Along with vitamin E, zinc is the single most important nutrient for clearing acne, and getting a skin tone leagues beyond what many believe possible.
For acne, zinc has one powerful benefit which stands above the rest – an ability to control the immune system. Zinc supplements constrain the pro-inflammatory response to the bacteria in your skin pores, the inflammatory response which leads to all acne forming in the first place.
However, there’s also a series of secondary benefits, such as enhancing the transportation of vitamin A (excellent for oily skin) in the bloodstream. Along with magnesium, zinc is also a co-factor in the production of glutathione, a massively important antioxidant for acne. Zinc can even reduce depression by altering neurotransmitters, and zinc deficiency is associated with poor memory.
The statistics on zinc deficiency aren’t particularly horrifying, but low levels are widespread enough that you could easily need more, and that’s why this article will cover the 6 greatest zinc supplements available today.
Zinc is a particularly popular mineral, recommended for keeping colds at bay, so cheap and poorly formulated products are everywhere. Never exceed 150mg of zinc per day; it’s easy to stay within the limit with the 15mg-30mg supplements recommended here. For a shortcut, Thorne Research and Garden Of Life are the greatest brands.
Let’s get started:
One – Thorne Research
Firstly, the ingredients are minimal, being just microcrystalline cellulose, leucine, silicon dioxide, and the hypromellose capsule. Thorne Research contains no magnesium stearate, an anti-adhesive additive which may decrease nutrient absorption. The dosage is a strong 30mg, twice the recommended daily intake. Thorne Research contains 60 capsules, giving you a 2 month supply for a relatively low price.
But why does Thorne Research really stand out? Because it’s both pure, and in the best form of zinc known to mankind: zinc glycinate. This master zinc has been tested against zinc sulphate and found to be 16% more bioavailable. In a separate study, it defeated zinc picolinate, zinc oxide and zinc gluconate for bioavailability.
Zinc glycinate is nothing but a combination of zinc with glycine, an essential amino acid acid, found in eggs and organ meats. Your body is engineered to rapidly absorb glycine, and that feature allows zinc glycinate to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream with ease.
Thorne Research has two versions available. There’s a higher dosage of 30mg, to ensure that your digestive system isn’t destroying too much of it, or a bottle of 15mg capsules to achieve the basic RDI; the choice is yours. Thorne Research is free from all inflammatory additives: soy, corn, wheat, and artificial sweeteners and colours are completely absent. Supposedly, 15% of Thorne Research’s staff is dedicated to quality control, with teams hunting down the purest ingredients from across the planet.
Garden Of Life is the ultimate zinc supplement for bonus nutrition, while Thorne Research is the ultimate pure zinc supplement.
Amazon link: Thorne Research Zinc Bisglycinate.
Two – Garden Of Life
Most importantly, the zinc itself is derived from food, which eliminates any need to analyse and choose the correct type, like glycinate or orotate. We are designed to obtain minerals from food and Garden Of Life replicates this, in a highly condensed form.
Better yet, Garden Of Life comes with a bonus 30mg of vitamin C per capsule. That’s 50% of the daily intake, equivalent to 50 grams of strawberries. Vitamin C is another vital nutrient for acne, as it suppresses the stress hormone cortisol and is vital for making collagen, the chief structural component of all human skin.
It doesn’t end there; there’s a bonus blend of highly condensed raw fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, asparagus, and kale. Each fruit and vegetable is organic, and there’s even a probiotic blend with various species of beneficial bacteria. This supplement is the arch enemy of your acne, but if you’re only interested in the zinc, it’s perfect.
Are there any downsides? A slight risk of an allergy, because of the fruit and vegetable blend; check the list to ensure that it’s safe for you.
For raw, acne-clearing power, Garden Of Life is impossible to beat.
Amazon link: Garden Of Life Zinc.
Three – Pure Encapsulations
Pure Encapsulations is a company which can always be counted upon for pure supplements. Like Thorne Research, it’s a hardcore, pure zinc supplement with none of the fancy bonus nutrition of Garden Of Life.
This brand contains another supremely well absorbed zinc for: zinc picolinate. This is probably the second best, as zinc picolinate has been tested against zinc citrate and zinc gluconate, two effective forms themselves, and found to be the most bioavailable. Zinc picolinate is nothing but a combination of zinc with piliconic acid, a metabolite of dietary amino acids like tryptophan. Piliconic acid is a natural chelator, designed to bind to and transport compounds in the body, and like zinc glycinate, that feature allows zinc piliconate to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream with ease.
Each capsule of Pure Encapsulations contains 30mg of zinc picolinate, to supply double the complete daily allowance. With 180 capsules, there’s a 6 month supply, or nearly a full year if you half the dosage. A cheaper 60 pack is also available. The additives are even more minimal than Thorne Research, including just hypoallergenic plant fiber (cellulose), and the vegetarian capsule (cellulose, water).
What are your directions with zinc? Take it for at least 8 weeks before passing judgement. You may notice reductions in acne or improvements in your mood within 2 weeks, but we have clear support for being patient from studies. One detected a reduction in acne of 49.8% after taking zinc gluconate, but only after 3 months. In another study, total acne lesions fell by a third after 6 weeks. Always be patient with zinc, regardless of the form.
Pure Encapsulations zinc is very close to Thorne Research in terms of quality, making it an excellent reserve brand in case the latter becomes unavailable.
Amazon link: Pure Encapsulations Zinc 30.
Four – MegaFood
MegaFood is like a stripped down version of Garden Of Life. There’s no vitamin C, but its zinc is in an organically bound food form, bound to yeast. There’s a bonus vegetable blend, although it lacks the diversity of Garden Of Life’s. The additives are more numerous than its competitors, but clean and safe, including silicon dioxide, microcrystalline cellulose, and rice protein. Like Garden Of Life, each bottle contains 60 tablets, with the dosage being slightly higher at 22.5mg of zinc per tablet.
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The bottle is also glass, with a UV protective dark colour to prevent the bonus ingredients from oxidising. A slight downside is that MegaFood comes in tablets rather than capsules, and not small ones, but once you’ve eaten them, MegaFood will eliminate acne with ease. It depends on personal preferences, and on your exact skills at gulping down tablets, as some people are well-honed in this fine art.
Overall, MegaFood is beaten by Garden Of Life, but remains an excellent natural zinc supplement.
Amazon link: MegaFood Zinc.
Five – NutraBio
The only ingredients other than zinc are rice flour to act as capsule filler, water and hypromellose, the ingredient of the tiny, easy to swallow capsule. NutraBio contains a 120 day supply for a very low price, without sacrificing potency; each capsule contains 30mg of zinc, equivalent to 200% of the RDI. You could even halve the dosage and you’d have a near 8 month supply.
The zinc itself is in the well-absorbed zinc glycinate form. Like with magnesium, there’s a seemingly endless list of zinc forms, whether it’s inorganic zinc or chelated zinc, but zinc glycinate has the strongest evidence in studies. Specifically, Nutrabio and Throne Research use zinc bisglycinate, an even more modern version which is bound to two glycine molecules, improving its power to act as a passenger during bloodstream absorption. Another decent version is zinc gluconate, which has a bioavailability of 61% in the human digestive system, equal to zinc citrate (61%) and beating zinc oxide easily (49.9%). Zinc oxide is the one form you should never bother with.
NutraBio is just as bioavailable as Pure Encapsulations or Thorne Research, succeeding wildly as an affordable and pure zinc which will last for months. If you just want zinc, rather than bonus vegetable and fruit blends, NutraBio zinc is hard to beat.
Amazon link: NutraBio Zinc Chelate.
Six – Pure Micronutrients
This is a focussed zinc supplement, rather than one with a bonus carrot, kale and spinach blend. You purchase zinc alone, and that zinc is the best money can buy. If you already eat a salad for lunch each day, and just need your mineral bases covered with laser focus, then Pure Micronutrients is for you.
Pure Micronutrients lives up to its name as well. This zinc contains no inflammatory additives: the ingredients list reads l-leucine, gelatin capsule, and cellulose. Pure Micronutrients contains no allergens like corn, soy or wheat and magnesium stearate is absent.
The dosage is above average, at 25mg per capsule (167% of the RDI), while the bottle contains 120 capsules. Take one capsule every two days and you have an 8 month supply. The capsule is made from gelatin, so Pure Micronutrients has the small downside of not being vegan.
Aside from supercharging absorption, you’ll also get a few bonus glycine molecules. This amino acid has powers for acne, such as 1) increasing glutathione production, 2) reducing chronic inflammation, and 3) regulating the neurotransmitters necessary for sleep.
Pure Micronutrients is a hidden zinc brand which is nevertheless among the best sold today.
Amazon link: Pure Micronutrients Zinc Glycinate.
Top food sources of zinc
Zinc isn’t the hardest mineral to obtain from foods (magnesium has that unfortunate honour), but it isn’t as easy as selenium either. Here are the ultimate acne-friendly zinc sources:
Oysters – if you’re obsessed with seafood then oysters cannot be beaten, for they are the equivalent of Brazil nuts for selenium. A meal of oysters weighing in at 100 grams contains 90.8mg of zinc, or 605% of the daily allowance. Eat oysters twice weekly and your mission is almost complete. Warning: always cook your oysters. Don’t get tempted to suck them directly out of the shell, no matter how fun it is, for raw oysters commonly contain infections.
Most free-range, high quality meats – beef, lamb, pork, chicken or even an alligator steak are fairly rich in zinc. Animal foods are the greatest source in general, although plant sources do exist (keep reading). The catch is that you cannot buy an everyday value pork chop or let Ronald McDonald fulfill your meat requirements – your beef and lamb should be grass-fed, or at least partially grass-fed, while your chicken, pork and turkey must be free range.
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Pumpkin seeds – this healthy snack has a reputation as a great zinc source and an acne-clearing weapon, and it’s partially true. 50 grams of raw pumpkin seeds contains 5.1mg of zinc, or 34% of the daily allowance. The obstacle? Pumpkin seeds are also quite high in omega 6s, lectins, and phytates, so keep your intake limited. Restrict unnecessary sources of omega 6s like vegetable oils and you’ll have room for more. One of the top vegan sources of zinc.
Almonds – another decent vegan source. 50 grams of almonds contains 24% of the RDI for zinc, as well as 65% of the RDI for vitamin E, a huge amount. The downsides are identical to pumpkin seeds, omega 6s and lectins, so restrict your intake or else.
Conclusion
Zinc is a mineral which almost every acne patient could benefit from, and if you’re convinced that you need it, your path is now clear.
There’s two clear categories to choose from. You have Thorne Research for the most bioavailable pure zinc on the market, and Garden Of Life for an acne-clearing sledgehammer of a supplement.
That said, every single zinc supplement here will improve your acne. The same cannot be said for bargain basement supermarket pills; poorly absorbed zinc oxide is everywhere. The same applies to cheap multivitamins. On the other hand, a high quality multivitamin could make a zinc supplement unnecessary.
You are now one step closer to defeating acne forever.
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Thanks for reading!
Hello!
I found this zinc picolinate supplement on iHerb and it is so cheap compared to other supplements. What’s the catch?
https://www.iherb.com/pr/Thompson-Zinc-Picolinate-25-mg-60-Tablets/16119
There’s no catch as far as I can see; there’s no controversial additives. Of course Garden OF Life beats it with the bonus nutrition.
Alright, thanks.