Acne
Supplements studied for acne.
Overview
SupplementDEX lists 18 supplements studied for acne across 40 trials. The strongest signals come from Zinc (DEX Score 68; medium effect size, very high evidence, medium trust) and Aloe (DEX Score 56; medium effect size, low evidence, medium trust). Oral zinc may modestly improve acne, though results vary and comparisons with standard acne medicines are unclear. Topical aloe gel added to routine care appeared to reduce pimples in one study.
Milk Thistle and Vitamin D carry lower ratings (DEX Score 52). Milk thistle research is mixed: oral silymarin did not outperform doxycycline in a small trial, while some topical products showed moderate improvement in small studies. Vitamin D evidence remains uncertain, with one small study in people with low levels reporting reduced inflamed lesions.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) has only one low-rated study and is not well studied for acne. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for full ratings across all supplements.
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SupplementDEX Database
18 supplements for , and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.
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