Sorry, But “Eating Your Skincare” Is A Scam
Warning: This article discusses eating disorders. Food has played an interesting role in my beauty regimen over the years. In my late teens, I applied lemon juice to my hair, which both lightened the ends and gave it the consistency of straw. My friends and I combined avocados, oats, and honey to make face masks at high-school sleepovers — yes, the texture was horrifying. More recently, on the precipice of my 30s, I became obsessed with salmon. Partly because it’s delicious, and partly because I believed it would make my hair shiny and my skin glow. Turns out, I’m not alone in my delusion. My TikTok feed is inundated with gorgeous, clear-skinned young women eating salmon skin with their hands, shaving carrots into mounds of edible ribbon, and whipping up “Botox salads.” They suggest that by building a meal with specific ingredients, you can “eat your skincare.” Want to banish under-eye circles? Skip the eye cream and eat some spinach. Add bell peppers to your meal; they’ll help control those pesky breakouts! Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on medical-grade retinol; get it through the vitamin A in carrots! When you digest food, the nutrients are broken down and distributed systemically throughout your entire body according to vital organ priority, not magically directed to your under-eye area or a pimple on your chinConsultant Dermatologist Dr. Anjali Mahto While there’s nothing inherently harmful about encouraging people to eat an array of fruits and vegetables, it’s a little far-fetched to propose that perfect skin is just a salad away. Dr. Anjali Mahto, a consultant dermatologist and founder of Self London, agrees: “There is zero scientific basis to the claim that eating specific foods can target specific aesthetic concerns on different parts of your face,” she tells me. Dr. Mahto adds, “When you digest food, the nutrients are broken down and distributed systemically throughout your entire body according to vital organ priority, not magically directed to your under-eye area or a pimple on your chin.” Dr. Mahto emphasizes that eating a balanced diet rich in healthy fats and antioxidants promotes global skin health; it is our largest organ after all. But that doesn’t mean you can replace your skincare routine with a trip to the grocery store. When asked if eating carrots offered the same dermatological benefits as applying vitamin A (the active ingredient in retinoids) topically, Dr. Mahto was skeptical: “Your liver tightly regulates how much vitamin A is released into your bloodstream, meaning only a fraction ever naturally reaches the skin,” she says. Instead, applying a retinoid topically delivers the active ingredient directly to the cellular receptors in the epidermis — the outer layer of the skin, says Dr. Mahto. “This is where it is needed to stimulate collagen and clear pores,” she adds. What about those of us with chronic skin conditions who might benefit from dietary adjustments? Anecdotally, I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago and noticed that my rosacea significantly improved once I cut out gluten. Doesn’t that prove that you can diet your way to better skin? Well, yes and no. Dr. Mahto notes that eating a balanced diet is rarely a standalone cure for clinical dermatological conditions. “For example, while avoiding high-glycaemic foods or whey protein can reduce acne flares, and cutting out spicy foods can prevent rosacea flushing, the underlying genetic or hormonal drivers of these will remain.” She says that while diet can be an excellent way to support symptom management and reduce inflammation, it’s important to note that chronic conditions “will almost always require targeted medical intervention alongside lifestyle changes.” Nutrient-dense food is great for your body — skin included — but swapping your pasta for a celery stalk is unlikely to give you the complexion of a twenty-something influencer. At what point does our pursuit of perfection verge into obsession? We’re encouraged to believe that meeting conventional beauty standards is the result of healthy choices, rather than genetics, money, or access to a tasteful injector. Like many beauty and wellness trends on TikTok, the dubious scientific claims behind the “eat your skincare” phenomenon can shepherd viewers down the path of disordered eating behaviours. Intentionally or not, by conflating the consumption of preordained “safe” foods with beauty, creators are encouraging compulsive eating habits. Echoing concerns about the unrealistic expectations set by online beauty culture, Lola Biggs, dietitian at Together Health, says, “When influencers present flawless skin as the direct result of eating specific foods […] they’re setting up an impossible standard.” Biggs adds, “When someone follows the advice and doesn’t see the promised transformation, the natural response is to eat even more rigidly, cut out more foods, and become increasingly anxious about every meal.” This, she says, is
Black News 
Warning: This article discusses eating disorders.
Food has played an interesting role in my beauty regimen over the years. In my late teens, I applied lemon juice to my hair, which both lightened the ends and gave it the consistency of straw. My friends and I combined avocados, oats, and honey to make face masks at high-school sleepovers — yes, the texture was horrifying. More recently, on the precipice of my 30s, I became obsessed with salmon. Partly because it’s delicious, and partly because I believed it would make my hair shiny and my skin glow. Turns out, I’m not alone in my delusion.
My TikTok feed is inundated with gorgeous, clear-skinned young women eating salmon skin with their hands, shaving carrots into mounds of edible ribbon, and whipping up “Botox salads.” They suggest that by building a meal with specific ingredients, you can “eat your skincare.” Want to banish under-eye circles? Skip the eye cream and eat some spinach. Add bell peppers to your meal; they’ll help control those pesky breakouts! Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on medical-grade retinol; get it through the vitamin A in carrots!
When you digest food, the nutrients are broken down and distributed systemically throughout your entire body according to vital organ priority, not magically directed to your under-eye area or a pimple on your chin
Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Anjali Mahto
While there’s nothing inherently harmful about encouraging people to eat an array of fruits and vegetables, it’s a little far-fetched to propose that perfect skin is just a salad away. Dr. Anjali Mahto, a consultant dermatologist and founder of Self London, agrees: “There is zero scientific basis to the claim that eating specific foods can target specific aesthetic concerns on different parts of your face,” she tells me. Dr. Mahto adds, “When you digest food, the nutrients are broken down and distributed systemically throughout your entire body according to vital organ priority, not magically directed to your under-eye area or a pimple on your chin.”
Dr. Mahto emphasizes that eating a balanced diet rich in healthy fats and antioxidants promotes global skin health; it is our largest organ after all. But that doesn’t mean you can replace your skincare routine with a trip to the grocery store. When asked if eating carrots offered the same dermatological benefits as applying vitamin A (the active ingredient in retinoids) topically, Dr. Mahto was skeptical: “Your liver tightly regulates how much vitamin A is released into your bloodstream, meaning only a fraction ever naturally reaches the skin,” she says. Instead, applying a retinoid topically delivers the active ingredient directly to the cellular receptors in the epidermis — the outer layer of the skin, says Dr. Mahto. “This is where it is needed to stimulate collagen and clear pores,” she adds.
What about those of us with chronic skin conditions who might benefit from dietary adjustments? Anecdotally, I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago and noticed that my rosacea significantly improved once I cut out gluten. Doesn’t that prove that you can diet your way to better skin? Well, yes and no. Dr. Mahto notes that eating a balanced diet is rarely a standalone cure for clinical dermatological conditions. “For example, while avoiding high-glycaemic foods or whey protein can reduce acne flares, and cutting out spicy foods can prevent rosacea flushing, the underlying genetic or hormonal drivers of these will remain.” She says that while diet can be an excellent way to support symptom management and reduce inflammation, it’s important to note that chronic conditions “will almost always require targeted medical intervention alongside lifestyle changes.”
Nutrient-dense food is great for your body — skin included — but swapping your pasta for a celery stalk is unlikely to give you the complexion of a twenty-something influencer. At what point does our pursuit of perfection verge into obsession?
We’re encouraged to believe that meeting conventional beauty standards is the result of healthy choices, rather than genetics, money, or access to a tasteful injector.
Like many beauty and wellness trends on TikTok, the dubious scientific claims behind the “eat your skincare” phenomenon can shepherd viewers down the path of disordered eating behaviours. Intentionally or not, by conflating the consumption of preordained “safe” foods with beauty, creators are encouraging compulsive eating habits. Echoing concerns about the unrealistic expectations set by online beauty culture, Lola Biggs, dietitian at Together Health, says, “When influencers present flawless skin as the direct result of eating specific foods […] they’re setting up an impossible standard.” Biggs adds, “When someone follows the advice and doesn’t see the promised transformation, the natural response is to eat even more rigidly, cut out more foods, and become increasingly anxious about every meal.” This, she says, is the pathway towards orthorexic thinking.
Orthorexia nervosa is a condition wherein individuals have a rigid obsession with eating healthily, fixating on ‘good’ foods and omitting ‘bad’ foods. Rene Torres, a nutritionist director of wellness at Osmosis, explains, “For people who struggle with orthorexia, it’s not really about the food, it’s about control,” adding, “Even good intentions — like eating whole, nourishing foods — can turn into obsession and self-worth becomes tied to perfection.” Therein lies the problem.
Because this trend predicates on the idea that you can achieve perfect skin “naturally” by eating specific foods, creators are not only selling us a lie, but promoting the idea that ‘good skin’ is a reflection of ‘good’ habits. We’re encouraged to believe that meeting conventional beauty standards is the result of healthy choices, rather than genetics, money, or access to a tasteful injector. As Biggs points out, “Yes, eating well can genuinely support skin appearance and how you age. But, and this is the crucial part, it’s one factor among many,” adding, “No diet, however perfect, will override chronic sun damage or genetic predisposition.” Biggs says that it’s essential to set realistic expectations: “Eating a nutritious diet is about providing your body with the best foundation, not about achieving the kind of age-defying results these videos imply.”
To ensure that I wasn’t simply ‘deeping’ an otherwise benign TikTok trend, I spoke to some young women to get their thoughts on “eating your skincare” and its potential impacts on body image. “I think linking two topics — food and beauty — to ‘guilt’ women is a cunning marketing tactic,” says Abbie, 27. “Brands and content creators will continue to discuss these topics interchangeably because it plays on women’s insecurities and emotions, therefore boosting sales and views. It’s seriously a capitalist hellscape.” It’s not lost on Abbie that carrots are the cheapest thing in the fruit and vegetable aisle. “Botox, on the other hand, can set you back thousands every year.”
Olivia, 32, is equally as frustrated by this message: “I definitely think it’s harmful,” she tells me. “On the surface, it promotes a healthy lifestyle, but I think it feeds young women the idea that they’re inadequate — that they must eat these ingredients to achieve beauty.” As a result, Olivia thinks there’s guilt around eating foods that aren’t listed as ‘beauty’ ingredients. “It’s on par with those terrible ‘what I eat in a day’ videos,” she says.
Tailoring your diet to meet your individual health requirements and goals is one thing; it is another to obsessively design your shopping list around what will or will not “fix” a perceived flaw on your face. Regardless of their intent, creators must be mindful of how young women digest this content. With the rise of GLP-1s and a resurgence of thinness as the dominant aesthetic on social media, it seems we’re slipping back into a familiar — but no less unsettling — narrative where slimness is once again considered desirable. Any content that furthers the idea that what we put in our mouths reflects our beauty and goodness is inherently harmful.
We don’t need to subsist on a diet of salmon skin and carrots to be beautiful; we need to eat what makes us feel good. Incorporate your pantry into your skincare if you must. But I, for one, will use the odd food ingredient the way God intended: to fry my hair and make questionable face masks.
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