Vitamin patches are trending as a convenient alternative to supplements, but experts remain skeptical about their ability to bypass the body’s natural barriers.
By Lori Youmshajekian
Vitamins have taken on a new form, trading pills and gummies for sleek, adhesive patches that claim to deliver nutrients straight into your bloodstream. These patches promise quick fixes, from hangovers to low energy and dull hair. But do they live up to the hype? Experts are skeptical.
While marketing may tout convenience and effectiveness, research suggests that the benefits of vitamin patches are far from certain. In fact, when you put on a patch, you might not be absorbing anything at all. Here’s what you need to know before sticking one on.
How do vitamin patches work?
Most nutrients, whether from food or supplements, are extracted in the digestive system. Once in the small intestine, vitamins are absorbed through specialized receptors, allowing them to enter the bloodstream and affect the body. Vitamin patches take a different route. They rely on diffusion—the idea that nutrients can pass through the skin and into the blood.
The problem is that skin is designed to keep things out. “It’s a barrier,” says Carol Johnston, professor of nutrition at Arizona State University. “That’s what the skin is designed to do.” For instance, if you spill something on your skin, you can simply wipe it off without it being absorbed, she explains.
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The skin is a lipophilic barrier, meaning it is more likely to absorb fat-soluble substances over water-soluble ones. For example, vitamin C, which is water-soluble, struggles to penetrate the dermis effectively. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, may be better candidates for delivery through vitamin patches. But “just by being fat-soluble or being in an oil doesn’t guarantee delivery into the bloodstream in a reliable way,” says David Seres, professor of medicine at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center.
Even if these vitamins do pass through the skin, the amount on the patches and the amount absorbed is probably so minimal that their effectiveness remains questionable. Patches cannot hold anywhere near as many vitamins and minerals as a tablet can,” he says.
Some studies have examined whether these patches deliver vitamins into the bloodstream, but the results are mixed. One small study looked at people who had undergone gastric bypass surgery—a group that typically needs nutrient supplementation after their operation. Those who got a multivitamin patch instead of a supplement were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and reduced levels of other key vitamins and minerals in their blood compared to the supplement group.
In another study that focused on athletes with low iron, supplementing with an iron pill boosted their iron levels, whereas a patch showed no beneficial effects. However, some pill users experienced gastrointestinal side effects.
Other research has shown more positive results. A study on multivitamin patches after bariatric surgery found that although some participants were still deficient in vitamins D and B6 after a year, their overall blood levels of these vitamins increased. However, the paper didn’t control for diet and didn’t have a comparison group. A separate trial in the United Kingdom also showed increased blood vitamin D levels in healthy adults after eight weeks of patch use.
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Despite these findings, there’s little evidence that people who aren’t deficient even need extra vitamins in the first place, says Seres. Most vitamin studies aren’t designed to prove causation, so marketing for vitamins for the average person “is not based on good evidence,” he says.
Are vitamin patches effective?
Experts caution that vitamin patches aren’t without risks. While manufacturers often claim that patches avoid fillers commonly found in pills, they don’t always list all the ingredients—such as adhesives—which can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions. Costs can also add up over time.
Still, vitamin patches may be an option for people with limited alternatives. Jeffrey Friedman, a bariatric surgeon at the University of Florida, finds them useful for patients struggling to eat or drink after surgery, provided their vitamin levels are carefully monitored. In these cases, patches could offer a less invasive option compared to needles.
Other medications are already effective in patch form. Nicotine patches are designed to deliver a steady dose of nicotine through the skin. Similarly, fentanyl patches give continuous pain relief after many hours of adherence. What makes these examples different from vitamin patches? “They’re rigorously tested,” says Seres.
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Researchers are exploring ways to improve patch effectiveness, including technologies like continuous glucose monitors, which use tiny needles to penetrate the skin and track blood sugar levels. “That’s where the research is right now—how do we make these patches more abrasive?” says Johnston.
But for now, they’re just not there yet. “Save your money. You do not need them unless your doctor has told you that you were deficient,” says Wheate. “And if you’re doing it for some sort of wellness thing, the evidence that it will actually work is incredibly low.”