With all of the skincare advice out there, it can be hard to sift through all the recommendations and find out exactly what different vitamins do for your skin. Some vitamins are best when applied topically, and others are best taken as a supplement. Let’s break it down together. 

Practical Application of Vitamins in Skincare

The practical application of vitamins in skin care has revolutionized the beauty industry, offering targeted solutions for various skin concerns. Vitamins, especially A, C, and E, have been incorporated into numerous products due to their antioxidant properties, which combat skin aging and damage from free radicals. 

Vitamins and Their Impact on Skin: Topical Vitamins

Vitamin A

There are many forms of Vitamin A, a few of which are blowing up on social media, like tretinoin or retinol products. Vitamin A is most often used in the treatment of acne. Vitamin A increases skin cell turnover, resurfacing your skin and “unseating” blockages. About 75% of patients with acne who apply Vitamin A to their skin see significant improvement in 2-3 months or less. Retinol-based products are also used for their anti-aging benefits because of increased cell turnover.  

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has a few benefits when applied to the skin, with both protective and reparative effects. 

• Anti-Aging
  • Helps to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation, which is a leading cause of fine lines and wrinkles. 
  • Enhances your skin’s collagen production, a primary structural element of your skin’s underlying support
• Discoloration
  • Helps to resurface skin to decrease existing areas of sun damage or discoloration
  • Prevents excessive formation of melanin, lowering the risk of developing sun damage spots 
• Antioxidant 
  • Protects your skin from oxidative damage from smoke, pollution, and the sun
• Replenishes Vitamin E
  • Vitamin E is a key player in the replenishment of collagen stores and cell membrane integrity in the skin

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is useful, but it can be challenging to reap the benefits given the high incidence of skin reactions in those with sensitive skin. There are a lot of claims about vitamin E for wound healing and scar reduction, but it is not supported by scientific studies. The benefits Vitamin E may provide are:

• Sun Protection 
  • When Vitamin E interacts with UV radiation, it absorbs the radiation and essentially disappears, which may indicate that it prevents the harmful radiation from being absorbed by the skin
• Antioxidant 
  • Similarly to Vitamin C, Vitamin E reduces free-radical-induced oxidative damage to the skin 
• Decreased Inflammation
  • Vitamin E appears to diminish inflammation, but it is not known yet if it happens as a result of its antioxidant capabilities or if it affects inflammatory cell signaling

There is substantial evidence that combining topical use of Vitamin E and C provides the most beneficial effects for decreasing photodamage and increasing antioxidant activity. 

How To Choose Skincare Supplements: Vitamin Supplements 

Now that we’ve gone over what vitamins can do from the outside in, let’s talk about how you can support your skin health from the inside out, with supplements. Let’s go over what common skincare supplements do for your skin. 

• Biotin 
  • Many supplement brands tout the effectiveness of biotin for increasing the strength of hair, skin, and nails through keratin production. But in reality, no one has a real deficiency to the point that biotin supplementation is necessitated unless they have skin or hair growth conditions. Many adverse effects of biotin supplementation have been reported in dermatological journals. 
• Collagen 
  • This is the most well-researched and validated dietary intervention for hair, skin, and nail health. Collagen, specifically collagen tripeptides, has been experimentally shown to benefit underlying skin structure and reverse oxidative damage. Collagen supplementation increases the plumpness and hydration of your skin to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles. 
• Vitamin E and C
  • This powerful combination helps to reduce oxidative damage and protects your skin cells from UV radiation from the inside out
• Zinc
  • There is only anecdotal evidence for the use of zinc for your skin and it has not been scientifically proven to help with any skin concern
• Fish oil, lycopene, and beta-carotene
  • There is some, though limited, evidence that the consumption of these elements may help fend off damage to the skin from UV radiation
• Other Proven Strategies 
  • Probiotics 
  • Multivitamins/Well-rounded diet
  • Chaga Mushrooms (topical or supplement)

What Supermood Recommends For Skincare

Incorporating the right cosmetics and products from natural sources into your beauty routine can drastically improve skin appearance.

If you’re concerned about sun damage or oxidative damage, reach for products that have: 

• Topical Vitamin E or C 
• Vitamin E/C supplement 
• Chaga Mushrooms 

Like Supermood’s Radiance Serum or Radiance Oil.

If you’re concerned about fine lines and wrinkles, look for products with;

• Vitamin A
• Chaga Mushrooms (topical/supplement)
• Collagen supplement
• Vitamin C

Like Supermood’s One Minute Facelift Serum or any product from the Youth Glo line 

Take a collagen supplement, but keep in mind collagen tripeptides are best for skin support.

If you’re concerned about acne, try ingredients like:

• Vitamin A 
• Chaga Mushrooms (topical/supplement) 
• Probiotic pills 

Such as Supermood’s facial masks, notably the Babyface Mask or anything from the EgoBoost line.

For a wider variety of skin care solutions, aiming at improving skin health and defending against external aggressors, you might want to explore https://supermood.us/collections/skin-care.