Pimples, zits, acne, blemishes - whatever your term for them is, breakouts are never fun. While sometimes pimples develop from poor skin hygiene, other times, it can be from genetics, hormones, and even food sensitivities. Whatever way you slice it, dealing with acne has physical and mental challenges.
While getting to the root of what’s causing acne can be tedious and time-consuming, knowing the main drivers can help in your quest for answers. Is it something you’re eating? Are your hormones imbalanced? Or are you missing (or getting too much) of a specific nutrient?
Although we can’t give you the answer to why your skin has blemishes, we can help you understand what contributes to acne formation. Here, we’re diving into a B vitamin that’s known for its role in skin health and giving you the link between biotin, skin health, and acne.
Let’s get started.
What Is Biotin?
If you’re looking for healthy hair, skin, and nails, look no further than biotin - a B vitamin that’s touted for its beneficial role in building tissues and supporting cell growth.
Sometimes referred to as vitamin H, biotin, or vitamin B7, is a water-soluble vitamin that, like the other B vitamins, plays a major role in energy metabolism.
But despite its importance in converting food to fuel, most of what we hear about biotin revolves around thick hair, healthy and strong nails, and radiating skin. Why?
Biotin functions as a co-enzyme for five carboxylases in humans that have important roles in fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, polyketide biosynthesis, urea utilization, and many other cellular processes 1.
Insufficient biotin intake can interfere with energy metabolism and lead to nasty symptoms like sluggish metabolism, low energy, fatigue, weight gain, digestive issues, poor glucose control, and mood irregularities.
On top of that, it’s also involved in 2, 3:
- Keratin production
- Embryonic development
- Nervous system function
- Gene expression
- Chromatic structure (DNA)
But what’s the point of taking it if you’re not after biotin’s hair, skin, and nail benefits?
The Benefits Of Biotin
If you’re after optimal health, fulfilling your intake requirements for all essential vitamins and minerals is critical - the B vitamins included.
1. Better immunity
There’s no shortage of nutrients to support immune function - vitamin C, vitamin D, glutathione, antioxidants, and so on. But one we rarely hear about is biotin.
However, research finds that biotin is essential for supporting the proper function of various immune cells, such as T-lymphocytes (T-cells) and natural killer (NK) cells, which are critical components of innate and adaptive immune responses 4. Biotin deficiency has been linked with compromised immune functions, including:
- Decreased antibody synthesis
- Low spleen cell count
- Reduced B lymphocytes in the spleen
- Impaired thymocyte maturation
- Reduced cell proliferation
- Impaired dendritic cell function
- Pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-23, and IL-12p40)
2. Improves lipid metabolism
When it comes to energy metabolism, the B vitamins shine, and biotin is part of that. For reactions to occur, enzymes need co-enzymes and co-factors.
In terms of energy metabolism, these coenzymes and cofactors assist in the conversion of macronutrients into usable energy. For biotin, those are the five biotin-dependent carboxylases we mentioned earlier. They’re required for the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and amino acids 5:
- Fatty acids: Acetyl-CoA carboxylases 1 and 2
- Amino acids: 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC)
- Glucose: Pyruvate carboxylase
3. Supporting healthy hair, skin, and nails
For anyone looking for glowing skin, strong nails, and shiny, more lustrous hair, biotin is where it’s at. Because of its role in energy metabolism, biotin is essential for keeping the skin healthy and supple. Although rare, biotin deficiency typically manifests as dermal abnormalities like dry, scaly skin, rashes, and brittle nails 6.
A couple of studies found that biotin supplementation for three to six months can promote hair growth and reduce hair loss and improve hair volume, scalp coverage, hair thickness, shine, moisture, and smoothness 7, 8.
However, when it comes to skin health, there’s not much research.
Can Biotin Cause Acne?
If you struggle with acne, you likely have one big question: “what’s causing it?” Pinpointing the exact cause of acne can be quite the quest, but one you may not have known about is biotin supplementation.
While you may have been popping back biotin pills in hopes of getting clearer, more radiant skin, some claims state that taking biotin could cause breakouts.
So, can it?
The short answer: not likely.
Although you may have seen claims like “taking biotin caused my breakouts” scrolling through social media, there’s little concrete evidence to support the link between biotin and acne.
The logic behind these claims has more to do with other B vitamins and their effect on acne than with biotin itself. Specifically, we’re talking about pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, which plays a vital role in the function of the epidermal skin barrier (the outermost layer of the skin) 9.
Some people suggest that biotin could cause acne because it interferes with the absorption of pantothenic acid - biotin and B5 are both absorbed in the same pathways - which is needed to help prevent acne breakouts 10, 11.
Because these nutrients compete with each other for absorption, an excess or deficiency of either could alter the skin’s appearance; excess biotin could cause overproduction of skin cells, and a lack of B5 could interfere with moisture in the skin. The result? Acne. But keep in mind that there’s little research to support these claims.
But if you notice a breakout after starting a biotin supplementation, it could be worth considering your supplement as a trigger.
Where To Find Biotin
Although biotin may not be the root cause of your acne, getting enough biotin (and the other B vitamins) is still essential for supporting other physiological functions, including skin health.
So, where can you find it?
We’re partial to Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi because it’s clean, effective supplementation that doesn’t go overboard.
Supplying 100% RDI of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals, Multi fills in nutrient gaps to support optimal physiological performance across all body systems.
It features NutriGenesis technology - nature-identical vitamins and minerals enhanced with natural cofactors for maximum absorption and bioactivities. That way, your body can use what you’re taking.
But in addition to having a good multivitamin in your repertoire, you’ll also want to load up on vitamin B-rich foods. For biotin, that means:
- Organ meats
- Egg yolks
- Legumes
- Sunflower seeds
- Almonds
- Sweet potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Nutritional yeast
- Avocados
So, while biotin may not be the cause of your acne, reassessing the progression of your breakout and how it links to starting your supplement might be a wise idea.
Either way, biotin is essential, so whether you get it through food or supplementation, it has to come from somewhere.
References
- Tong L. Structure and function of biotin-dependent carboxylases. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013;70(5):863-891.
- Knowles JR. The mechanism of biotin-dependent enzymes. Annu Rev Biochem. 1989;58:195-221.
- Zempleni J. Uptake, localization, and noncarboxylase roles of biotin. Annu Rev Nutr. 2005;25:175-196.
- Agrawal S, Agrawal A, Said HM. Biotin deficiency enhances the inflammatory response of human dendritic cells.Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2016;311(3):C386-C391.
- Tong L. Structure and function of biotin-dependent carboxylases. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013;70(5):863-891.
- Zempleni J, Wijeratne SS, Hassan YI. Biotin. 2009;35(1):36-46.
- Glynis A. A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Evaluating the Efficacy of an Oral Supplement in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2012;5(11):28-34.
- Ablon G. A 3-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the ability of an extra-strength marine protein supplement to promote hair growth and decrease shedding in women with self-perceived thinning hair. Dermatol Res Pract. 2015;2015:841570.
- Yang M, Moclair B, Hatcher V, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic Acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2014;4(1):93-101.
- Said HM. Cell and molecular aspects of human intestinal biotin absorption. J Nutr. 2009;139(1):158-162.
- Yang M, Moclair B, Hatcher V, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic Acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2014;4(1):93-101.
