Does resveratrol in skin cream actually do anything?
Resveratrol in skin cream demonstrably reaches the skin and has antioxidant activity, but whether it produces any visible effect as the sole active ingredient has not yet been proven. Combination products show promising results, but anyone buying a cream with resveratrol should be aware that the evidence for resveratrol itself remains thin.
After being applied to the skin, resveratrol does penetrate into the outermost skin layer (stratum corneum) and, to a limited extent, into the upper living epidermis. The concentration is highest just below the surface and drops off rapidly toward the deeper layers. The fact that resveratrol reaches the skin has therefore been reasonably well demonstrated, both in the laboratory and in humans.
Once in the skin, resveratrol retains its antioxidant activity. In tests it outperformed the vitamin E analogue trolox in scavenging free radicals, including in the deeper skin layers. That sounds impressive, but these tests do not yet tell us how large the visible effect on your skin will ultimately be.
Clinical studies in humans show cautiously positive results, but there is an important caveat: virtually all studies tested a combination product. One 12-week study measured an average improvement of 18.9% in skin thickness after use of a cream containing resveratrol, baicalin and vitamin E, plus a reduction in fine lines and an increase in elasticity. Another study with a combination cream containing resveratrol, retinol and niacinamide saw comparable improvements in 25 participants, but had no control group. In none of these studies can it be established what share of the effect is attributable to resveratrol itself.
After CO2 laser treatment, a serum combination containing resveratrol reduced redness and pigmentation more quickly than a saline solution. Here too it is a combination product, not resveratrol alone. Mild side effects such as flaking and redness appeared early in one study, most likely due to the retinol.
Laboratory research into nanocarriers to deliver resveratrol more effectively into the skin looks promising, but that is not yet evidence that it works in humans. A systematic review of active cosmetic ingredients mentions resveratrol as potentially useful for sun-damaged skin, but points to peptides as the group with the strongest supporting evidence.
All claims are based on small clinical studies (n=25-51), laboratory research and one systematic review. No study has tested resveratrol as the sole active ingredient in a controlled RCT with a sufficient number of participants. Most of the evidence concerns combination products, which means the contribution of resveratrol in isolation cannot be separated out.