DellaPella Clear Skin Supplement: What's In It and Who It's For
We get a version of the same email every week. Someone has read the ingredient list, recognized maybe two of the six, and wants to know why we picked those and not the ones every other skin supplement uses.
Fair question. So this is the full breakdown: every ingredient, why it's in there, what the published research actually shows, and who this formula isn't right for.
To be clear about what this post is, since that matters: we make this product. This is our own explanation of our own formula, not an independent review. We've tried to write it the way we'd want a competitor's formula explained to us, including the parts that are less flattering.
The starting decision
Most skin supplements are general-purpose. Collagen for elasticity, biotin for hair, hyaluronic acid for hydration, and a marketing story about "glow." Those formulas are fine for what they are. They were not built around the biology of a breakout.
We built this one for acne specifically. That meant starting from the mechanisms researchers describe in the literature, including sebum production, follicular changes, and inflammation, with the sebaceous gland acting as hormone-responsive tissue in its own right (Zouboulis et al., Dermato-Endocrinology, 2011). Then working backward to nutrients with published data against those mechanisms.
Six ingredients. Not eighteen. Every one had to justify its place.
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
The anchor. This is the ingredient with the most direct randomized trial evidence for acne lesion counts.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Dermatology and Therapy, 48 adults with mild to moderate facial acne took a pantothenic acid-based supplement or placebo for 12 weeks. The treatment group showed a significant mean reduction in total lesion count versus placebo (P = 0.0197), with inflammatory lesions reduced and Dermatology Life Quality Index scores improved (Yang et al., 2014).
The honest caveat: 48 subjects, 41 evaluable, and industry funding. We'd rather you hear that from us. It's still a real placebo-controlled trial with a published p-value, which is more than most supplement ingredients can say.
Zinc
The mineral dermatologists actually mention. A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis in Dermatologic Therapy found acne patients tended to have lower serum zinc than controls, and that zinc-treated patients showed significant improvement in mean inflammatory papule count. Side effect rates were not significantly different from comparators (Yee et al., 2020).
Zinc sits at the intersection of three things that matter here: enzyme function, inflammatory signalling, and androgen metabolism in skin. That's why it's in an acne formula rather than a generic one.
Vitamin D3
A 2016 PLOS ONE study found vitamin D deficiency in 48.8% of acne patients versus 22.5% of healthy controls. Its randomized arm gave 39 deficient patients 1,000 IU of cholecalciferol daily for two months and recorded a 34.6% decrease in inflammatory lesions versus 5.8% on placebo (Lim et al., 2016).
We use D3 rather than D2 because it raises and maintains serum levels more effectively. If you want to know your own status, ask for a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test.
Selenium
Selenium is the cofactor for glutathione peroxidase, a primary antioxidant enzyme. Work published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica found reduced erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity in acne patients, rising during selenium and vitamin E supplementation (Michaëlsson & Edqvist, 1984).
We dose it conservatively and deliberately. Selenium's tolerable upper intake level is 400 mcg per day for adults, and chronic excess causes real problems. This is a nutrient where restraint is the correct formulation choice, and where megadosing is a red flag rather than a selling point.
Phytoceramides
Ceramides are the lipids holding your skin barrier together. Lipidomics research in Archives of Dermatological Research examined skin surface lipids and barrier function in acne patients (2025), and a review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology made the case that barrier support helps people stay on acne regimens long enough to benefit from them (Schachner et al., 2023).
Straight answer on the evidence quality: most ceramide research is topical, and oral phytoceramide studies mainly report hydration and barrier endpoints rather than lesion counts. We include them for barrier support. We are not claiming they clear breakouts.
Kiwi extract
A food-derived source of vitamin C and polyphenols. Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis, which is relevant to how skin recovers after inflammation. This is a supporting ingredient, and there is no acne trial data on kiwi extract specifically. We'd rather say so than build a story around it.
What we deliberately left out
Biotin. No acne evidence, and high doses interfere with immunoassays including thyroid and cardiac panels.
Collagen. Different concern. Adding it would have been a marketing decision, not a formulation one.
Iodine-rich kelp blends. High iodine has been repeatedly linked to acneiform eruptions in case reports.
Proprietary blends. We list amounts. A blend total that hides individual doses exists to prevent you from checking.
Who this isn't for
We'd rather lose the sale than have you waste 12 weeks.
If you have severe nodulocystic acne that's scarring, see a dermatologist. Prescription treatment is the right call and a supplement is not a substitute. If your breakouts come with irregular cycles, unusual hair growth, or sudden weight changes, get evaluated for PCOS before you buy anything. If you're pregnant or nursing, talk to your doctor first. If you're already taking a multivitamin, check the overlap so you're not doubling up on zinc, selenium, or vitamin D.
And if you want results in two weeks, this isn't it. Nothing oral is.
The practical details
Doctor-created. Third-party tested for potency and purity. Cruelty-free. Formulated for face, back, and body. $49 one-time, or $34.50 on monthly delivery, with a 3-month bundle at $89.
Give it 8 to 12 weeks, which is roughly what the trials above ran. We include a 90-day money-back guarantee because that's how long an honest test takes.
Important: This post is written and published by DellaPella about our own product. The studies cited evaluated individual nutrients, not the DellaPella formula, and their results may not reflect individual outcomes. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Consult your doctor or dermatologist before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
