INGREDIENT · PLANT ANTIOXIDANT
Resveratrol in skincare: what one 8-week trial found
Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol with a long list of lab effects and very little human skincare evidence. One recent trial is the clearest test so far, and its result is more specific than the headline.
You may see it written as
- Resveratrol
- Trans-Resveratrol
What resveratrol is, and what the evidence says
Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol. A 2025 review describes it as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects, and says that limited systemic availability has held back its use in medicine, which has driven work on better delivery systems.1
Most of the evidence that review draws on is laboratory and condition-focused: chronic wounds, psoriasis, eczema, acne, melanoma. It is not a body of evidence on resveratrol serums for ageing skin.1
The 2025 trial
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 134 healthy women aged 40 and over, and 122 finished. They were split into four groups: placebo capsule and placebo cream, trans-resveratrol capsule with placebo cream, placebo capsule with resveratrol cream, or both. The dose was a 75 mg capsule and 1 g of 1.5% cream, twice a day for eight weeks.2 Three of its six authors work for an ingredient company, and the other three for a clinical research company.2
Wrinkle scores fell significantly, compared with the placebo group, in the group that took the capsule and used the cream. The abstract reports no significant difference in other skin measures. Sebum levels rose in every group, and the two groups using the active cream had significantly higher sebum in the U-zone of the face at week 8.2
So the clearest effect came from capsule plus cream together, not from the cream alone. The authors say that, to their knowledge, no earlier study had tested trans-resveratrol as the only active, by mouth or on the skin, for these skin parameters.2 It is one trial of eight weeks.
Using resveratrol with other products
The trial tested resveratrol on its own against placebo.2 In one split-face trial after laser resurfacing, 51 patients used a vitamin C, E and ferulic acid serum plus a resveratrol serum on one side of the face and saline on the other, and that side was less red at day 14.3 The serums were tested together against saline, so the trial cannot show what resveratrol added.
Resveratrol in pregnancy and breastfeeding
We found no pregnancy- or lactation-specific evidence for this ingredient.
Evidence on cosmetic products in pregnancy is limited overall, so ask your doctor or midwife about the specific product you use.4
What you will see on the label
On a label, look for Resveratrol and Trans-Resveratrol. Snifff shows it as Low risk. For the rest of the formula, see what the score means and how to read the list.
As Snifff shows itResveratrol
Pregnancy and nursing
We found no pregnancy- or lactation-specific evidence for this ingredient.
Wording as it appears in the extension, which can change between releases.
A FEW MORE ANSWERS
Common questions about resveratrol
Does topical resveratrol reduce wrinkles?
In a 2025 eight-week trial of women over 40, wrinkle scores fell significantly in the group using both the capsule and the 1.5% cream, compared with placebo.2 The abstract does not report the same for the cream alone.
Does resveratrol cream have side effects?
In that trial, sebum levels rose with the active cream, higher in the face's U-zone than with placebo cream.2 Adverse events were few and mild, and occurred in every group, placebo included.2
Why is resveratrol used in skincare if the evidence is thin?
A 2025 review describes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects, mostly from laboratory and condition-focused research.1
Is resveratrol safe in pregnancy?
Snifff found no pregnancy-specific evidence for Resveratrol. Ask your doctor or midwife about the product you use.
WHERE THIS COMES FROM
Sources
- Resveratrol in dermatological therapy: a critical review of mechanisms, delivery innovations, and clinical frontiersCui Q, Wang H · Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology · 2025
- Trans-resveratrol reduces visible signs of skin ageing in healthy adult females over 40: an 8-week randomized placebo-controlled trialRao A, Briskey D, Roche G, Tremblay A, Da Silva Pinto M, Tompkins TA · Frontiers in Aging · 2025
- Efficacy and safety of a topical skincare regimen … following ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment: a prospective, randomized, split-face, controlled trialShi Y, Shen C, Zhang W · Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology · 2024
- Cosmetic dermatology in pregnancy and lactation: a risk-benefit framework for clinical practiceKovacs T, et al. · International Journal of Dermatology · 2026
This page explains an ingredient. It is not medical advice, and it is not an assessment of any product. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a skin condition, ask your doctor or pharmacist.