Supplement company Nutrafol has launched its first-ever supplement formulated to provide skin health benefits.
 
The first-of-its-kind daily supplement is formulated for women above the age of 18 who experience mild-to-moderate acne. The supplement includes ingredients evidenced to benefit stress, hormonal fluctuations, the gut and skin microbiome, and immune function.
 
In addition to several vitamins and minerals, the supplement contains a patent-pending Synergen Skin Complex, which contains extracts of holy basil, maca, berberine, turmeric, sicilian orange, and the postbiotic Lactobacillus plantarum L-137.
 
The product also contains the Nutrafol Blend, which includes the prebiotic tributyrin, Amorphophallus konjac extract, lycopene, olive extract, ginger extract, and Baciullus subtilis DE111.
 
The finished product was tested for its anti-acne benefits in a human clinical study appearing in Skin.
 
Over the course of 12 weeks, 39 mostly-female subjects between 18 and 50 were administered either Nutrafol Skin in the single-arm study after discontinuing all medications and topicals for acne prior to the start. At weeks four, eight, and 12, they were assessed for IGA (investigator’s global assessment of acne severity), inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesion counts, clinical grading of post-inflammatory pigmentation, and texture. Specialists used corneometer, tewameter, and sebumeter measurements, and also gave participants questionnaires on perceptions of efficacy.
 
By the end of the study, 85% of participants saw IGA improvements and all lesion counts decreased over the duration of the study with a significant portion of subjects seeing improvements in inflammatory lesion counts (69%) and non-inflammatory lesion counts (87%). Overall, clinical grading of skin quality parameters progressively improved throughout the duration of the study, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation significantly improved in nearly 80% of subjects by week 12. Sebumeter measurements also improved significantly as early as week four, and remained lower than baseline throughout the study duration, while skin hydration as measured by the corneometer improved as well.
 
Subjects also self-reported less breakouts (77%), less oily skin (74%), and that their acne had improved (87%).
 
“Although more studies are needed, these results offer insight into the potential benefits of nutraceuticals addressing underlying mechanisms that up to now, have gone largely unexplored,” the authors concluded. “Addressing root causes that contribute to a generalized inflammatory response leading to the development of acne may prove to be an important step in expanding our toolbox in providing more options for patients and improving skin health.”