A recent study published in Nutrients has found that daily almond consumption may help improve acne outcomes in young adults aged 18-35 years.
This randomized controlled study included 74 participants with mild to moderate acne. Participants assigned to the almond group consumed 60 grams daily of whole, unsalted almonds with skin, while those in the control group ate calorie-matched cereal-pulse-based snacks. After 20 weeks, the researchers measured changes in inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts, as well as changes in facial sebum, hydration levels, skin morphology and microflora, and selected biochemical parameters.
The almond group saw greater reductions than the control group in total acne lesions (-22.2% vs. -9.8% in controls), inflammatory lesions (-8.3% vs. +12%), and non-inflammatory lesions (-26.1% vs. -20.4%). Objective measures of lesion size and volume also improved in the almond group. The study also found that the almond group saw significant changes in psychosocial outcomes, such as acne-related quality of life scores and anxiety symptoms.
These findings highlight the potential of daily almond consumption to complement standard acne treatments and support skin health.
The study was funded by the Almond Board of California.
Moitra, P., Madan, J., Shah, K., Mandavkar, P., Joshi, R., Kalita, S., & Udipi, S. A. (2026). Almond Supplementation Improves Acne Lesions and Skin Microbial Diversity in Adults with Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris. Nutrients, 18(4), 625.