Salmon for Skin Health

Research suggests that several salmon-derived compounds may support skin health, with the most directly relevant human evidence coming from a randomized controlled trial finding that oral supplementation with salmon nasal cartilage proteoglycans improved multiple markers of skin aging — including elasticity, hydration, roughness, and wrinkle depth — in healthy adults over 56 days. Supporting this, cell-based and animal studies indicate that salmon nasal cartilage proteoglycans may protect against UV-induced photoaging by promoting collagen production, restoring barrier proteins, and increasing hyaluronic acid and ceramide levels, while separate research on astaxanthin — a carotenoid found naturally in salmon — reports strong antioxidant activity and associations with improved skin health in human studies. A 2025 cell-based study also found that salmon-derived polydeoxyribonucleotide promoted keratinocyte survival, antioxidant activity, and skin barrier protein expression, and research on Atlantic salmon themselves suggests that omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are important for maintaining healthy skin membrane lipid composition at a molecular level. It is worth noting that much of this evidence comes from cell and animal studies or research on salmon as an aquaculture species rather than as a food source for humans, and the single human clinical trial, while promising, was conducted in a specific population over a relatively short period, meaning broader conclusions should be drawn cautiously.