Want to look your best? Taking care of your skin will always make you appear years younger than the age on your driver’s license. A large part of it is what you nourish yourself with inside by making healthy choices with foods as well as supplementing on vitamins you’re missing out on.

One of those vitamins that many people are deficient in is biotin. Also known as vitamin B7 and part of the vitamin B complex, this water-soluble vitamin serves as a coenzyme for amino acids, fatty acids, and glucose. It provides many benefits internally for optimal nerve, digestive, metabolic, and cardiovascular functions.

On the outside though, biotin helps keep us looking young and beautiful. It’s often seen in beauty products for hair, nails, and skin. Nourishing your skin from within with foods rich in biotin will also help the rest of your body. And nourishing the rest of your body will help skin naturally look glowing and youthful.

Foods to try for getting more biotin in your body are liver, eggs - particularly the yolk - salmon, cheese, yeast, raspberries, avocados, whole grain bread, and cauliflower. 

If you’re not getting enough biotin, you might discover red and scaly skin rashes. That’s not exactly the picture of youth and beauty, is it? Much of biotin’s role for the skin really does come from within, though you’ll find plenty of products that contain it topically. More research is needed to determine whether it serves any purpose when applied directly to skin as well as hair and nails.

The Institute of Medicine has set an adequate intake (AI) for biotin. Getting this amount from diet, with or without supplements, should be enough to support good health.

Category/Biotin: Adequate Intake (AI)

0-6 months 5 micrograms/day
7-12 months 6 mcg/day
1-3 years 8 mcg/day
4-8 years 12 mcg/day
9-13 years 20 mcg/day
14-18 years 25 mcg/day
19 years and up 30 mcg/day
Pregnant women 30 mcg/day
Breastfeeding women 35 mcg/day

Depending on your case, your doctor might recommend a higher dose. Even at high levels, biotin appears to be fairly safe. Researchers don't know at what dosage biotin might start to pose health risks.

Skin Repair

Those who use biotin-infused products seem to swear by them though. Dr. Aaron Tabor of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discusses biotin at length for its ability to mend brittle nails as well as how it has been shown to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and promote the improvement of skin growth.

It makes sense, seeing as it can build and repair muscles. If it can do that, it seems that newer studies will show a correlation between skin repair and biotin. Dr. Axe notes that it helps protect skin from acne, rashes, and fungal infections as well as dryness and cracking.

So, for your best skin, combining a diet rich in nutrients, particularly with vitamin B7, is a smart plan. It will keep everything on the inside functioning properly and that diligence of watching what you eat will show on your skin. To help it along, look for natural formulations that contain biotin for your skin - hair and nails too for more beauty and strength there. As with anything for beauty, it always goes from inside out so keep it clean and lean and choose quality for your skincare products.

Looking for 100% chemical-free, all-natural nourishing face and body oils? Check out Earth & Elm Nourishing Face Oil and Earth & Elm Nourishing Body Oil. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources check out the Trusted Health Resources list. 

Written By:

Jennifer Raskin is a freelance writer, wife and mom that loves cold weather despite her location in Florida, cooking, reading, watching ‘80s movies, weight-lifting, and wine tasting.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.