Can you get your Vitamin D fix from a cream?
Getting it from foods is hard. Barely any have it! The sun gives you plenty – together with wrinkles and dark spots. A supplement seems like the safest bet, but what if you don’t like to pop a pill?
It’s tempting to turn to the Vitamin D serums and oils that are popping up on the skincare aisles atm. But do they have what it takes to do the job?
Yes and no. Here’s how topical application of Vitamin D really benefits your skin:
How Does Vitamin D benefit skin?
Your body needs Vitamin D to stay healthy. This nutrient prevents rickets and osteoporosis, keeps your teeth in good condition, helps prevent cancer and may even have a role in metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
You won’t get any of those benefits from Vitamin D creams and serums. Here’s what they can do for you instead:
- Help treat acne: Topical application on mouse skin reduces the size and diameter of acne lesions (but NOT their density).
- Soothes skin: It heals inflammation (the root cause of all skin evils, from acne to premature aging to psoriasis) and calms down allergic reactions and irritations.
Not bad. But I expected a bit more from it, didn’t you?
Related: How To Get Your Vitamin D Fix Without Skipping Sunscreen
What Are The Best Skincare Products With Vitamin D?
Here’s where things gets tricky. Most skincare products with Vitamin D don’t really contain any Vitamin D. Here are a couple of examples:
- Murad Multi-Vitamin Infusion Oil ($72.00): It has 7-Dehydrocholestero, a form of provitamin D that’s converted into Vitamin D by sunlight. But it also has plenty of natural oils and antioxidants to keep skin soft and wrinkle-free for longer (that’s what makes it worth getting). Available at Dermstore, Sephora and Ulta.
- One Love Organics Vitamin D Moisture Mist ($39.00): It has Shiitake Mushroom, a source of Vitamin D. But we don’t know how much or if it’s enough to deliver its skincare benefits. Still, the mist has aloe vera and probiotics that can soothe skin. If you have sensitive skin, it may be worth a go. Available at Dermstore.
- Zelens Power D High Potency Provitamin D Treatment Drops (£115.00): It uses 7-Dehydrocholestero, a form of provitamin D that’s converted into Vitamin D by sunlight, and a bunch of mushrooms full of Vitamin D. We don’t know if these work just as well, but at least the rest of the formula is super moisturising. If you have dry skin and have an extra £100+ to spare, you may like this. Available at Cult Beauty.
There’s so little research on the benefits of Vitamin D when topically applied to the skin, we don’t know how well these forms of Vitamin D really work.
But hey, at least these products have enough other goodies to help moisturise your skin, fight wrinkles and soothe irritations.
Should You Use Skincare Products With Vitamin D?
I wouldn’t buy a cream or serum just because it has Vitamin D. But if the product is loaded with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and moisturising ingredients that can help treat your skin woes, why hold the inclusion of Vitamin D against it?
Have you ever used skincare products with Vitamin D? Share your experience in the comments below.
