FOOD & SUPPLEMENT BUNDLE
Foods and supplements claimed to help skin and hair
53 of them, ranked by strength of evidence. Only 2 reach grade A or B.
At a glance
53 foods and supplements marketed for skin and hair, each graded one by one against clinical trial evidence. Grade spread: B 2 · C 30 · D 8 · F 2. Only 2 reach grade A or B.
The grade measures how strong the evidence is, not how good something is for you. Grade A means independent research groups replicated a reduction in real clinical events in humans; grade F means well-designed trials established there is no effect. See Methodology.
Claimed to help skin and hair — strongest evidence first
Within a grade, higher scores come first; verdicts without a score sit at the bottom. Follow a name to see its trials, evidence, and limits.
| B | 72 | Nicotinamide (niacinamide) | Prevention of recurrent nonmelanoma skin cancer in high-risk patients |
| B | 60 | Zinc | Acne and skin |
| C | 50 | Low-molecular-weight collagen (collagen peptides) | Skin hydration and elasticity |
| C | 50 | Oral hyaluronic acid | skin moisturization |
| C | 50 | Oral ceramides (rice- and wheat-derived) | skin moisturization and barrier |
| C | 50 | Tomato nutrient complex (Lyc-O-Mato) | Oral photoprotection and reduction of skin erythema |
| C | 50 | Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HY7714 | Improvement of skin hydration, elasticity, and UV-related skin aging |
| C | 50 | NOVAROSE®, a standardized Rosa chinensis petal extract | Improved skin hydration, wrinkles, and ultraviolet-related photoaging |
| C | 50 | Lactoferrin (milk-derived iron-binding glycoprotein used as an oral supplement) | Reduced inflammatory and total lesion counts and severity in mild-to-moderate acne |
| C | 50 | Whole almonds, about 57 g daily | Reduced facial wrinkles in postmenopausal women |
| C | 50 | Low-glycemic-load, higher-protein diet | Reduction in acne lesions |
| C | 49 | Polypodium leucotomos extract | Oral ultraviolet protection and erythema reduction |
| C | 49 | Viviscal AminoMar proprietary marine protein complex | Increased hair density and growth in women |
| C | 47 | Ingredients claimed to express aquaporin (AQP3). Representative: glyceryl glucoside. Ingredients that are claimed together but whose cited evidence does not confirm AQP3/skin-moisture matching (such as resurrection plant, aloe, trimethylglycine, etc.) are separated as “claimed but evidence not matched.” | Skin moisture |
| C | 46 | Glutathione (oral) | Whitening and skin tone |
| C | 46 | Proteoglycan (from salmon nasal cartilage) | Skin and joints |
| C | 46 | Approximately 2 L/day of water added to the usual diet | Improved hydration and elasticity of normal skin |
| C | 46 | Raw vegetable salad with 0.5 g black pepper plus an emulsion containing 8 g canola oil | Higher ten-hour plasma AUC and peak concentrations of total and individual carotenoids |
| C | 46 | VERISOL specific bioactive collagen peptides | Increased nail growth and reduced cracking or chipping |
| C | 46 | Nutrafol Women's Capsules | Hair growth in women with self-perceived thinning hair |
| C | 44 | Elastin (hydrolyzed elastin peptides) | skin elasticity and wrinkles |
| C | 44 | Keratin (oral keratin) | Hair and nails |
| C | 44 | Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid | Improvement in skin elasticity and wrinkles, hair, and nails |
| C | 44 | Amla (Phyllanthus emblica) | Improvement in female pattern hair loss and hair growth |
| C | 44 | Annurca apple extract containing procyanidin B2 | Reduced hair loss and increased hair density and growth |
| C | 44 | Spermidine | Reduction of telogen hair loss and prolongation of anagen |
| C | 43 | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | Skin and collagen production |
| C | 42 | MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) | Improvement of skin wrinkles, elasticity, and hydration |
| C | 42 | Specific bioactive collagen peptides, marketed as VERISOL | Reduction of thigh cellulite and skin waviness |
| C | 40 | Squalene (from shark/olive sources) | Skin and immunity |
| C | 40 | Oral sheep placenta extract (dietary supplement) | Improved skin elasticity, whitening, regeneration, and anti-aging |
| D | 35 | Probiotics (specific strains) | Atopic dermatitis and eczema |
| D | 35 | Oral vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol 400 IU; fat-soluble vitamin and nonprescription supplement) | Reduced pruritus and SCORAD severity in mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis |
| D | 34 | Sunflower-seed-containing food, 25 g/day | Improved acne |
| D | 28 | Biotin (vitamin B7) | hair-loss improvement and hair growth |
| D | 28 | Biotin (vitamin B7, water-soluble vitamin supplement) | Thickening and strengthening brittle, splitting nails in adults without biotin deficiency |
| D | 27 | Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) | Prevention of gray hair and restoration of hair color |
| D | 27 | Pea sprout extract (AnaGain Nu, trademarked ingredient in topical and oral finished products) | Reduced hair loss and increased hair growth through oral ingestion |
| F | 18 | Oral probiotics containing live Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, or related strains | Treatment of symptoms in established atopic dermatitis or eczema |
| F | 5 | Calcarea carbonica 30C homeopathic product | Relief of infant cradle cap and seborrheic scalp dermatitis |
| C | score not listed | Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | skin and hair-loss improvement |
| D | score not listed | Brewer’s yeast | hair-loss relief and hair |
| ? | score not listed | L-cystine | Improvement in diffuse hair loss and hair growth |
| ? | score not listed | Millet seed extract (Panicum miliaceum) | Reduction in hair loss and hair growth |
| ? | score not listed | Horsetail extract and silica (Equisetum) | Reduced hair loss and stronger hair and nails |
| ? | score not listed | L-Methionine | Hair growth and stronger nails |
| ? | score not listed | Oral catalase | Prevention of gray or white hair and restoration of original hair color |
| ? | score not listed | L-proline | Improvement of skin elasticity and wrinkles through increased collagen synthesis |
| ? | score not listed | Polygonum multiflorum, Fo-Ti, or He Shou Wu | Improvement of hair loss and restoration of gray hair to black |
| ? | score not listed | Oral pearl powder (nacre, Margaritifera) | Skin lightening, radiance, regeneration, and anti-aging |
| ? | score not listed | Oral sodium copper chlorophyllin (a water-soluble chlorophyll derivative sold as a supplement) | Reduced acne lesions and cleansed skin after liquid or capsule ingestion |
| ? | score not listed | Black sesame and sesamin supplied as oral foods or capsules and as topical scalp oils or products | Improved androgenetic alopecia and hair regrowth after topical or oral use |
| ? | score not listed | Cooked whole black soybeans | Reduced hair loss and reversal of gray hair |
Not swallowed — applied, inhaled, held in the mouth, worn, or performed on the body (16)
Same claims, but these are not taken by mouth: rubbed on the skin, breathed in, chewed or rinsed and spat out, worn on the body, or performed as a procedure such as acupuncture or cupping. A different route into the body, so they are listed separately.
| C | 50 | Facial gua sha massage | Facial contour improvement and lifting |
| C | 42 | Topical caffeine (scalp shampoo or tonic, cosmetic) | Reduced shedding and improved hair density in male or female pattern hair loss |
| C | 40 | Redensyl (trademarked multi-ingredient active in scalp ampoules) | Reduced hair loss and increased hair density |
| C | 40 | Rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis, aromatherapy oil applied to the scalp) | Hair regrowth in androgenetic alopecia through scalp application |
| D | 32 | Topical caffeine shampoo (a methylxanthine-containing cosmetic or nonprescription hair-loss product) | Reduced shedding and improved growth or density in male and female pattern hair loss |
| D | 30 | Applying ordinary toothpaste to a minor thermal burn | Removing heat and accelerating wound healing |
| D | 28 | Copper tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu; topical scalp serum) | Hair regrowth from scalp application in male and female pattern hair loss |
| D | 25 | Snail secretion filtrate (snail mucin, cosmetic ingredient) | Reduced inflammatory mask-acne lesions and improved post-acne skin recovery |
| D | 22 | Volufiline, a cosmetic trade ingredient containing a sarsasapogenin-rich Anemarrhena asphodeloides root extract in hydrogenated polyisobutene | Filler-like correction of under-eye and cheek hollows by increasing fat volume |
| F | 16 | Topical vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol or tocopheryl acetate; antioxidant cosmetic skin oil) | Cosmetic improvement of postsurgical scars and prevention of hypertrophic scarring |
| ? | score not listed | Topical castor oil (Ricinus communis oil used as a scalp oil) | Hair growth and reversal of hair loss through scalp application |
| ? | score not listed | Topical beef tallow (rendered and refined bovine fat used as an occlusive moisturizing cosmetic ingredient or consumer product) | Treatment-level improvement of itching, inflammation, and skin-barrier damage in atopic eczema |
| ? | score not listed | Batana or ojon oil, an Elaeis oleifera kernel oil used as a botanical scalp cosmetic | Follicle reactivation, hair regrowth, and reversal of androgenetic alopecia |
| ? | score not listed | Fermented rice water, including rice water or Oryza sativa fermentation filtrate (a starch-based topical scalp cosmetic, not a medicine) | Stopping androgenetic alopecia and regrowing hair through scalp application or shampoo use |
| ? | score not listed | Peppermint essential oil (menthol-based topical cosmetic or supplement ingredient) | Topical promotion of hair regrowth in androgenetic alopecia |
| ? | score not listed | Houttuynia cordata extract (topical scalp tonic or shampoo) | Suppression of androgenetic alopecia and hair regrowth after scalp application |
Claimed to harm skin and hair (1)
Here a higher grade means the harm is better established — the opposite direction from the table above. A low grade means the claim of harm rests on weak evidence.
| C | 54 | Nonfermented skim milk consumed by adolescents | Increased prevalence of adolescent acne |
What does have evidence for skin and hair
Not foods or supplements: drugs and procedures graded A or B. Chamgap recommends nothing. It only shows where the evidence is strong. Any treatment decision belongs with your doctor.
| A | 86 | Early endovenous ablation added to compression, using thermal or nonthermal closure of superficial venous reflux | Faster complete healing of venous leg ulcers |
| A | 80 | Multilayer compression bandaging for venous leg ulcers | Faster complete healing of venous leg ulcers |
| B | 79 | Topical adapalene (topical retinoid, Differin, nonprescription or prescription) | Reduction of inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions in mild-to-moderate acne |
| B | 79 | Terbinafine (a prescription oral allylamine antifungal) | Mycological and clinical cure of dermatophyte toenail onychomycosis |
| B | 79 | Mohs micrographic surgery (prescription skin-cancer surgery with comprehensive mapped margin examination) | Prevention of long-term local recurrence in recurrent high-risk facial basal cell carcinoma |
| B | 78 | Isotretinoin (prescription oral retinoid) | Lesion remission in severe, scarring-risk, or standard-treatment-refractory acne |
| B | 78 | Pembrolizumab (PD-1-inhibiting monoclonal antibody, Keytruda, prescription anticancer infusion) | Prevention of recurrence and distant metastasis in completely resected high-risk stage III melanoma |
| B | 77 | Ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, Yervoy, prescription anticancer infusion) | Prevention of recurrence, distant metastasis, and death after complete resection of high-risk stage III melanoma as adjuvant therapy |
| B | 77 | Dabrafenib plus trametinib (prescription combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors) | Prevention of relapse and distant metastasis after complete resection of stage III BRAF V600-mutated melanoma |
| B | 76 | Dupilumab (IL-4Rα-targeting monoclonal antibody, Dupixent, prescription medicine) | Improvement of pruritus and skin lesions in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis |
| B | 76 | Secukinumab (IL-17A monoclonal antibody, Cosentyx, prescription biologic) | Skin clearance and itch improvement in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis |
| B | 76 | Finasteride 1 mg (oral prescription tablet) | Slowed progression and increased hair growth in adult male androgenetic alopecia |
How to read this list
A grade of C or D does not mean "do not take it." It means the evidence is not yet strong enough to promise the effect. Equally, A or B does not mean it works for everyone.
Chamgap sells nothing and takes no advertising. See all Skin & Hair verdicts.