“You are what you eat,” as the saying goes. But does the same apply to what you drink?
Pinterest’s Summer Trend report flagged “skincare drinks” as a rising category, with searches up 176% on the app. Since then, the trend has spread across platforms, with TikTok creators touting skin-boosting drink recipes they claim clear complexion, racking up thousands of views.
“Maybe you should drink your skincare instead of using all these products to fix your skin,” TikTok creator @xarabeq suggested in a video posted back in June. Her “retinol skincare” recipe includes carrots, lemon, orange, ginger, and turmeric to make a week’s worth of wellness shots.
A viral recipe by @nelakugc uses cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger, apple, and greens to concoct a “glowy skin juice.” Another user recommends a daily shot of olive oil mixed with lemon juice for skincare benefits.
Worldwide Google searches for “drinks for skin” and “drink for glowing skin” have doubled in the past month, according to Vitabiotics, the U.K.’s top vitamin company. While it’s true that diet affects the health of your skin—the body’s largest organ—are these “skincare drinks” actually effective?
Carrots appear frequently in recipes because of their vitamin A content. Nutritionist Lucia Stansbie explains the difference between retinol in skincare and vitamin A from carrots.
“This drink is said to be rich in vitamin A, but plant-based vitamin A comes in the form of beta-carotene, the pigment that gives many orange fruits and vegetables their color,” she says. “While vitamin A does help the maintenance of normal skin, our bodies only convert beta-carotene into active vitamin A in small amounts.”
Instead of a daily shot, she suggests simply eating a carrot or adding one to your morning smoothie to maintain vitamin A levels.
Turmeric is another common ingredient in skin elixirs touted on social media. “Turmeric is also an important nutrient, but it’s better absorbed with a source of fat,” Stansbie says. “Instead of using it in a juice, I would again use it in a smoothie where I would add an avocado or nut butter to have some healthy fats to maximize its absorption.”
Celery juice is popular for its hydrating properties, but instead of juicing it, Stansbie suggests blending it and adding a source of vitamin C, “one of the most powerful nutrients which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, along with spinach and berries. I would pair this with a protein-rich breakfast that provides vitamin B, such as vitamin B2 and biotin, which both contribute to the maintenance of normal skin.”