Vitamin E has many outstanding beauty benefits:
It moisturizes, prevents skin aging, promotes hair growth, and improves its appearance when it’s dull and lifeless.
Using capsules is an easy and effective way of getting these results.
But, there’s a variety of brands available. And to be honest, the quality varies a lot.
This is because the vitamin E they contain actually comes in many different types and strengths.
We’ve taken a look at over 20 products to find the best vitamin E capsules for skin and hair.
In this article, we’ll show you the three important things to check before choosing a product. And we’ll review our favorite high-quality brands.
The top vitamin E capsules at a glance:
- Solgar Vitamin E Softgels – Best Overall Choice
- Now Vitamin E Capsules – Best Budget Choice
- Solaray D-Alpha Tocopherol Capsules
- Puritan’s Pride Mixed Tocopherol Softgels
- Kirkland Signature Vitamin E
*All links lead to Amazon
You can find the full reviews below the buying guide.
Buying Guide: How To Choose
When choosing a jar of vitamin E capsules you should consider the following criteria that affect their quality:
Is It Natural Or Synthetic?
Firstly, it’s important to realize that vitamin E comes in two different forms: natural and synthetic.Scientific studies have shown that the natural form is superior.
You can identify it on the bottle of capsules because the vitamin E will be listed as d-alpha tocopherol, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate, or d-alpha tocopheryl succinate.
The synthetic form will have a dl– prefix.
D-alpha tocopherol is the most active type of vitamin E biologically. It has only one isomer (this means that the atoms that make up this molecule can only have one arrangement).
The synthetic form comes in eight different isomers, only one of which is the same as the natural form of vitamin E.
The other seven isomers that the synthetic form contains are not as potent, and your body prefers to use the natural type.
While synthetic vitamin E will still have benefits for your skin and hair, we recommend using vitamin E capsules with the natural d–alpha tocopherol.
Does It Contain Vitamin E Or Vitamin E Ester?
There’s another difference in the type of vitamin E that you should be aware of:Some capsules contain vitamin E esters. You’ll see these listed in the ingredients as tocopheryl succinate or tocopheryl acetate.
These have to be converted inside your skin into the normal form of vitamin E. Otherwise, they don’t have any effect.
But, it’s not firmly established how well these ester forms are converted at this moment in time.
So, it’s best to use capsules containing tocopherols instead.
As well as alpha-tocopherol you will often find products containing the other natural tocopherols: beta-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol.
These are all vitamin E, exist naturally in your body, and are good to use.
What Is The IU?
IU is an abbreviation for ‘international unit’. It measures the vitamin E activity in the capsule.The bigger the number, the higher the activity. And the greater the benefits it will have.
The stronger capsules available on the market are usually around 1000 IU. So this is our preferred choice.
The Best Vitamin E Capsules
To find the top brands we’ve used our buying advice above and analyzed consumer reviews.
This is our final selection of the best vitamin E capsule brands:
Solgar
These vitamin E capsules by Solgar come in a bottle of 100 softgels. The vitamin E oil in each one has an IU of 1000.
It contains d-alpha tocopherol, along with the other naturally occurring tocopherols, d-beta tocopherol, d-gamma tocopherol, and d-delta tocopherol.
People report good improvements in the condition of their skin and hair from using these capsules. Regular use relieves dry and itchy skin and scalp and leaves the skin looking glowing.
The capsules are non-GMO and gluten-free.
In our opinion, this is the best brand of vitamin E capsules for skin and hair.
Puritan’s Pride
Puritan’s Pride has a great reputation for making high-quality supplements. These vitamin E capsules are manufactured and packaged in their state of the art facility.
You get 100 softgels in a bottle each containing a mix of tocopherols: d-alpha, d-beta, d-delta, and d-gamma.
And they weigh in with an activity level of 1000 IU.
Solaray
This product comes in a bottle of 60 softgels. It’s d-alpha tocopherol with an activity level in each capsule of 1000 IU.
Unlike many other brands, the oil in the capsules is completely pure, with no soy or corn oil. This is particularly useful for people who have an allergy to soy.
But while the IU is the same as the choices above, the smaller quantity means that it’s not the best value on our list.
If You’re On A Budget
Our buying advice above highlights the choices you should make to find the very best vitamin E capsules for hair and skin. But, this also comes at an increased cost.
We understand that sometimes you need to compromise a little bit on the ideal to find the best product that’s within your budget.
In our opinion, it’s best to compromise on the IU of the capsule when looking for a cheaper alternative.
At least then you know that the science is on your side: You have the natural form of vitamin E that’s used effectively by your body.
With that in mind, this is our top-rated value choice:
NOW
These vitamin E softgels from Now Foods come in a bottle of 100. Each one contains 400 IU of vitamin E.
This may be a smaller IU than those listed above, but these are still some of the best vitamin E capsules for face care.
The main form used is d-alpha tocopherol, along with a smaller amount of the mixed natural tocopherols.
They also contain a small amount of selenium, which works together with vitamin E to increase its powers.
People report glowing skin from eating these capsules and by topical application.
They’re smaller than some of the other choices above, So if you’re concerned about swallowing capsules they’re a good choice.
Kirkland
For those who are happy to compromise on the type of vitamin E as well as the IU then Kirkland’s 400 IU capsules are a popular choice.
They come in a great value bottle of 500. Each one contains dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate.
Most users report satisfaction with results, with noticeable improvements in nails and hair.
Why Should You Use Vitamin E Capsules?
Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that’s naturally found in your body. It’s important for health and plays a role in the function of your eyes, hormonal system, and immune system.
It also has benefits for your skin and hair.
You can get vitamin E through your diet by eating foods containing a high level. These include vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, apples, and tomatoes.
But, unfortunately, many people don’t get enough this way.
Not only that, but studies have shown that using the oil from a capsule is a better way to increase the amount of vitamin E in your skin.
You can take vitamin E capsules and pills to help your general health including your skin. But, you can also break them open for direct use on your face and hair.
The Benefits
Vitamin E oil capsules can have a number of benefits:
Skin
Moisturization
Vitamin E can help to improve the texture and appearance of dry skin, making it soft and supple. This is because it plays an important part in maintaining your skin barrier and helping it to retain moisture.
Studies have shown that when used for a month, a significant improvement in skin hydration can be observed (1).
Antioxidant Protection And Anti-aging
Vitamin E’s main function in your skin is to help protect against free radical damage that occurs after exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun.
This damage ages the skin and shows itself as lines and wrinkles.
But, the good news is:
You can slow the rate at which they appear. Studies have shown that using vitamin E increases your skin’s protection from the sun (2).
Treating Sunburn
Too much time in the sun can make your skin look red and feel sore. Thankfully, you can relieve the painful inflammation by applying the oil from a vitamin E capsule onto your skin.
But, did you know…
The damage caused by sun exposure actually continues to occur in the skin for many hours after you come out of it.
Fortunately, studies have demonstrated that using vitamin E oil can limit the damage even when applied after exposure (3).
Dermatitis
Vitamin E oil has anti-inflammatory properties that make it useful in the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions.
Atopic dermatitis is one example that studies have shown it can improve (4).
Skin Lightening And Hyperpigmentation
Overproduction of melanin in the skin forms areas of hyperpigmentation. This is seen in skin discoloration disorders such as melasma, and age spots.
Topical application of vitamin E oil from the capsules can have a depigmenting effect. Reducing the appearance of the melanin and lightening skin (5).
Hair
Vitamin E oil capsules can also have benefits for your hair:
Hair Growth
Vitamin E oil helps to stimulate the growth of blood capillaries in the scalp. This enhances blood circulation and encourages the growth of strong healthy hair.
Split Ends
Overuse of hot hair styling tools such as flat irons and curling irons, or dying of the hair, can lead to split ends.
Applying vitamin E oil from the roots to the tips can help to restore its health and appearance.
Lustrous Hair
Rubbing vitamin E oil into your hair helps to condition it. Making it appear shinier and more lustrous, instead of dry and dull.
Conclusion
Vitamin E is essential for health and has great benefits when applied to the skin or the hair.
It can protect your face from the development of lines and wrinkles. And help with treating conditions like dermatitis and acne due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
It also moisturizes the skin and encourages hair growth.
But, finding the right product is essential if you want to enjoy these benefits to their maximum.
The most effective vitamin E capsules will contain d-alpha tocopherol at an activity level of 1000 IU.
In our opinion, the best vitamin e capsules for skin and hair, considering quality and value, are the Solgar 1000 IU capsules. This company also have a very good name in the supplements market.
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Hi!! i want to try it but little afraid to its side effect. Is it safe??
Hi Garima, yes vitamin E is safe and great for your skin and hair.
Is vegetarian vitamin e capsule better
It won’t make much difference to the health benefits that it has.