Do you know what our largest organ is? Nope, not our stomach or our intestines. It’s our skin. And we believe that just like we take steps to support other important organs like our heart and our brain, our skin deserves alllll the TLC.*

Skin acts as a barrier between your insides and external environment, aka protecting you against pollutants (hello, city-dwellers!), UV radiation, and other environmental stressors. It also helps maintain proper hydration, and so much more.(1) As we age, however, so does our skin, making caring for it even more important.

Skincare can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. (2) Optimal skincare looks different for everyone based on a variety of factors — from skin type to lifestyle and the type of products you may have access to. So we’re going to break down some options: one you have definitely heard about, which is topical skincare, aka products applied directly to the skin; and one approach that may be new to you…ingestible skincare, which is exactly what it sounds like. Skincare taken orally, like dietary supplements.*

What Is Ingestible Skincare?*

Ingestible skincare, also sometimes called nutricosmetics, is an emerging market of skincare supplements and functional foods taken orally to provide beauty benefits from within. At Ritual, we’re experts on health from the inside-out, so we’ve formulated our own nutricosmetic: HyaCera™, a dietary supplement. HyaCera™ is a daily capsule that delivers two of the best clinically-studied ingredients shown to help minimize wrinkles and hydrate the skin — Hyaluronic Acid and Ceratiq®.*

What Is Topical Skincare?

Topical skincare is the category you may be more familiar with (and perhaps are already using) — skin serums, creams, toners, cleansers, masks, and more that are applied directly to the skin and work from the outside-in, rather the inside-out approach of ingestible skincare.* Ingredients commonly found in topical skincare products include retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C&E, and alpha and beta hydroxy acids, which promote exfoliation. (3)

How Ingestible and Topical Skincare Products Differ*

In addition to the main difference between ingestible and topical skincare, which is that one is taken orally and one is applied directly to the skin, they also differ in terms of how the ingredients are delivered. Topical products target specific areas and concerns — under-eye cream is a good example. If you’re using an under-eye cream with hyaluronic acid, you’re directly targeting that part of the skin, and applying the ingredient where you want it to go — but the flip side is that you’re only supporting a specific spot. HyaCera’s Ceratiq® supports whole body skin hydration.*

3 Reasons to Use Ingestible Skincare Supplements*

We believe that you should care for your skin in whatever manner works best for you, your skin type, resources, and lifestyle. Here are just a few more reasons why ingestible skincare may fit into your routine*:

1. Ingestible skincare includes ingredients that help provide skincare support from the inside-out, while topical skincare penetrates the uppermost layer of the skin.*
   

2. For some topical skincare products to be supportive, there is a proper order to apply and some ingredients work better with each other than others. If you know your stuff, this isn’t a problem. But if you’re more of a beginner, a dietary supplement for skincare support may be the move.*
   

3. If you’re craving a low-maintenance routine, juggling multiple daily products can get time-consuming, HyaCera™ is a once daily capsule that helps promote glowing, moisturized skin.*

Whether you’re craving an easy introduction to the skincare lifestyle, or you’re a pro looking to help simplify your routine, HyaCera™ is a once-daily skin supplement with two clinically-studied ingredients shown to support hydrated, glowing skin. But whatever skincare route you choose to take, just remember the many critical functions your largest organ plays, and how to keep it hydrated and supported.*

References:

1. Source: Vierkötter, A., Schikowski, T., Ranft, U., Sugiri, D., Matsui, M., Krämer, U., ... & Krutmann, J. (2010). Airborne particle exposure and extrinsic skin…. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 130(12), 2719-2726.
2. Spada, F., Barnes, T. M., & Greive, K. A. (2018, October 15). Skin hydration ...