„Beauty from within“ is booming: Influencers are presenting collagen drinks, biotin complexes, and colorful capsules as a firm beauty routine for beautiful skin, strong nails, and full hair. The market for dietary supplements is growing rapidly. Some are even paying a lot of money for regular micronutrient infusions. We'll take a look at what really works and where money is being wasted.
What is proven to work
This is about clear evidence: micronutrient boosts help when there's a genuine deficiency, identified through a blood test. However, one must be aware that this is also just a snapshot, and a doctor must clarify whether it's a deficiency or symptoms of a more serious illness.
Supplements can therefore compensate for proven deficiencies: in iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, or iodine. Without a deficiency, the effects are minimal. In special life situations: folic acid in early pregnancy is mandatory (medically speaking and not just a beauty trend). Vegans and vegetarians should pay attention to their vitamin B12, omega-3 (EPA/DHA); the latter can be advisable with low fish intake.
Beauty supplements checked: What can they really do?
Many products promise a lot – we look at the data on skin, hair, and nails:
- Biotin: Effective for biotin deficiency (rare). Without a deficiency, there are hardly any detectable effects, and high doses can falsify lab tests.
- Collagen peptides: Small RCTs show slight improvements in skin elasticity after 8-12 weeks. The problem: The effects are moderate and often found in industry-funded studies.
- Oral hyaluronic acid: Individual studies report slightly increased skin moisture. However, the evidence is thin.
- Antioxidants (Vitamins C/E, CoQ10, Resveratrol): Mixed data are available here, with rarely visible clinical effects; high doses can dampen training effects.
- Zinc/Vitamin A for acne: Only useful in case of deficiency or medical therapy. Over-the-counter mixtures yield inconsistent results.
- „Skin-Hair-Nail“ Complexes: Many rely on EU Health Claims („contributes to the maintenance of normal skin“) – this means normal function, not anti-wrinkle miracles.
Why the glow is often a snapshot
Success stories are seductive – but psychology and biology play a role. We need to understand that our skin condition fundamentally fluctuates. If you start during a bad phase, your skin often improves even without supplements – however, the product gets the credit.
Placebo & Routine: People who take supplements often sleep better, eat more consciously, and take better care of themselves – the overall package works. Many simply drink more glasses of water a day when they take their supplement than they normally would.
„Expensive Lulu“ - a lot of expensive supplements end up in the urine: Excess water-soluble vitamins (B, C) are excreted anyway. Noticeable energy or glow boosts are rarely scientifically proven.
Scientifically hardly verifiable
In the sales world, especially on social media, promises that are not backed by solid studies are rampant. The effect is particularly strong on social media, where we are easily convinced of a beauty product's effectiveness when an „ordinary“ person like you and me tells us about it and shares their success stories. They can't possibly be wrong, can they!? Well, the primary beneficiary will be the advertiser's bank account, especially when ordering with their „code.“.
The facts also show the following:
- Flat-rate micronutrient analyses from hair samples: these are completely unreliable.
- „7 Days to Glow“: Skin cycles last for weeks. Quick promises are pure marketing.
- Megadoses without deficiency: the benefit here is unclear, but the risks are real: Vitamin A can be hepatotoxic/teratogenic, selenium can trigger hair loss, an iron overload can make us sick.
Regulations vs. Advertising Claims: What the EU Allows
Dietary supplements are food, not medicine! Only checked products are permitted EU Health Claims – often expressed as „contributes.“ This sounds like an effect, but it means normal function, not „visibly fewer wrinkles.“ Influencer marketing with affiliates naturally enhances the advertising effect, as mentioned before, but by no means the evidence of whether something works.
What's really worth it
Basis first: A varied, balanced diet – protein, healthy fats, colorful fruits/vegetables, fiber, drink enough. For the skin, UV protection or simple moisturizing creams will do. Pay attention to your sleep and please don't smoke.
Work instead of lottery: In case of deficiency symptoms, testing is the only solution (ferritin/iron, B12, vitamin D, possibly zinc) – and then targeted supplementation. This should not be done for longer than 2 months and should then be re-evaluated.
Smartly supplement: B12 with vegan/vegetarian diets, Vitamin D in winter according to guidelines/blood values, Omega-3 with low fish intake. Never uncontrolled megadoses; choose products with clear declarations and absolutely check for interactions. Otherwise, the micronutrient cocktail simply becomes „expensive urine.“.
Micronutrient boosts are not Photoshop you can swallow. They work for actual deficiencies and provide small improvements in isolated cases – the rest is often a beauty trend, a snapshot, and a placebo. Those who don't want to pour their budget into expensive fluff should focus on lifestyle, diagnostics when needed – and daily sun protection.
Sources:
1) EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims (EFSA/EU)
https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/8a1fd953-fe9f-45b2-98eb-f9d242c44656_en?filename=labelling_nutrition-claims_swd_2020-96_sum_en.pdf
Official EU database of legally approved health claims for food supplements (e.g., „contributes to the maintenance of normal skin“). Helps to correctly classify marketing claims.
