Archive · 28 Dec 2025
Dietary Vitamin C Boosts Skin Health More Than Topicals
A recent study found that eating foods rich in vitamin C, like kiwifruit, is better for your skin than just putting vitamin C creams on it.
The study showed that when people ate two kiwifruits a day for eight weeks, their skin became thicker and healthier.
This is because vitamin C helps make collagen, which is like a glue that keeps your skin strong.
The vitamin C from the food went into their blood and then into their skin, making it work better.
The researchers were surprised to see such a strong connection between the vitamin C in the blood and the skin.
They suggest eating foods with vitamin C every day to keep your skin healthy.
Dietary vitamin C benefits skin health more than topical treatments, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Eating two vitamin C-rich kiwifruits daily for eight weeks increased plasma vitamin C levels and improved skin thickness and renewal.
The study found a strong correlation between plasma vitamin C levels and skin vitamin C levels, more so than in other organs.
Vitamin C from the bloodstream penetrates all layers of the skin and helps improve skin function, including collagen production.
Professor Margreet Vissers recommends consuming approximately 250mg of vitamin C daily to maintain optimal plasma levels for skin health.
- Who
- Scientists at the University of Otago, Faculty of Medicine -- Christchurch Otautahi
- What
- A study on the effects of dietary vitamin C on skin health
- When
- The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Where
- Aotearoa New Zealand and Germany
- Why
- To investigate the benefits of dietary vitamin C on skin health compared to topical applications
- Study Journal
- Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Institutions
- University of Otago, Faculty of Medicine -- Christchurch Otautahi
- Participants
- 24 healthy adults in Aotearoa New Zealand and Germany
- Vitamin C Source
- Kiwifruit
- Daily Intake
- 250 micrograms
- Study Duration
- Eight weeks
- Key Finding
- Increased skin thickness and collagen production
- Recommended Daily Intake
- 250mg of vitamin C