Why Calcium is Essential for Glowing Skin: Top 3 Reasons to Add It to Your Routine

Here are the top three ways calcium keeps your skin glowing and healthy. 

1.Calcium Creates a Strong Skin Barrier

You skin barrier is what keeps your body safe from microbe invasion and it locks in moisture so your skin stays supple and soft. It's your body's fortress and it cannot work properly without calcium.

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining a strong skin barrier. This barrier is made of skin cells and fats, working together like bricks and cement to protect your body.

How does calcium help your skin barrier?

Calcium helps to guide the production of skin-smoothing fats and it directs skin cells to move from the deeper layers of your skin to the surface, where they form a tough protective layer (Lee, 2018).

• When your skin barrier is damaged—which is common in conditions like eczema—calcium levels in the skin change (Elias, 2002). This signals the skin to release fats and other protective substances that help to repair your skin barrier, making it strong and resilient again.
• In dry or low-humidity conditions, calcium helps to thicken the skin barrier so your skin is better at holding onto moisture, reducing the risk of cracks and skin infections (Sun, 2015; Hildebrand, 2021), which is important for overall skin health.

So your skincare routine could fail if you are deficient in calcium because it's the foundation for skin barrier health.

2.Calcium Supports Skin Hydration

Calcium plays an important role in keeping your skin hydrated and smooth. As mentioned, within the skin's top layer, calcium helps to produce fats that form a barrier to prevent water loss (Lee, 2018).

When calcium levels are balanced, this barrier stays strong, keeping your skin soft, smooth and hydrated. However, when the skin is low in calcium, it may struggle to retain moisture, leading to flaky skin, dryness and sensitive skin.

This is especially helpful for those with sensitive skin or conditions like eczema, where hydration is key (Hildebrand, 2021). By supporting the skin's natural moisture barrier, calcium helps your skin to maintain a healthy level of hydration, giving it a plump and glowing appearance.

So calcium is an essential nutrient for skin hydration, as fats can't effectively hydrate your skin without calcium.

3.Calcium Controls Skin Cell Turnover

Calcium is crucial in regulating skin cell turnover, which is the process of shedding old skin cells and making new ones. This cycle, known as  keratinocyte differentiation, keeps your skin looking fresh and young and it prevents clogged pores.

Diagram: Keratinocyte differentiation is the process by which immature keratinocytes (skin cells that produce keratin) mature and transform as they move from the basal layer of the epidermis to the surface, eventually forming the protective outer skin barrier.

• Calcium is not only for people with dry skin conditions, people with oily skin or acne should take calcium to keep pores unclogged.
• For people with psoriasis, this skin cell turnover process speeds up too much, leading to flaky patches as skin cells build up faster than they can shed (Manning, 2022).

The good news is calcium helps to keep skin cell turnover at a normal pace, which may reduce the incidence of flaky skin, so the skin appears smoother.

Calcium also supports the development of new skin cells, making it a valuable mineral for anyone with eczema or psoriasis or those looking to keep their skin bright and resilient (Yeh, 2020).

Calcium for Eczema and Psoriasis

Research shows that low calcium levels may be linked to conditions like ageing skin (Celli, 2022), eczema and psoriasis (Yeh, 2020). One study found that people with psoriasis often have lower calcium levels than those with healthy skin (Qadim, 2013).

Another study by Hildebrand and colleagues (2021) found that children with eczema were more likely to have lower dietary calcium intake than those without eczema. While more research is needed, adding calcium to your diet could help support skin health in people prone to skin rashes or dry and sensitive skin. Avoid taking excess calcium as minerals should be taken in sensible amounts (refer to the video at the end of this blog). 

Calcium is also involved in other skin functions, like controlling sweat glands and immune responses (Manning, 2022). So it may help to support skin health in people with immune system dysfunction. 

By including calcium in your skincare routine—whether through diet or supplements—you can strengthen your skin barrier, improve skin hydration, and support glowy skin that is less flaky and more radiant.

Calcium with magnesium and vitamin K2

For those with sensitive skin or skin disorders, getting enough calcium, along with magnesium and vitamin K2, may improve overall skin resilience. If you're looking for a reliable source of calcium, designed specifically for skin health in mind, consider Skin Friend PM Mineral Matrix, a patented supplement to support skin health with calcium, magnesium and vitamin K2. Watch the video, below, to find out why taking calcium with these nutrients magnifies your results.

Dosages and Best Types of Calcium

Watch the Calcium Myths Busted video (below) to discover the best forms of calcium to take and learn about safe dosing. You could be making these mistakes and it could be costing you your health.