Acne supplements: what the trials show

What a dietary supplement can and can't do

A dietary supplement is a product you swallow, such as a tablet, capsule, gummy or powder, that adds vitamins, minerals, herbs or similar ingredients to your diet. It means acne supplements are add-ons to skin care, not medicine: under US law, a product meant to treat or cure a disease counts as a drug, even when its label says dietary supplement. The best summary of the evidence for acne supplements is a 2023 systematic review of randomized trials in JAMA Dermatology.

Trials included

42 randomized clinical trials with 3,346 people, searched up to January 30, 2023

Possible benefit

Vitamin B5, vitamin D, green tea, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids, in studies of fair or good quality

Usual result

Fewer lesions, or a better overall score from the doctor

Side effects

Rare for most; stomach and gut upset with zinc

Main limit

Many of the studies were small

Several of these trials saw their biggest change in inflammatory lesions, the red and swollen spots driven by inflammation, rather than in blackheads. A table like the one above tells you what helps on average, not what drives your own breakouts. If you are not sure which pattern you have, a face analysis can point to your likely top cause.

Important Safety Warnings

A safety warning is a finding that a supplement can hurt your skin or your health. It means more is not better with acne supplements, and some can make breakouts worse. The three warnings of most weight for acne are below.

Vitamin A Caution

Extra vitamin A can build up in the body and cause serious health problems. Chronic vitamin A poisoning can happen in adults who regularly take more than 33,000 IU a day, and large doses in pregnancy can cause birth defects. If you are pregnant or trying, ask your doctor before taking any product with vitamin A.

B-Vitamins

In a lab study, 10 healthy people took vitamin B12. It changed what their skin bacteria were doing, and one of the 10 developed acne a week later. The authors call this one explanation for the long-standing observation that B12 brings on acne in some people. Not every B vitamin behaves the same: pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is the one with a trial in its favor.

Lack of FDA Regulation

The FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety or effectiveness before they are sold. The companies that make and sell them are responsible for checking safety and labels first; the FDA can act against an unsafe or mislabeled product after it reaches the market.

Food and acne

Research does not show that chocolate, nuts or greasy foods cause acne. Diets high in refined sugar or dairy may be linked to acne in some people, but that link is still debated. What you eat matters less than daily habits; the basics of how to prevent acne do more than any capsule.

When supplements are not enough

Acne that keeps coming back is a skin condition worth treating directly, not a vitamin gap to fill. It means the first step is treatment on the skin, and a doctor when that is not enough. If breakouts keep coming after your twenties, a real adult acne treatment plan comes before supplements.

Tell your doctor about every supplement you take, including the dose on the label. Ask before you start one if you are pregnant, take prescription acne medicine, or have a health condition.