You are what you eat! And your skin is the most visible measure of how that’s working in practice. While we focus on natural, vegan skincare for all skin types, we also know that healthy skin comes from within. Knowing the best foods for good skin can help you make the right choices inside and out. Here are our favourite foods for flawless skin.

Best foods for clear, healthy skin

1. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are a rich source of vitamin C, making them some of the best foods for clearer skin. Vitamin C essentially has superpowers when it comes to the skin as it is a powerful antioxidant and a collagen booster. At the same time, citrus fruits are rich in citric acid which zaps bacteria, helping you keep your skin clear and fresh.

Kiwis and strawberries are also excellent sources of vitamin C making them great foods for healthy skin too.

2. Oats

Oats contain selenium which is another mighty antioxidant. It helps to protect and look after the body’s cells and prevent them from being damaged. Oats are also a good source of prebiotics, which help to create the optimal environment for good gut bacteria and fuelling your immune system. A healthy immune system ensures healthy skin.

Mushrooms are a good source of selenium too. So if starting your day with porridge isn’t your thing, then a delicious mushroom salad at lunchtime will be a great alternative.

3. Olives

Olive oil has long been hailed as wonderful for your skin and health. However, the benefits of olives go beyond the oil alone. Olives are a source of oleic acid which is good for your heart and circulation, as well as bringing you other health benefits. Additionally, olives are also rich in antioxidants and olive oil is a healthy fat, helping your skin be hydrated and smooth.

We love the benefits of olives so much that we aren’t content to throw away the stones! We use olive stone powder in our Face Mask knowing it is one of the prime foods good for skin.

4. Tomatoes

Tomatoes make it into our list of foods good for skin because they are bursting with lycopene. We have lycopene naturally in our skin, but we could do with a boost from foods rich in it, like tomatoes.

Lycopene helps to protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun. It’s also been shown, as an antioxidant, to have other benefits including reducing the risk of certain cancers, and helping your heart health.

Along with tomatoes, you’ll find it in other fruits which are red, such as watermelon and sweet red peppers.

5. Chai Tea

Chai tea is a warming blend of black tea with herbs and spices including cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. With this combination of ingredients, it’s no surprise that it’s known to aid circulation. Circulation helps collagen production, which makes chai tea ideal for your skin, leaving you radiant and glowing.

What’s more, chai tea has been shown to help lower blood pressure, aid detoxing, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and aid digestion. It really is a wellbeing wonder.

Chai tea is enjoyable as a warming drink, but it’s also perfect as a topical beauty item. You’ll find it in our chai soap bars: Fennel + Cardamom and Cinnamon + Ginger.

6. Leafy greens

Last, but by no means least, in our list of foods good for skin is leafy greens. Leafy greens are a vegan’s staple, and form the base of many favourite meals and even find themselves sneaking their way into our favourite smoothies. 

Known as the Powerhouse Veggies, leafy greens are abundant in a range of compounds which are good for our body and skin, including zeaxanthin and lutein. If you’re after well-hydrated skin armed against free radicals, then leafy greens need to feature highly in your diet.

7. Coffee

For a long time, the jury was out on coffee. Some people called it a skin wonder and others said it set off dryness and acne. Research now is pretty conclusive that coffee, even if you take out most of the caffeine, is good for your skin. This study reveals that the caffeic acid present in coffee is an antioxidant and can help boost collagen levels, thus helping to reduce the signs of ageing.

The problem comes in the way you consume it. Add in dairy products or sugar and you’re creating a perfect bad skin recipe. But coffee, drunk in moderation, is one of the best foods for skin. 

There’s also our funny old relationship between coffee and stress. When we are stressed, we reach for coffee and that may be a problem. Research shows that coffee consumed at a stressful time increases your cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and heightens your stress.

So, given that coffee can be good or can be problematic, how about getting the benefits of coffee without ingesting it? Using coffee topically, you still get the benefits of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. That’s why you find coffee as the basis for our exfoliating Scrubs.

8. Mangoes

You can’t beat a delicious sliver of mango sprinkled with a little chilli on a hot summer’s day. We also love it in smoothies and salads. Mangoes are strong in the beta-carotene stakes. Beta-carotene is incredible at helping skin to repair itself making mangoes one of the perfect foods for healthy skin.

Other foods rich in beta-carotene include carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and apricots, which we use in our Cleansing Face Balm.

What’s fantastic about this list of foods that are good for your skin is that it shouldn’t be a hardship to include them in your diet. They are all delicious, and knowing they are nutritious and boosting the health of your skin is simply an added bonus.