Researchers Find Vitamin C-Rich Diet May Physically Enhance Skin Quality - Video

Healthy skin might start not from what you put on it, but from what you eat. A new study from the University of Otago, Christchurch (Ōtautahi), has found that simply boosting vitamin C intake through fresh fruit can visibly improve skin health, making it thicker, stronger, and faster at renewing itself. Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the research provides the first direct evidence that vitamin C from food moves from the bloodstream into the skin’s deepest layers, where it stimulates collagen production and rejuvenation.

Vitamin C is a key nutrient for building collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and resilient, but the body doesn’t store it for long. While many skincare products contain the vitamin, topical forms often struggle to penetrate the tough outer barrier of the skin. Dietary vitamin C, however, circulates naturally in the blood and can reach every layer of the skin more effectively. The Otago team set out to prove just how much influence diet can have on skin biology.

The researchers followed 24 healthy adults in New Zealand and Germany in a carefully controlled, eight-week trial. Participants were asked to eat two vitamin C-rich gold kiwifruit (SunGold™) daily—providing about 250 mg of vitamin C, the amount known to saturate blood levels. Using skin biopsy samples and ultrasound imaging, scientists measured vitamin C concentrations in both blood and skin, as well as changes in skin thickness, elasticity, UV protection, and regeneration rates.

The results were striking: increased dietary vitamin C led to higher vitamin C levels within the skin and a measurable rise in skin thickness, reflecting enhanced collagen synthesis and faster outer skin renewal. The association between plasma vitamin C and skin vitamin C was exceptionally strong—more pronounced than in any other organ studied. According to lead author Professor Margreet Vissers, this confirms that skin efficiently absorbs vitamin C from the blood, prioritizing it for repair and defense.

The team suggests that similar benefits can be achieved through other vitamin C rich foods such as citrus, berries, capsicum, and broccoli—not just kiwifruit. Since the body cannot store the vitamin, maintaining consistent intake is crucial. One high vitamin C food a day may be one of the simplest, most natural ways to keep your skin stronger, healthier, and more youthful from the inside out.

REFERENCE: Juliet M. Pullar, Stephanie M. Bozonet, Dörte Segger, Astrid von Seebach, Emma Vlasiuk, Helen R. Morrin, John F. Pearson, Jeremy Simcock, Margreet C.M. Vissers. Improved Human Skin Vitamin C Levels and Skin Function after Dietary Intake of Kiwifruit: A High-Vitamin-C Food. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2025; DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2025.10.587