Article Summary:

• As an antioxidant, glutathione promotes skin health by eliminating free radicals and limiting oxidative stress.* 
  
  
• Nutritional supplements, topical application, and intravenous injection or therapy are the most common routes of glutathione supplementation to support optimal skin function.*
  
  
• Nutritional supplements engineered for targeted delivery of glutathione molecules exhibit  enhanced absorption.  

Glutathione is a key antioxidant that participates in the body’s ongoing defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS).* ROS, or free radicals, are molecules that can exist independently and are natural by-products of normal cellular activities. However, imbalanced production of ROS due to external factors like pollution, radiation, toxins, and others can result in oxidative stress — the imbalance that diminishes a cell’s ability to fight off free radicals with an antioxidant response. These free radicals can cause damage to the basic building blocks of the cell, including DNA, proteins, and lipids, resulting in a wide range of undesirable conditions and accelerated signs of aging.

Glutathione plays a critical role in shielding cellular components from reactive oxygen species and supports healthy cell functions.* While the therapeutic effects of glutathione have been known for quite some time, research into its benefits for skin health is still relatively new.* 

In this article, we discuss glutathione's benefits for the skin and the different ways to incorporate this ‘master antioxidant’ into your daily skincare regimen.   

Glutathione’s Benefits for Skin Health: An Overview

Skin damage can be caused by several factors, including direct exposure to air and  environmental pollutants, solar radiation, poor diet, and an unhealthy lifestyle, or other factors triggering the generation of free radicals. It is estimated that among the various environmental factors, ultraviolet (UV) radiation accounts for about 80% of extrinsic skin damage. Skin damage triggered by oxidative stress presents as a dull, uneven skin tone, fine lines, wrinkles, an increase in dark spots, and loss of skin elasticity.. 

Melanin and enzymatic antioxidants like glutathione are the body’s primary endogenous protection against free radicals.* Glutathione extends its therapeutic benefits to the skin in multiple ways – the two most important are:

• Preventing oxidation of protein thiols: Thiols  (or sulfhydryl groups) are a class of organic compounds that have a sulfur atom bonded to hydrogen. Thiols have a relatively high reactivity level compared to similar compounds in the body and are responsible for triggering tissue damage. Reduced glutathione (GSH) can be used to prevent thiol groups from oxidation, thereby limiting oxidative stress.* 

• Inhibiting UVB-induced melanogenesis activity: Studies¹ in mice show that oral intake of L-glutathione inhibits the ultraviolet B-induced production of melanin pigments (melanogenesis) that would otherwise lead to hyperpigmentation and adverse skin conditions.*

The tremendous potential of glutathione’s benefits for the skin has led to the development of various intake strategies for glutathione supplementation.* 

How To Supplement With Glutathione for Your Skin

Oral intake, topical application, and intravenous therapy are the three most common modes of glutathione supplementation. The following table summarizes different routes of glutathione intake to support the health of your skin.   

Glutathione is well-known as a difficult molecule for the body to absorb and findings to suggest its enhanced absorption through topical application or IV injection remain inconclusive. Because oral glutathione supplements are widely preferred over the other two alternatives, there is ongoing research to enhance its absorption through oral formulations. 

SafeCell^® — an acetylated form of oral glutathione has been developed by Tesseract Medical Research for optimized absorption and efficacy.* The proprietary CyLoc^® - DexKey^® technology enhances the bioavailability of glutathione, making SafeCell^® a superior supplement formulation. The revolutionary nanomolecular nutrient delivery technology delivers acetylated glutathione molecules directly into the intestinal tract — one at a time. The CyLoc^® technology encases each glutathione molecule to protect it from early degradation during its transit through the GI tract. The DexKey^® technology ensures targeted delivery of each molecule at the desired point in the intestinal tract for maximum absorption. With SafeCell^®, you have a glutathione nutritional supplement to support healthy skin.*