{"id":4908,"date":"2022-10-18T14:22:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T21:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=4908"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:04:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:04:41","slug":"glutathione-supplement-benefits-for-skin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/glutathione-supplement-benefits-for-skin\/","title":{"rendered":"Ingestible skincare ingredient: Glutathione\u2014is it a shady skin lightener or a misunderstood skincare superstar for hyperpigmentation and fine lines?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You may have heard some unsavory things about how cosmetic companies hawked glutathione\u2014a powerhouse antioxidant\u2014as a skin lightening agent targeted at communities of color. This unnecessarily linked a remarkable, naturally-occurring compound to uncompromising (not to mention damaging) beauty standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, skin experts\u2019 understanding of glutathione has come a long way in the past few years, and we\u2019re here to set the record straight on this multi-dimensional supplement ingredient that can bring out the brightest, most balanced version of our natural skin tone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is glutathione and what does it do?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Glutathione is an antioxidant compound found in myriad organisms across the spectrum of life, from plants to fungi to the cells in the human body. Its cardinal role is to support the natural detoxification process: helping cells get rid of the metabolic waste they generate. This is an important health benefit because every function of your body, from digesting your food to a shift in your mood, has the potential to produce metabolic waste, generate free radicals and produce a molecular state of imbalance called oxidative stress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Antioxidants like glutathione are endogenous substances (substances naturally produced by your body) that take free radicals to task. In doing so, they combat oxidative damage and restore your body to a balanced, efficient, high-tier level of functioning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While glutathione\u2019s anti-toxicity properties have made it an effective treatment for many health conditions, this powerful antioxidant also has a cosmetic application when used as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/products\/supplements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">skincare supplement<\/a>: glutathione\u2019s benefits for skin include replacing dullness and hyperpigmentation with brighter, glowing, healthier-looking skin. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some have also started using glutathione injection and IV therapy\u2014like intravenous glutathione or IV glutathione to improve glutathione levels even though oral supplements, such as glutathione tablets, are more readily available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the benefits of glutathione for skin?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like collagen, glutathione levels diminish as we age<sup> <\/sup>and various systems of the body\u2014from immune health to our cutaneous (skin) function\u2014are more susceptible to the damaging effects of oxidative stress. In skin, this can result in:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Photodamage (premature aging)\u00a0<\/li><li>Hyperpigmentation\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/solutions-for\/lines-wrinkles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fine lines<\/a><\/li><li>Lower collagen content\u00a0<\/li><li>Dull-looking skin\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of the master antioxidants throughout the body, glutathione wields the reparative powers to help suspend the process of accelerated oxidative stress and restore the appearance and function of healthy skin. And, glutathione supplementation with the combination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/ingredients\/vitamin-c\/\">vitamin C<\/a> and vitamin E can be a recipe for glowing skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Here are three ways glutathione underwrites healthy skin at every age<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"numbered-list\">\n  <div class=\"numbered-list__items\">\n              <div class=\"numbered-list__item\">\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-number label label--lg rotate-270\">01<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-title headline headline--lg\">Glutathione helps even skin tone<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-text text\"><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Studies show that glutathione <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">does<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> interact with the melanin-production of our skin in 2 ways: by mitigating melanin overproduction and controlling free radicals. These two factors arrest the chain reaction that can result in hyperpigmentation (think <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/solutions-for\/dark-spots-uneven-tones\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">dark spots<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, sun spots, and patches of discoloration) caused by sun exposure, medications like birth control, hormones, pregnancy and\/or inflammation.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Supplementing with glutathione and shielding your skin against daily UV damage with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/products\/spf\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">face moisturizer with SPF<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> can help to shore up resilience against photodamage, lessening the incidence of hyperpigmentation in a matter of weeks.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n                <div class=\"numbered-list__item\">\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-number label label--lg rotate-270\">02<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-title headline headline--lg\">Glutathione improves skin elasticity<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-text text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\">Glutathione helps your skin to withstand the damages of excessive sun exposure, helping to preserve its collagen content<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\">\u2014the body\u2019s most plentiful protein.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\"> In one study from Japan, people who took a glutathione supplement for 12 weeks saw a noticeable improvement in skin elasticity, as well as a lessening of the appearance of <\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW19878528 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.murad.com\/solutions-for\/lines-wrinkles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW19878528 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">wrinkles<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19878528 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW19878528 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n                <div class=\"numbered-list__item\">\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-number label label--lg rotate-270\">03<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-title headline headline--lg\">Glutathione promotes immune health<\/div>\n        <div class=\"numbered-list__item-text text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">Every time our skin fends off an infection, toxins<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">or other damages, time has the opportunity to etch its mark into our skin. Aging is, in large part, a result of these incursions, altering the internal structure of our skin\u2014its water content, collagen, and elastin\u2014over time. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">A healthy immune system and beautiful-looking skin go hand in han<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">d<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">, and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">the <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">g<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW240746519 BCX0\">lutathione supplements can help to replenish our bodies with a constitutive element it needs to reverse the state of oxidative stress and reinforce your immune\u2019s system to fend off diseases. The result? Healthier, more youthful skin with a built-in ability to lock in resilience for longer.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW240746519 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Murad, and are for informational purposes only, even if the advice of physicians and medical practitioners are included. This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be considered specific medical advice.\u202f<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References for this information:&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30427707\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Biochemistry and Cell Biology<\/em>, 2019, volume 92, issue 3, pages 270-289<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/14555227\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Biochemical Pharmacology<\/em>, 2003, Volume 66, issue 8, pages 1499-1503<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3614697\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>International Journal of Biomedical Science<\/em>, 2008, volume 4, issue 2, pages 89-96<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3249911\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Pharmacology Review, <\/em>2010, volume 4, issue 8, pages 118-126<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23249101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Antioxidants and Redox Signaling<\/em>, 2013, volume 19, issue 8, pages 813-822<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/11\/9\/2073\/htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Nutrients<\/em>, 2019, volume 11, issue 9<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25906193\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Biomolecules<\/em>, 2015, volume 5, issue 2, pages 545-589<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/B9780124059337000020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Aging: Oxidative Stress and Dietary Antioxidants<\/em>, 2014, pages 15-22<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24568458\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention,<\/em> 2014, volume 15, issue 2, pages 561-568<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5413479\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology<\/em>, 2017, volume 10, pages 147-153<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7218662\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>British Society for Immunology<\/em>, 2020, volume 160, issue 2, pages 116-125<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource\/collagen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health Website<\/em>, The Nutrition Source<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More about skincare ingredients as ingestibles here:<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=4928\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ingestible skincare ingredient: Phytoceramides\u2014are they a &#8216;facelift in a bottle&#8217; and the secret to radiant, firmer skin from the inside out?<\/a>&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=4941\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ingestible skincare ingredient: Vitamin A\u2014the top 4 reasons why it&#8217;s a skin-saving superpower<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/https-wellconnected-murad-com-vitamin-e-benefits-for-face\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ingestible skincare ingredient: Vitamin E\u2014from being the ultimate antioxidant to protecting against inflammation<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/burdock-root-benefits-for-skin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ingestible skincare ingredient: Burdock root\u2014the natural solution for everything from digestion to a clearer complexion?<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/https-wellconnected-murad-com-grapeseed-oil-benefits-for-skin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ingestible skincare ingredient: Grapeseed oil\u2014the only ingredient you need on your supplement shelf for radiant, even skin?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may have heard some unsavory things about how cosmetic companies hawked glutathione\u2014a powerhouse antioxidant\u2014as a skin lightening agent targeted at communities of color. This unnecessarily linked a remarkable, naturally-occurring compound to uncompromising (not to mention damaging) beauty standards.&nbsp;&nbsp; Thankfully, skin experts\u2019 understanding of glutathione has come a long way in the past few years, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":5271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-skin"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1760630683:21"],"_edit_last":["21"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"primary_category":["5"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["5"],"_thumbnail_id":["5271"],"post_views_count":["10796"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Hate dull skin? Learn all about how powerful (yet misunderstood) glutathione is the secret to brighter skin from the inside out."],"sidebar_products_use_global_default":["0"],"_sidebar_products_use_global_default":["field_63a349a11086a"],"sidebar_products_items":[""],"_sidebar_products_items":["field_63a349a110878"],"sidebar_products":[""],"_sidebar_products":["field_63a349a0dadad"],"_wp_old_slug":["https-wellconnected-murad-com-glutathione-benefits-for-skin","glutathione-benefits-for-skin","glutathione-benefits-for-skin-murad"],"sidebar_products_title":["Related Products"],"_sidebar_products_title":["field_6408d62123449"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["glutathione"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["76"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["Glutathione Benefits | Murad"],"_aioseo_title":["Glutathione benefits for skin: The truth about this antioxidant | Murad Skincare"],"_aioseo_description":["Explore glutathione benefits for skin including brightening, anti-aging, and antioxidant protection. Science-backed facts about this trending ingredient."],"_aioseo_keywords":["a:0:{}"],"_aioseo_og_title":[""],"_aioseo_og_description":[""],"_aioseo_og_article_section":[""],"_aioseo_og_article_tags":["a:0:{}"],"_aioseo_twitter_title":[""],"_aioseo_twitter_description":[""]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"show_featured_image":true,"primary_category":{"term_id":5,"name":"Skin","slug":"skin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":238,"filter":"raw"},"mobile_image":false,"post_views_count":"10796","sidebar_products":{"use_global_default":false,"title":"Related Products","items":""}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4908"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8442,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4908\/revisions\/8442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/5271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}