Is Avocado Really “Nature’s Moisturizer”?

You Should Know: Avocado has earned a reputation as “nature’s moisturizer.” And even if you haven’t heard that exact phrase, you’ve probably heard that its healthy fats and antioxidants can support skin from the inside out. To explore this theory, a recent pilot study asked women to eat one avocado daily for eight weeks and found improved firmness and elasticity at the forehead compared to those in the group who skipped avocado.

Going Deeper: The study followed only 39 women over eight weeks and was partly funded by the Hass Avocado Board, which has a stake in promoting new uses for avocado. And while firmness and elasticity did improve at the forehead, hydration and oil production stayed the same. Pigmentation and resistance to UV-induced redness also showed no difference between the avocado eaters and the control group.

Takeaway: The study indicates that avocado may help your skin, but the fruit (not vegetable) still doesn’t quite stand up to the “nature’s moisturizer” moniker.

Bottom Line: The skin benefits of avocado are promising but remain unproven until further research shows otherwise. So keep eating them because you like them and/or their nutritional benefits, not because it’s a moisturizer you can eat.