# Vitamin Absorption and Body Lotions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247 "2007-03-23T21:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/1 "2007-03-23T21:16:23Z")
To what extent does the body absorb vitamins through the skin? ⇪~⁄——mouseover synopsis——/~⇪ I had to stop off at the store on the way home last night to buy some facial tissues and hand lotion for my runny nose and dry skin. I was amused by the lotion in the tissue and the vitamins in the lotion. I think of them as _Marketing Innovations_; changes companies make to their products which don’t really change the product except to give the admen some serious fodder for the admill. Now I’m starting to wonder. The lotion in the tissue really does seem to make them softer on my reddening nose. And I have to assume the vitamins in the lotion just have to be _somewhat_ beneficial to my chapped skin. To what extent are the vitamins contained in skin lotions and the like absorbed through the skin. If it’s fair to assume that Vitamin E, for example, is used by the body to repair skin damage, does applying it directly to the skin in any way affect one’s daily requirement? (i.e. Do you now need less than you would have otherwise?) I have found some web sites hawking stand alone vitamin creams — especially Vitamin E, D and C — and while they don’t all claim benefits beyond the epidermis, they all seem to make tacit reference to health advantages. Some of them even claim to protect against [Vitamin D Deficiency](http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james4.htm). While I understand that Vitamin D is “_made_” in the skin as a result of exposure to Ultraviolet light, I am skeptical about the benefit of smearing vitamin D directly on the skin as a means to overcoming the problem. So, cure or fuel my skepticism as necessary. Can I crush up my vitamins and mix them with my hand lotion and rub my way to health? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/2 "2007-03-23T21:58:00Z")
The vitamins get into the topmost layer of skin, and that’s it. They don’t get into your bloodstream and travel to the other parts of your body that need the vitamin. AFAIK, all vitamins are needed internally as well as externally, so… better keep up with your daily requirements, too. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/3 "2007-03-23T22:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] The vitamins get into the topmost layer of skin, and that’s it. They don’t get into your bloodstream and travel to the other parts of your body that need the vitamin. AFAIK, all vitamins are needed internally as well as externally, so… better keep up with your daily requirements, too. [/QUOTE] Well the topmost layer of skin is comprised of dead cells, and they have very little need for vitamins. Transdermal drug delivery isn’t new, nicotine and fentanyl patches for instance. So it’s not impossible that some vitamins may be absorbed through the skin from a lotion. However, it doesn’t strike me as a very efficient way in which to deliver vitamins even to the area smeared with the lotion. And I’m also wondering about how effective vitamins in lotion would be in treating any vitamin-deficiency caused skin ailment. Surely, a vitamin deficiency that had actual symptoms would be too severe to be treated by a lotion, and also would the condition of your skin actually be your number one priority? ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/4 "2007-03-24T01:18:07Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] Well the topmost layer of skin is comprised of dead cells, and they have very little need for vitamins. [/QUOTE] I’m thinking along the lines of chapped skin, minor rashes, acne and that type of skin irritation. The dead skin might not need vitamins, but obviously there is some need for attention. Without any lotion or application, the natural maintenance of the skin requires a certain amount of raw material. Some of the crap that goes into lotion must provide some of that or at least do something. (right?) [QUOTE=Szlater] And I’m also wondering about how effective vitamins in lotion would be in treating any vitamin-deficiency caused skin ailment. Surely, a vitamin deficiency that had actual symptoms would be too severe to be treated by a lotion, and also would the condition of your skin actually be your number one priority? [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t expect there to be a remedy for Rickets that involves Vitamin D creams, but there are claims that [psoriasis](http://www.aafp.org/afp/990215ap/957.html) treatments using vitamin D analogs are possible. Of course, psoriasis is not a vitamin-deficiency caused skin ailment that I know of and I’m sure you’re right that by the time you’re teeth are falling out from lack of proper nutrition, your skin tone isn’t a top priority. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/5 "2007-03-24T01:42:24Z")
[Cosmetics cop](http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/art.asp) has a lot of information about vitamins in lotions and what they can and can’t do for your skin (if you scroll down to the bottom.) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-absorption-and-body-lotions/397247/6 "2007-03-24T14:37:53Z")
[QUOTE=pokey] [Cosmetics cop](http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/art.asp) has a lot of information\ [/QUOTE] Thanks **Pokey** A couple of snippets I found interesting: [sub]from the link above: [/sub] > [@](#): > > [R]esearchers believe that further exploration into how topically-applied vitamin D may protect skin cells from the DNA damage that leads to cancer is worthwhile… > > [A]pplying [vitamin C] topically at levels ranging from 0.3-10%… delays tumor formation after (animal) skin is exposed to extensive UV damage > > [T]he [cosmetics] industry focuses on new technology and exotic ingredients that, while impressive on paper, may not have significant (or any) scientific proof to back up their claims. That is not the case with vitamin E [which] reduces the formation of free radicals upon skin exposure to UVA rays and other sources of skin stress [and] prevents the peroxidation of fats, a leading source of cell membrane damage in the body. Skin absorbs and maintains levels of topical vitamin E, prolonging its benefits between applications Really an excellent site with more information than I can digest at the moment.