Vitamin patches: how are they useful?

Vitamins have taken on a new form, replacing tablets and gummies with smooth, sticky patches that claim to deliver nutrients directly into the bloodstream. These patches promise quick fixes to problems ranging from hangovers to dull, dull hair. But do they live up to expectations? Experts are skeptical.

While marketing may tout convenience and effectiveness, research shows that the benefits of vitamin patches are far from reliable. In fact, when you apply the patch, you don’t absorb anything at all. Here’s what you need to know before you put it on.

Most nutrients, both from food and 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 act on the body. Vitamin patches use a different route. They are based on diffusion, the idea that nutrients can pass through the skin and reach the blood.

The problem is that the skin is designed to protect itself from foreign objects. “It’s a barrier,” says Carol Johnston, a nutrition professor at Arizona State University. “That’s what skin is made for,” he adds. For example, if you spill something on your skin, you can simply wipe it away without absorbing it, she explains.

The skin is a lipophilic barrier, meaning it is more likely to absorb fat-soluble substances than water-soluble ones. For example, vitamin C, which is water soluble, has difficulty effectively penetrating the dermis. Fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K may be better candidates for administration through vitamin patches. But “simply because they are fat-soluble or in oil does not guarantee reliable delivery into the bloodstream,” says David Seres, professor of medicine at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center.

Even if these vitamins penetrate the skin, the amounts in the patches and the amount absorbed are likely so minimal that their effectiveness is questionable, says Niall Trigo, a professor at Macquarie University’s School of Life Sciences in Australia. “Patches may not contain as many vitamins and minerals as tablets,” 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 nutritional supplements after surgery. Those who received a multivitamin patch instead of a supplement were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and lower blood levels of other key vitamins and minerals compared to the supplement group.

In another study that focused on athletes with low iron status, taking iron tablets increased their iron levels, while the patch showed no beneficial effects. However, some users of the pills have experienced gastrointestinal side effects.

Other studies have shown more positive results. A study of multivitamin patches after bariatric surgery found that while some participants were still deficient in vitamins D and B6 after a year, the overall levels of these vitamins in their blood increased. However, the study did not control for diet and did not have a comparison group. A separate study in the UK also showed an increase in blood levels of vitamin D in healthy adults after eight weeks of using the patch.

Despite these results, there is little evidence that people who are not vitamin deficient need supplemental vitamins in the first place, Ceres says. Most vitamin studies are not designed to prove cause and effect, so marketing vitamins to the average person “is not based on strong evidence,” he says.

Experts warn that vitamin patches are not without risks. Although manufacturers often state that the patches do not use the fillers commonly found in tablets, they do not always list all the ingredients, such as adhesives, that can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions. Risks can also accumulate over time.

However, vitamin patches may be an option for people with limited alternatives. Jeffrey Friedman, a bariatric surgeon at the University of Florida in the US, says they are helpful for patients who have difficulty eating or drinking after surgery, as long as their vitamin levels are carefully monitored. In these cases, patches may be a less invasive option compared to needles.

Other medications are already effective in patch form. Nicotine patches are designed to deliver a constant dose of nicotine through the skin. Likewise, fentanyl patches provide long-lasting pain relief after many hours of application. How are these examples different from vitamin patches? “They are carefully checked,” says Seres.

Researchers are exploring ways to make the patches more effective, including technologies such as continuous glucose monitors, which use tiny needles to penetrate the skin and monitor blood sugar levels. “That’s where the research is now: How can we make these stains more abrasive?” Johnston says.

But at the moment they are not there yet. “Save your money. You won’t need them unless your doctor tells you you have a deficiency. And if you’re doing it for any health reasons, the evidence that it actually works is incredibly low,” says Wheat.