5 Ways Turmeric Can Benefit Your Skin

Not only is turmeric an excellent spice used to make various food items and curries more fragrant and colourful, it's also an anti-inflammatory powerhouse. Its active compound, curcumin, is what does the work: a well-studied antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that gives turmeric both its golden colour and its medicinal reputation. Turmeric's use on skin spans centuries in India, from Ayurvedic treatments to the traditional haldi ceremony before weddings, and modern skincare has caught up with formulations built around it. Here are 5 key benefits of applying turmeric to the skin;

1. Turmeric can brighten your skin

Application of turmeric serums or a turmeric paste can help to brighten the skin and reduce the appearance of dark under-eye circles. You can easily make a turmeric paste at home by mixing turmeric with yogurt and honey. Leave this mask on for 10-15 minutes, wash off with warm water for an immediately brightened complexion.

2. Turmeric can help fade acne scars

Acne scars are a constant reminder of the suffering your skin endured at some point, most likely during your teenage years. Turmeric can help to fade these scars due to it's anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Not only will it help to fade scars, it can help minimise redness and irritation with ongoing acne.

3. Turmeric can help with wound healing

Turmeric possesses excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. It's use as an antiseptic spans across several centuries in Asian-cultures. Applying a turmeric paste to wounds and exposed skin can help to minimise inflammation, as well as improve wound healing time. Some studies also show that turmeric can boost collagen production, which is the building block for your skin.

4. Turmeric can help with eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions

Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis are characterised by skin cracking, inflammation, redness and dryness. As turmeric possesses excellent anti-inflammatory properties, it can help to minimise this inflammation; reducing skin puffiness and sensitivity. There is even some limited research displaying turmeric's effectiveness in treating dry skin.

5. Turmeric can help protect against sun damage

Some limited studies display turmeric's effectiveness in improving photoaging damage. The anti-oxidants found in turmeric were seen to possess healing properties when applied to damaged skin. This means turmeric could not only heal sunburn and sun damage, but potentially slow down or reverse aging caused by UV rays.

Before you slather: staining and sensitivity

Two practical warnings the Instagram tutorials skip:

Turmeric stains. Skin, towels, grout, everything. A DIY paste with raw powder can leave a yellow tint on fair skin that takes a day or two to fade. Use a small amount, keep masks to 10-15 minutes, and don't do it the night before an important event. Formulated serums use extracts that avoid the staining problem, which alone justifies their price for most people.
Patch test first. Turmeric is generally gentle, but contact allergy to curcumin exists and DIY pastes are unbuffered. Test on your inner arm and follow proper patch testing procedure before applying it to your face.

Also keep expectations calibrated: curcumin's lab results are impressive, but it absorbs poorly through skin, which is why formulated products with enhanced delivery generally outperform kitchen pastes. For stubborn dark marks specifically, the heavy hitters remain vitamin C and retinoids; our dark spots guide covers those.

Product recommendations

The number of skincare products that include turmeric has spiked as of lately; this is down to the increasing research into turmeric and it's skin healing properties. Many turmeric serums include Vitamin-C as the two ingredients work hand-in-hand to brighten the complexion and even skin tone. While it's very easy to make a turmeric mask at home with honey, yoghurt and turmeric powder, you may find professional formulations are more effective.

Below are some of the best serums that include turmeric we think you should try:

C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil