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Can Turmeric Help Your Skin?
Turmeric has long been highly valued in traditional medicine, but more recently, it has caught the attention of researchers and skincare experts. You will have seen turmeric in teas, supplements, or health blogs promising brighter, clearer skin, but what do scientists think actually happens when you ingest turmeric, and does it really help your skin? As a skin clinic, we like to know about these things.
What Happens When You Take Oral Turmeric?
Turmeric’s main active compound is curcumin. When you take it in food or as a supplement, curcumin enters the bloodstream and interacts with pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell repair.
The catch? Curcumin on its own is not well absorbed. That’s why many supplements are formulated with black pepper extract (piperine) to improve bioavailability. Without this, most of the turmeric you swallow passes straight through the digestive system. If you are taking turmeric without pepper, perhaps you should add it. If you are a fan of taking turmeric, it might be worth looking at the delivery method.
Evidence for Turmeric and Skin Health
So what does the science say when it comes to skin?
2019 Review
A systematic review pulled together eleven clinical studies looking at oral turmeric and curcumin for skin health. The conditions studied included psoriasis, pruritus, oral lichen planus, facial redness, and even some forms of skin cancer. Overall, the review found therapeutic benefits for skin, particularly linked to turmeric’s anti-inflammatory activity.
That said, the authors noted the same issue we often see in nutrition research: small sample sizes, variable study designs, and inconsistent methods. In other words, promising, but the field needed more robust and standardised clinical trials.
Read more about this review
2024 Review
A major review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences took a deep look into curcumin’s role in managing skin diseases. Researchers analysed decades of studies to create a broad picture of how this compound can be used for everything from chronic inflammation to skin infections and anti-ageing.
The review confirmed curcumin’s powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It highlighted significant potential for inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis by calming the immune response in the skin. The authors also pointed to strong evidence for its role in wound healing, where it helps to speed up repair, improve collagen deposition, and protect the skin from damage caused by UV radiation.
Like other research, this review stressed that curcumin’s major hurdle is its low bioavailability, both when ingested and when applied to the skin. A key takeaway was that its effectiveness depends heavily on the delivery system. The paper concluded that the future of curcumin in skincare lies in advanced formulations like nanoparticles, liposomes, and nanoemulsions, which are being designed to help the active compound penetrate the skin barrier and work where it’s needed most.
Read more about this review
2025 Study
A female study looked closely at how a bioavailable form of turmeric, curcumin microcapsules, affects the skin. Fifty-seven women took either 2 grams of the curcumin microcapsules or a placebo every day for 42 days. The study was double-blind and placebo-controlled, which is considered the gold standard in clinical research.
After six weeks, the women who took the microcapsules saw:
- A 10% reduction in wrinkle area, especially around the crow’s feet.
- A reduction in skin redness.
- Fewer brown spots.
- Noticeable improvements in luminosity and radiance.
- A measurable reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress in the skin.
It should be noted that normally, curcumin is poorly absorbed. This study’s results related to microencapsulated curcumin, and due to a microstudy beforehand involving standard ingestion, the researchers stated that absorption was dramatically improved in the encapsulated version.
The study measured that this meant the curcumin was actually reaching the skin and reducing oxidative stress at a cellular level. That reduction in oxidative stress helps protect your collagen and elastin, the very structures that keep skin looking firm and youthful.
We thought these findings were encouraging. They suggest that when turmeric is formulated correctly, it can make visible differences to skin health.
Read more about this study
Summary of Key Findings
| Study | Type | Skin Benefit Noted | Population | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematic Review, 2019 | Systematic Review | General therapeutic benefits for psoriasis, pruritus, facial redness, and other inflammatory skin conditions. | Data from 11 different clinical studies | Varied |
| Review, Int J Mol Sci, 2024 | Review Article | Broad potential for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound healing effects. Highlighted benefits for psoriasis, dermatitis, and UV protection. | N/A (Review of existing literature) | N/A |
| Curcumin Microcapsule Trial, 2025 | Randomised Controlled Trial | Wrinkle reduction, less redness, fewer brown spots, improved luminosity, and reduced oxidative stress. | 57 women | 42 days |
How Does Turmeric Support the Skin?
Based on these studies, oral turmeric may help your skin through several mechanisms:
- Anti-inflammatory pathways: Turmeric reduces inflammatory messengers that contribute to redness, breakouts, and flare-ups.
- Antioxidant protection: Curcumin neutralises free radicals, shielding collagen and elastin from premature breakdown.
- Gut-skin axis: By supporting gut health and microbiome balance, turmeric can indirectly influence skin clarity and hydration.
- Collagen and wound healing: Early evidence shows curcumin may stimulate fibroblasts, the cells responsible for producing collagen.
Safety and Considerations
Turmeric is generally safe when taken orally in standard supplement doses, but there are points to keep in mind:
- Large amounts may cause digestive discomfort.
- It may interact with blood thinners and other medicines.
- Results vary between individuals, and not everyone notices visible changes in their skin.
- Always check with a medical professional before starting a new supplement, especially if you take prescribed medication.
Key Takeaways
Oral turmeric shows clear potential for supporting skin by calming inflammation and fighting oxidative stress. Evidence from broad reviews and specific clinical trials suggests measurable benefits for inflammatory conditions and visible signs of ageing. Cucumin’s effectiveness depends heavily on using a bioavailable formula that your body can absorb. Turmeric should be seen as a complement to, not a replacement for, a healthy lifestyle and professional skin treatments. If you have any skin related issues you need advice on, please get in touch with us at 01603 360360 only at The Doctors Laser Clinic.
