Nutricosmetics: Active Ingredients and Clinical Benefits Based on Scientific Evidence NUTRICOSMETICS: ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND CLINICAL BENEFITS BASED ON SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE Hanny Ferry Fernanda Bachelor's Degree Program in Cosmetology Education.
Faculty of Engineering.
Surabaya State University fernanda@unesa.
Abstract Nutricosmetics are oral nutritional interventions designed to enhance skin health and aesthetics through internal biological mechanisms.
The growing beauty-from-within trend has accelerated research on active compounds such as hydrolyzed collagen, oral hyaluronic acid, probiotics, and astaxanthin.
This article synthesizes current scientific evidence by reviewing studies published between 2015 and 2025 retrieved from Scopus.
PubMed.
Web of Science, and ScienceDirect.
Eight key publications, including meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials (RCT.
, were evaluated to determine the clinical effectiveness of nutricosmetics on skin parameters.
Hydrolyzed collagen demonstrates the strongest evidence base, with a meta-analysis of 26 RCTs .
,721 participant.
reporting significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity.
Oral hyaluronic acid likewise shows benefits in hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle reduction, supported by findings from seven RCTs.
Probiotic supplementation exhibits clinical efficacy in acne management via modulation of the gutAeskin axis, while astaxanthin offers potential improvements in hydration and photoprotection, although current data remain limited.
Variability in dosing, formulations, and study duration contributes to heterogeneity across trials.
Overall, nutricosmetics present promising complementary strategies for enhancing skin hydration, elasticity, and age- related parameters.
Standardized methodologies and long-term clinical trials are required to strengthen evidence- based Keywords: Nutricosmetic.
Hydrolyzed collagen.
Oral hyaluronic acid.
Clinical efficacy improvement and increased dermal collagen density while reducing collagen tissue fragmentation after several weeks of intervention (Asserin et al.
, 2.
This provides a mechanistic basis that oral collagen intake can strengthen the dermal structure and support glycosaminoglycan and hyaluronic acid production.
In addition to collagen, oral hyaluronic acid has also gained attention.
A double-blind clinical trial of 129 women showed that oral HA consumption promoted increased skin hydration within 2Ae8 weeks, as well as improved epidermal thickness after 12 weeks (Gao et al.
More recently, a 12-week study with HA matrix .
ontaining HA, glycosaminoglycans, and collage.
showed significant improvement in parameters such as stratum corneum hydration, skin brightness, roughness, elasticity, and a reduction in wrinkles and scaliness compared to placebo (Montero-Vilchez et al.
, 2.
Carotenoids have also been the focus of research.
meta-analysis of oral Astaxanthin supplementation showed improvements in skin moisture content and elasticity compared to placebo, although improvements in wrinkle depth were inconsistent (Zhou et al.
, 2.
The proposed biological mechanisms involve antioxidant activity and inhibition of extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes .
MMP-1.
MMP-.
which may protect collagen and elastin from INTRODUCTION Traditional skin careAisuch as topical creams, filler injections, and dermatological proceduresAihas long been the mainstay in maintaining aesthetics and delaying skin aging.
However, non-invasive and "from within" approaches have gained popularity through the concept of nutricosmetics: oral nutritional interventions aimed at improving cosmetic aspects such as hydration, elasticity, and skin texture, as well as hair and nail health.
This concept is in line with the "beauty-from-within" trend and increasing consumer demand for simpler and more practical alternatives to traditional cosmetic Several active ingredients have been proposed as nutricosmetic candidates, including hydrolyzed collagen peptides, oral hyaluronic acid (HA), carotenoids such as astaxanthin, polyphenols, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals.
Of these, collagen peptides have been the most studiedAia recent meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials (RCT.
with a total of 1,721 subjects reported that hydrolyzed collagen supplementation significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity compared to placebo.
Sub analyses indicate that supplementation duration .
specially Ou 8 week.
correlates with more consistent effects (Pu et al.
Data from individual RCTs support these findings:
in two controlled clinical trials, oral collagen peptide Adornata: Ethnobeauty and Wellness.
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degradation due to oxidative stress and aging (Davinelli et al.
, 2.
However, there are significant challenges in Large variations in formulations .
ype of ingredients, dosage, combination of active substance.
, study duration, populations, and assessment methods make synthesizing the literature difficult.
For example, heterogeneity in collagen sources and supplementation duration influenced results, as reported in a collagen meta-analysis sub analysis (Pu et al.
, 2.
Furthermore, although some studies show positive results, many studies have potential biases in randomization, outcome reporting, or funding support, so the generalization of findings must be handled with Thus, although the potential of nutricosmetics is very attractive and supported by several clinical evidence, a critical review and systematic analysis considering methodological quality, dosage, duration, and interaction of active ingredients is needed.
This article aims to provide an in-depth summary of the main active ingredients in nutricosmetics, evaluate clinical benefits based on RCTs and meta-analyses, and identify research gaps and recommendations for future studies to provide evidence-based guidelines for practitioners, researchers, and consumers.
adapted according to the characteristics of each database to obtain the most comprehensive and relevant literature.
Eligibility Criteria Inclusion criteria were established to ensure that the literature analyzed was highly relevant to the topic of nutricosmetics and their clinical benefits.
Included articles comprise English-language studies published between January 2015 and January 2025 that focus on oral interventions containing active nutricosmetic ingredients such as collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid, carotenoids, probiotics, ceramides, polyphenols, vitamins, or combinations of these ingredients.
Accepted study types included randomized clinical trials (RCT.
, controlled trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses evaluating clinical outcomes related to skin health or aesthetics, including hydration, elasticity, wrinkles, roughness, photoaging, or skin biomarker parameters.
Exclusion criteria include articles that only examine topical interventions or non-oral procedures, in vitro or animal studies without clinical translation data, nonscientific articles such as opinions or editorials, case reports, and studies that do not provide quantitative data or adequate methods for systematic assessment.
Studies that did not mention the dose or composition of oral interventions were also excluded to maintain consistency in assessing the effectiveness of the METHOD This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2.
Information Sources and Search Strategy A systematic literature search was conducted using four major scientific databases, namely Scopus.
PubMed.
Web of Science, and ScienceDirect.
The search period was set from January 2015 to January 2025 to ensure coverage of the latest scientific evidence on nutricosmetic active ingredients and their clinical The search strategy was designed to identify relevant articles, including randomized controlled trials (RCT.
, observational studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.
For example, the search strategy on Scopus used the keyword combinations:
("nutricosmetic*" OR "oral cosmetic*" OR "beauty supplement" OR "collagen peptide" OR "hyaluronic acid" OR "carotenoid*" OR "probiotic*" OR "astaxanthin" OR "ceramide*" OR "polyphenol*") AND ("skin" OR "dermatology" OR "wrinkle*" OR "hydration" OR "elasticity" OR "photoaging").
The search was executed using Boolean operators, truncation, and phrase searching to ensure the sensitivity and specificity of the results.
Similar strategies were Study Selection and Screening Process All search results from the four databases were pooled and duplicates were removed using reference management software .
Mendeley or Zoter.
Two independent reviewers conducted a two-stage screening:
first based on the title and abstract, then a full-text review to determine final eligibility according to the inclusion criteria.
Disagreements were through discussion or by involving a third reviewer.
The selection process was carried out following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines to ensure transparency and replication of methods.
PRISMA Flow Description The study identification and selection process followed the four stages outlined in the PRISMA guidelines: identification, screening, eligibility, and In the identification stage, all articles obtained from Scopus.
PubMed.
Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were combined and cleaned of duplicates.
The screening stage was conducted on titles and abstracts to evaluate their relevance to the topic of Articles that met the initial criteria entered the full-text eligibility stage, where reviewers Nutricosmetics: Active Ingredients and Clinical Benefits Based on Scientific Evidence assessed the suitability of the methods, characteristics of the intervention, and completeness of the report.
Only studies that met all inclusion criteria entered the final stage and were included in the qualitative synthesis and, where possible, the quantitative synthesis.
the title and abstract screening stage were substantially reduced.
During the screening stage, most articles were excluded because they did not meet the scope of the study, such as topical interventions, animal, or in vitro studies, or did not clinically assess skin The remaining articles were then analyzed during the full- text assessment stage to evaluate methodological suitability and adequacy of intervention The results of the article search can be seen in Table RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A literature search of four major databases (Scopus.
PubMed.
Web of Science, and ScienceDirec.
yielded many articles relevant to the topic of nutricosmetics for skin health.
After data consolidation and duplication removal, the number of articles entering Table 1.
Results of the Systematic Review Reference Pu SY et al.
Year Design Systematic review & meta-analysis .
RCT.
OO1721 .
Intervention Hydrolyzed collagen .
arious source.
Dose 1Ae10 g/day .
Duration 2Ae12 weeks .
MonteroVilchez T.
Randomized doubleblind placebocontrolled trial
OO60
Hyaluronic Acid Matrix (HA.
60 mg/day .
roduct DermialA) 12 weeks Eguren C.
Randomized clinical OO74 As per .
12 weeks Tjiu JW et al.
Systematic review & meta-analysis .
ral probiotics in acn.
RCTs Probiotic (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CECT 30031 Arthrospira Oral probiotics .
arious strain.
Ng et al.
Review .
RCTs Astaxanthin .
ypically 4Ae12 mg/da.
4Ae12 mg/day 6Ae12 weeks Evans M.
Randomized, tripleAa
blind, placeboAa
controlled trial
Fish-derived hydrolyzed collagen
(VWC)
as per .
Amin P.
et al.
Systematic review & meta-analysis .
ral HA) .
ishderived RCTs Oral Hyaluronic Acid .
arious Myung SK et Meta-analysis .
ollagen RCTs Collagen This study identified eight major publications representing the most widely researched types of oral nutricosmetic interventions, namely hydrolyzed collagen, oral hyaluronic acid, probiotics, astaxanthin, and combinations of other active ingredients that have been evaluated in clinical trials and systematic reviews.
Overall, the evidence gathered shows consistent benefits for skin parameters such as hydration, elasticity, texture, and signs of aging, although with a level of methodological heterogeneity that needs to be Hydrolyzed Collagen Two large meta-analyses provide the strongest evidence regarding the effectiveness of oral collagen.
Outcomes Improved skin hydration and elasticity .
Increased smoothness, reduced roughness vs Improvement in Acne Global Severity Scale vs placebo .
=0.
Potential modest reduction in acne severity .
Improved skin hydration, texture, photoprotection in several RCTs Improved skin hydration and elasticity in aging Meta-analysis improvements in hydration/elasticity/ wrinkle depth Improved hydration, elasticity, and study by Pu .
involved 26 RCTs with a total of 1,721 participants and concluded that collagen supplementation .
Ae10 g/day, for 2Ae12 week.
significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity compared to placebo, although there was heterogeneity between studies regarding collagen sources and product formulations (Pu et al.
, 2.
These findings are reinforced by a recent meta-analysis by Myung & Park .
analyzing 23 RCTs and reporting consistent improvements in hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle depth (Myung & Park, 2.
High-quality interventional evidence is also seen in an RCT study by Evans et al.
using hydrolyzed fish collagen (VWC), which showed improvements in Adornata: Ethnobeauty and Wellness.
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hydration and elasticity in an adult population experiencing skin aging (Evans et al.
, 2.
Collectively, the evidence supports the ability of oral collagen to improve skin structural parameters through increased extracellular matrix density and fibroblast stimulation, as described in several mechanistic studies.
parameters related to aging, hydration, and elasticity.
meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials (RCT.
reported that hydrolyzed collagen supplementation significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity compared to placebo .
ith a significant effect on the overall test, p < 0.
after a minimum of 8 weeks of use, despite heterogeneity in formulations and doses among the studies analyzed.
The proposed mechanisms are related to increased endogenous collagen synthesis, dermal hydration, and glycosaminoglycan production, including hyaluronic acid, as well as decreased collagen tissue fragmentation, which is a sign of intrinsic aging.
Individual clinical studies support these findings, showing increased dermal collagen density and decreased tissue fragmentation after oral collagen supplementation for 4Ae 12 weeks.
Additional evidence suggests that collagen peptides derived from hydrolyzed collagen can circulate in the bloodstream and reach the dermis, providing amino acid substrates for endogenous collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid synthesis (Jadach et al.
, 2.
Beyond collagen.
RCT evidence on oral hyaluronic acid supports its potential to improve skin hydration, elasticity, and brightness after 2Ae12 weeks of use.
recent meta-analysis covering several RCTs found significant improvements in hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle depth after HA supplementation compared to placebo, although results related to TEWL, and skin firmness did not always reach statistical significance and heterogeneity existed between studies.
Individual clinical trials also reported improvements in dermal hydration, skin tone, and epidermal thickness after oral HA consumption across various skin types.
Oral probiotic interventions show more specific results in certain clinical conditions, such as acne.
RCT reported that the combination of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CECT 30031 and Arthrospira platensis significantly reduced the number of non-inflammatory lesions and increased acne severity scores compared to placebo in 12 weeks.
Review evidence also supports the role of probiotics in reducing inflammation and improving skin barrier function through gutAeskin axis modulation, although strain characteristics, dosage, and duration have not been standardized (Sutema et al.
The effects of astaxanthin on skin hydration and photoprotection have also been reported through several small RCTs, although meta-analytic evidence is weaker, and some reviews state the need for stronger data.
Because astaxanthin has strong antioxidant activity that can protect dermal collagen against oxidative stress, these preliminary findings remain promising despite the Oral Hyaluronic Acid (Oral HA) Two primary sources evaluated the benefits of oral HA.
Montero-Vilchez et al.
reported through an RCT (OO60 participant.
that consuming 60 mg/day of Hyaluronic Acid Matrix (DermialA) for 12 weeks significantly improved skin brightness, hydration, softness, and reduced roughness compared to placebo (Montero-Vilchez et al.
, 2.
These findings are consistent with a meta-analysis by Amin P.
et al.
that identified 7 RCTs and reported significant improvements in hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle depth, although the number of clinical trials remains limited and formulations vary greatly between products (Amin et al.
, 2.
Oral Probiotics Probiotic interventions for skin health show promising results, particularly in acne conditions.
RCT study by Eguren et al.
using a combination of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CECT 30031 and Arthrospira platensis for 12 weeks showed a significant reduction in the Acne Global Severity Scale compared to placebo .
= 0.
(Eguren et al.
, 2.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Tjiu & Lu .
also noted a potential mild to moderate reduction in acne severity, although heterogeneity in strains, doses, and intervention duration hindered the generalization of results (Tjiu & Lu, 2.
This evidence supports the gutAeskin axis concept, where probiotics modulate systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and barrier function, indirectly improving skin condition.
Astaxanthin A review by Ng et al.
summarizing several RCTs showed that astaxanthin consumption .
Ae12 mg/day for 6Ae12 week.
improved skin hydration, texture, and provided photoprotective effects (Ng et al.
Although most studies were small, the results were relatively consistent, supported by astaxanthin's strong antioxidant mechanism that protects skin cells from UV radiation damage and oxidative stress.
A systematic analysis of scientific evidence shows that a few nutricosmetic active ingredients, particularly hydrolyzed collagen, and oral hyaluronic acid, have demonstrated consistent clinical effects on skin Nutricosmetics: Active Ingredients and Clinical Benefits Based on Scientific Evidence need for large-scale studies and more systematic reporting of doses.
The strongest evidence currently remains with hydrolyzed collagen and oral hyaluronic acid, which have moderate to strong RCT data.
Common limitations in this field include dose variation, inconsistent commercial product formulations, relatively small sample sizes in some clinical trial, and observation durations generally less than 6 months.
For clinical implementation, this approach should be viewed as a complementary therapy rather than a substitute for topical skin care or UV protection and should be tailored to the patient's clinical profile, including skin condition, outcome expectations, and tolerance to supplements.
Balanced nutrition.
UV protection, and topical skin care remain fundamental in anti-aging strategies.
Evidence also suggests that combinations of active ingredients, such as collagen plus vitamin C or HA, may produce synergistic effects.
however, more RCTs systematically evaluating these component interactions are needed for strong clinical recommendations (Lin et al.
, 2.
MDPI
https://doi.
org/10.
3390/nu10040522 AG.
Eguren.
Navarro-Blasco.
Corral-Forteza.
Reolid-Pyrez.
Sety-Torrent.
Garcya-Navarro, .
Prieto-Merino.
Nyyez-Delegido.
Synchez-Pellicer.
, & Navarro-Lypez.
A Randomized Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of an Oral Probiotic in Acne Vulgaris.
Acta Dermato-Venereologica, https://doi.
org/10.
2340/actadv.
Evans.
Lewis.
Zakaria.
Pelipyagina.
, &
Guthrie.
A randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study to evaluate the efficacy of a freshwater marine collagen on skin wrinkles and elasticity.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 20.
, 825Ae834.
https://doi.
org/10.
1111/jocd.
Gao.
Wang.
Zhang.
Fan.
Luan.
Liu, , & Yuan.
Oral administration of hyaluronic acid to improve skin conditions via a randomized double-blind clinical test.
Skin Research Technology, 29.
https://doi.
org/10.
1111/srt.
CONCLUSION
Based on all available evidence, hydrolyzed collagen has the highest level of consistency and strength of evidence, followed by oral hyaluronic acid, probiotics, and astaxanthin.
However, the heterogeneity of study designs, differences in commercial product formulations, and variations in dosage remain challenges in establishing precise clinical recommendations.
Most RCTs had a duration of 8Ae12 weeks, so long-term effects still require further research.
This review indicates that nutricosmetics have the potential to provide real clinical benefits in terms of hydration, elasticity, texture, and signs of skin aging, but optimization still need to be improved through clinical trials with more uniform designs, longer durations, and more standardized reporting of results.
Jadach.
Mielcarek.
, & OsmaCek.
Use of Collagen in Cosmetic Products.
In Current Issues in Molecular Biology (Vol.
Issue 3, pp.
2043Ae Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI).
https://doi.
org/10.
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Liang.
Lin.
Lin.
Jimynez Vyzquez.
, van Campen.
, & Chiang.
Oral supplementation of vegan collagen biomimetic has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: A double-blind, placebo-controlled Journal of Functional Foods, 112.
https://doi.
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Gylvez-Martyn.
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Molina-Leyva.
Martinez-Puig.
Velasco-Alvarez.
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Oral Supplementation with a New Hyaluronic Acid Matrix Ingredient Improves Skin Brightness.
Hydration.
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