THE BEAUTY FAT

We spent years removing fat from our diets. Our skin may have preferred that we didn’t.

Beauty has always had a complicated relationship with fat.

First, we were told to avoid it. Then came avocado toast, olive oil poured with abandon, salmon bowls, chia everything, and suddenly, fat had undergone one of wellness culture’s more impressive rebrands.

But somewhere between the macros and the Mediterranean diet, we missed the more interesting beauty story.

Your skin likes fat. In fact, it needs it.

And omega-3 fatty acids — particularly EPA and DHA — are among the fats worth knowing about if your definition of good skin is less “perfect” and more plump, calm, hydrated, resilient and expensive-looking.

YOUR SKIN BARRIER IS, QUITE LITERALLY, INTO LIPIDS

The skin barrier is often described as a brick wall: skin cells are the bricks, while lipids help form the material between them.

When that barrier is functioning properly, it helps keep water in and irritants out. When it isn’t, skin can become dry, rough, reactive and generally less luminous.

Omega-3 fatty acids are components of cell membranes and participate in biological pathways involved in inflammation. Research into diet and skin suggests that omega-3s may influence barrier function, although the science is considerably more nuanced than “eat salmon, erase wrinkles.” (ODS⁠)

SO, WHAT DOES OMEGA-3 ACTUALLY DO FOR SKIN?

The beauty argument is less about one spectacular before-and-after and more about skin quality.

There is evidence suggesting omega-3 fatty acids can influence inflammatory processes in the skin. Small human studies have also found improvements in measures including hydration, roughness and transepidermal water loss after consumption of certain omega-3-rich oils. Meanwhile, laboratory and clinical research has explored EPA’s relationship with UV-induced processes involved in collagen degradation and photoageing. (PubMed Central (PMC)⁠)

There is even observational research linking higher intake of certain omega-3 fatty acids with less severe signs of photoageing, although association is not the same thing as proof that omega-3 prevents wrinkles. (PubMed⁠)

Translated from dermatology into beauty language?

Think less angry, less thirsty, better-functioning skin.

THE OMEGA-3 SHOPPING LIST

There are three names worth remembering: ALA, EPA and DHA.

ALA is the plant-based omega-3 found in foods including flaxseed, chia, walnuts and certain vegetable oils. EPA and DHA are predominantly found in seafood, particularly oily fish.

And they’re not completely interchangeable.

The body can convert ALA into EPA and then DHA, but that conversion is limited. This is why eating chia seeds is excellent, but nutritionally it isn’t exactly the same thing as eating sardines or salmon. (ODS⁠)

If we were building the Facestellar Beauty Fridge, we’d put in:

Sardines. Possibly the least glamorous-looking beauty food with one of the better résumés.

Salmon. The obvious one, but deservedly so: particularly rich in EPA and DHA.

Mackerel and herring. Serious omega-3 territory.

Oysters. Omega-3 plus an excellent excuse to order oysters.

Trout. Another useful source of EPA and DHA.

Chia seeds. Rich in ALA and extremely easy to add to breakfast.

Flaxseed. Another major plant source of ALA; ground flax is easier to actually incorporate into food than wellness culture would have you believe.

Walnuts. One of the simplest plant sources: no powder, no supplement ritual, no 6 a.m. blender required.

The NIH also lists fortified eggs and certain dairy or plant products as possible sources, depending on the product. (ODS⁠)

WHAT ABOUT FISH-OIL CAPSULES?

This is where beauty marketing tends to get ahead of science.

Omega-3 supplements can provide EPA and DHA, and algal oil offers a non-fish source. But supplements aren’t automatically superior to food, and official health guidance notes that evidence for the broader health benefits of seafood is stronger in several areas than evidence for simply taking an omega-3 supplement. (NCCIH⁠)

In other words: don’t turn dinner into another beauty pill unless you need to.

If you rarely eat fish or follow a plant-based diet, supplementation may be worth discussing with a doctor or dietitian. And if you take medication affecting blood clotting, are pregnant or breastfeeding, medical advice is particularly sensible before supplementing. (News in Health⁠)

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT BEAUTY

Good skin isn’t created exclusively in a bathroom. It’s affected by what you eat, how you sleep, how much sun you get, whether you smoke, your hormones, genetics, stress, alcohol, skincare, and, yes, the fats in your diet. Omega-3 is interesting precisely because it sits at that intersection between health and aesthetics. Just one of the less sexy biological fundamentals behind very sexy skin.

THE FACESTELLAR TAKE

Eat the salmon.

Order the oysters.

Put walnuts on something.

Keep chia in the cupboard if you’re actually going to use it.

Wear SPF.

Don’t expect a €90 supplement to compensate for a diet consisting primarily of coffee and Deliveroo.

And then come get your face massaged.

Because beauty has never really been about finding the one thing.

It’s about creating enough of the right conditions for your face to do what it already knows how to do.

Glow accordingly.