REVIEW | PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION

In this review, evidence for the use of nutraceutical ingredients that address the six systemic drivers of acne vulgaris are described. This included vitamins, minerals and botanicals such as holy basil, maca, curcumin and Sicilian orange.

More information on the systemic drivers of acne vulgaris can be found here.

Findings from a clinical trial on Nutrafol Skin - a multi-targeting nutraceutical that combines many of the described ingredients - were also presented. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of Nutrafol Skin in adults with non-cystic acne (N = 51).

Measures included Investigator Global Assessment of acne severity, inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesion counts and clinical grading of skin heath, including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation/erythema. Instrumental evaluation of sebum, skin hydration and transepidermal water loss was also included, alongside subjective questionnaires.

After 12 weeks of supplementation, Nutrafol Skin significantly improved the Investigator Global Assessment of acne severity (P<0.001), with 85% of subjects exhibiting improvements in this measure. Inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesion counts were also significantly improved (P<0.001 for both), relative to baseline, with 69% and 87% of subjects exhibiting improvements, respectively.  Skin hydration levels were significantly improved (P=0.002), and skin sebum readouts were significantly reduced (P=0.002), relative to baseline.

Improvements in acne and skin parameters after treatment with Nutrafol Skin. *Determined through Wilcoxon-signed rank test. +Determined through paired t-test.