageing’ benefit to the skin.
BNF says it was only able to identify a “limited number of well-conducted human trials (of oral beauty supplements),” and that the findings of these were inconsistent.
Ayela Spiro, nutrition science manager, British Nutrition Foundation, comments: “As consumers can spend hundreds of pounds a year on oral beauty supplements, we felt it was important to investigate the association between the ingredients in these products, and the signs that we associate with skin ageing, such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity and moisture. While there is a body of research on the science of skin ageing, evidence for the benefit of nutraceuticals to skin appearance is currently not strong enough to draw firm conclusions.”
The BNF review will be published in the March edition of the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition Bulletin.