When it comes to supporting the health of our hair, skin and nails, certain nutrients play a key role in maintaining and enhancing their strength and appearance. Among these are biotin, zinc, vitamin C and iron, to name just a few.

While a balanced diet can provide most of these nutrients, some people may benefit from extra support through supplements, especially if they experience anaemia, follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, face high stress levels or are smokers.

In our quest to find the best beauty supplements, we tried a variety of products after consulting nutritionist Kerry Torrens. We assessed them not only for taste and texture but also for their nutrient profile, number of additives, and suitability for vegans, coeliacs and other dietary needs.

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Best hair, skin and nail vitamins at a glance

  • Best premium hair supplement: Philip Kingsley Density Healthy Hair Complex, £33
  • Best premium skin supplement: WelleCo The Skin Elixir, £39
  • Best beauty supplement for all-round support: Biocare Hair, Skin & Nail Complex, £38.35
  • Best beauty supplement with antioxidants: Cytoplan Hair, Skin & Nails, £44.99
  • Best beauty supplement to support collagen production: Vitl Skin & Beauty, £11.99
  • Best beauty supplement for skin health: Perfectil SKIN, £18.95

Best beauty supplements

Philip Kingsley Density Healthy Hair Complex

Available from Philip Kingsley (£33)

Philip Kingsley Density Healthy Hair Complex on a white background with an olive top-rating badge

Best premium hair supplement

Star rating: 5/5

Philip Kingsley’s Density Healthy Hair Complex is a trichologist-developed supplement designed to support stronger, healthier-looking hair from within. The formula combines essential vitamins and minerals including biotin, iron, selenium, copper and vitamins C, D and B12, which contribute to normal hair growth, pigmentation and collagen formation. It is designed to help improve hair density, reduce excessive shedding and support overall hair vitality. The tablets are suitable for vegetarians and are easy to incorporate into a daily routine.

Available from:
Philip Kingsley (£33)

WelleCo The Skin Elixir

WelleCo The Skin Elixir on a white background with an olive top-rating badge

Best premium skin supplement

Star rating: 4.5/5

WelleCo’s The Skin Elixir is a vegan capsule supplement designed to support skin health from the inside out. It combines natural greens, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including acerola cherry, barley grass, zinc, pomegranate, vitamin E, turmeric and green tea. It is taken daily with food, and aims to promote a clear complexion, support skin elasticity, and help reduce free radicals. The capsules are easy to take and come in recycled, eco-friendly packaging.

Available from:
WelleCo (£39)

BioCare Hair, Skin & Nail Complex

Biocare Hair, Skin & Nail Complex

Best beauty supplement for all-round support

Star rating: 4.5/5

This supplement contains a blend of biotin and zinc together with other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which makes it a good all-rounder product. It is the most expensive of the products tested, but the quality of their ingredients is higher with no added extras (eg additional fillers or additives). A point in its favour is that it contains the natural form of folate, which is more likely to give results. A lot of the high street brands tested contain folic acid instead (a synthetic form of folate), which, it is estimated, up to 40 per cent of the population cannot metabolise.

Available from:
RightNutri (£34.52)
Bodykind (£38.35)
BioCare (£38.35)


Cytoplan CytoProtect Hair, Skin & Nails

Cytoplan Hair, Skin & Nails

Best beauty supplement with antioxidants

Star rating: 4/5

This is a blend of biotin, zinc and selenium as well as important antioxidants, including cocoa extract, bilberry extract and maritime bark extract which specifically help to strengthen and protect the health of hair, skin and nails. They are easy-to-swallow capsules, but some testers found that they do have quite a strong smell which may be off-putting for some.

Available from:
Nature Doc Shop (£22.50)
Cytoplan (£44.99)
Healthpath (£24.49


Vitl Skin & Beauty

Vitl Skin & Beauty

Best beauty supplement to support collagen production

Star rating: 3.5/5

A blend of nutrients including biotin and zinc, together with specific nutrients that target collagen production and protect against UV skin damage, such as vitamin C and curcumin. It comes as an easy-to-swallow capsules, just one a day, and it has a neutral taste and smell.

Available from:
Vitl (£11.99)


Perfectil SKIN

Perfectil SKIN

Best beauty supplement for skin health

Star rating: 3.5/5

A comprehensive blend of nutrients including omega-3 and CoQ10 aimed at targeting skin health. The pack contains both a tablet and a capsule, and you take both every day. Of all the Perfectil range, this is the better all-round product thanks to its range of nutrients. Others might contain more biotin, but – with this vitamin – higher levels doesn’t necessarily equate to it being more effective. On the downside, this product does contain a fair amount of fillers and anti-caking including talc.

Available from:
Vitabiotics (£18.95)
Holland & Barrett (£13.27)
Boots (£19)


What are the best nutrients for healthy skin, hair and nails?

The best nutrients when looking after your hair, skin and nails is actually a variety of different vitamins and minerals. Biotin is the main one that is used by supplement companies because it helps to enhance keratin production, the protein that forms the very structure of hair, skin and nails. However, despite it being included in almost every beauty supplement, the research on the efficacy of biotin is lacking, even at very high doses, unless you have a biotin deficiency.

Other nutrients include collagen, iron, vitamin C and zinc. Collagen may help improve skin hydration and elasticity and vitamin C acts as a co-factor in the production of collagen as well as acting as an antioxidant to protect our cells from damage. Iron is essential for getting blood flow to our hair, skin and nails, and zinc is needed for protein synthesis helping growth and repair. Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy condition of hair, skin and nails and offers protective antioxidant benefits, alongside vitamin C. Omega-3 can then be of benefit by helping to reduce inflammation and alleviate symptoms such as dry skin.


How to choose a good beauty supplement

The evidence doesn’t necessarily indicate that more biotin is better, and because no single nutrient acts on its own, you would be better to buy a supplement that contains several different nutrients for a more rounded approach. For example, if you struggle with anaemia or follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, then finding a beauty supplement that also contains iron would be beneficial. If dry skin is your main problem, a supplement with omega-3 may be of more benefit. Also look for one which contains folate, rather than folic acid which is a synthetic form of folate, and is not always well metabolised in some people.


How to take a beauty supplement

Most beauty supplements should be taken with food and water. There is no preferred time of day to take them, so it will be more about finding when it fits best within your routine.

You can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet though, so ensuring you have a balanced diet including of fruit and vegetables, good quality proteins and omega 3-rich foods will go further to support the health of your hair, skin and nails.


What we looked for in beauty supplements

All supplements were tested over the same period, with observations recorded according to our testing criteria and advice from nutritionist Kerry Torrens. We included products from a variety of manufacturers, covering different formats, as well as a range of price points to suit different budgets. The main areas we evaluated were:

  • Taste and flavour: is the supplement enjoyable to consume?
  • Nutrient profile: how much of each nutrient is provided per daily dose, and how does this compare to the NRV?
  • Additives: does the product contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners or colourings?
  • Dietary requirements: is the supplement suitable for specific diets, such as vegetarian or vegan?
  • Value for money: how does it compare to other products on a cost-per-day basis?
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