What we eat supports all aspects of our wellness, including our skin. While a balanced diet isn’t a replacement for sunscreen, drinking enough water or a good skincare routine, nutrition and a healthy diet play a key role in how your skin looks and feels over time.
The right vitamins for skin help stimulate collagen production for smoothness and firmness, maintain hydrated skin to prevent dryness, and protect against environmental stressors like sun exposure and pollution.
If you’re looking to boost your skin from within, let’s take a closer look at the best vitamins and nutrients for healthy, glowing skin and how to incorporate them into your daily diet.
The best vitamins for skin support your skin's natural ability to protect, repair and renew itself. There's no single "magic" nutrient for glowing skin, but a combination of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats all play an important role in keeping your skin hydrated and radiant.
Some nutrients help your body produce collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and smooth, and can also support skin cell turnover and healing, which can help improve tone and texture over time. Others act as antioxidants, protecting your skin from everyday stressors like sun exposure, pollution and inflammation.
Although many people support their skin health with topical lotions or supplements, many of the best vitamins for skin come from whole, everyday foods. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins can give your skin the nutrients it needs to look and feel its best—without relying on supplements.
From healthy fats to antioxidants, nutrients play a unique role in skin health. The good news? You can get most of them from everyday foods.
Omega-3 fatty acids help keep skin stay supple, moisturized and calm, while reducing inflammation and protecting your skin against damaging UV rays. Too little fat in your diet can dry out your skin, enhancing the appearance of wrinkles.
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that your body can’t make on its own, so they have to come from your diet.
If you’re looking to add more into your diet, pick up a few of these foods high in omega-3s next time you hit the grocery store:
Selenium acts as a powerful antioxidant for your skin, fighting free radicals from sun exposure and helping prevent premature aging.
Free radicals are unstable molecules created by factors like sun exposure, pollution and everyday bodily processes. They can damage healthy skin cells over time, leading to oxidative stress, which is a key driver of premature aging, including wrinkles, dullness and loss of firmness.
Some research suggests selenium may play a role in skin cancer prevention and may even support skin conditions like psoriasis.
Selenium deficiency has been linked to a greater chance of skin cancer. The recommended daily value (DV) for selenium is 55 micrograms per day. Good sources of selenium include:
Vitamin A can help support your skin’s natural defenses against sun damage, including sunburn, cell death and dry, wrinkled skin that comes from long-term sun exposure. Beta-carotene, the form of vitamin A found in many plant foods, becomes incorporated into your skin when you consume it, offering protection against sun exposure from the inside out.
You’ve probably come across vitamin A in your skincare routine, too. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is often added to creams, lotions and serums, where it can help speed up skin cell turnover and increase collagen production, which can lead to smoother skin, fewer wrinkles and clearer pores.
Related: Tretinoin vs. retinol: Which skincare option works best for your skin goals?
Consuming high amounts of vitamin A can also create a warm, orange tint to your skin, contributing to a healthier appearance. Sweet potatoes are one of the best sources of beta carotene, providing more than six times the daily value of vitamin A in just a ½ cup serving.
Other great sources of vitamin A include:
*While avocados only contain a small amount of vitamin A, they can boost the absorption of other foods that contain vitamin A up to 12 times when eaten together. As vitamin A is fat-soluble, consuming healthy dietary fat, like avocado, helps its absorption in your digestive tract.
Zinc is a mineral that is well known for its ability to protect your skin from UV damage and keep the cells in your skin’s outer layer strong and resilient.
When you are deficient in zinc, your skin can develop cracks or a rash that is similar to eczema. This rash will typically not improve with moisturizers or steroid creams. To achieve the recommended daily value of zinc (11 milligrams per day), try incorporating foods high in zinc into your diet.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Flavonoids protect your skin from environmental stress by acting as powerful antioxidants. These plant pigments, the same compounds that give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colors, help protect your skin from the everyday damage caused by the sun, pollution and stress, all of which, over time, can contribute to skin aging and dullness.
Besides fruits and vegetables, another delicious source of flavonoids are:
Vitamin C is another important nutrient for healthy skin. Vitamin C builds collagen in your skin, the main structural protein that keeps skin firm and acts as an antioxidant that protects your skin from damage caused by the sun and environment.
Vitamin C deficiency is rare, but common symptoms include dry, rough and scaly skin that tends to bruise easily. The recommended daily amount of vitamin C for adults is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men . Fruits and vegetables are your best sources, including:
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that helps protect, hydrate and repair your skin. It helps fend off damage caused by UV rays, pollution and other environmental stressors. It often works hand in hand with vitamin C, which is part of why these two nutrients show up together in so many skincare products.
The recommended daily amount of vitamin E is 15 mg for adults. Foods high in vitamin E include:
Vitamin D plays an important role in keeping your skin healthy from the inside out. It helps regulate skin cell turnover, strengthen the skin barrier and support healing, all of which keep your complexion healthy and resilient. While vitamin D is best known for supporting bone health, it also plays a role in your skin’s immune response due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may help calm inflammation.
Your body’s main source of vitamin D is sunlight, and getting enough of it is important to prevent vitamin D deficiency. But you can also get vitamin D through your diet. Foods high in vitamin D include:
Collagen is a group of 16 proteins and accounts for one-third of the natural total-body protein in humans. Claims that collagen can improve skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles have made it a popular addition to skincare and wellness routines.
Most of the research that promotes collagen protein supplementation focuses on its ability to increase skin firmness and slow down signs of aging. Since collagen protein is too large to be absorbed, collagen peptides are used to help indirectly boost collagen levels. The amino acids from the peptides signal cells to create collagen, elastin and fibrin, promoting skin health.
Collagen supplements have been shown to improve skin firmness, suppleness and moisture, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles. The supplements used in these studies also contained vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients, so it’s unclear if the skin improvement was due to collagen alone.
Good nutrition plays an important role in skin health. By choosing a balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats, you can help support your skin’s natural strength, resilience and glow over time.
If you are living with ongoing skin concerns or wondering if your diet could be playing a role, a registered dietitian or dermatologist can help.
Talk with a registered dietitian today or find a dermatologist near you.
Lisa Marsh, MS, RD, LD is a clinical dietitian with the Baylor Scott & White HealthTexas Provider Network. She provides nutrition assessment and dietary counseling for the Personal Edge Executive Wellness Program and Signature Medicine. Lisa's professional interests include nutrition counseling and consultation for the treatment of diseases and conditions related to an individual's diet and eating behaviors. Lisa's methods are geared toward lifestyle and behavioral changes unique to each individual.
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