ReviewCureus2025
Exploring the Safety and Efficacy of Glutathione Supplementation for Skin Lightening: A Narrative Review.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Glutathione in Skin Aging and Tissue Regeneration: A Systematic Review of Molecular Mechanisms, Redox Modulation, and Biomedical Implications.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- A review of the potential benefits and limitations of oral glutathione supplementation.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Cutaneous Aging in Skin of Color: A Narrative Review.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2026Review
- Glutathione for skin lightening via intravenous, oral, and topical routes: a critical narrative review of current evidence, safety, and the evidence-practice gap.Journal of medicine and life · 2026Review
- Integrative Dermatology for Longevity: The Synergy of Topical and Internal Approaches.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Review
- Glutathione in Our Diet and Its Role in the Body: From Disease Prevention to Anti-Aging.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Global consensus on the management of melanin hyperpigmentation disorders.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2026Review
- Therapeutic Potential of Cysteine and Its Derivatives in Dermatology.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The rising demand for skin-lightening products has brought glutathione, a tripeptide with antioxidant properties and melanogenesis-regulating effects, into focus as a potentially safer alternative to conventional agents. This narrative review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral, topical, and intravenous glutathione in skin-lightening therapies. Oral administration shows significant but variable decreases in melanin levels with limited side effects. Topical formulations provide good-level melanin reduction and skin texture improvement but with varying sustainability. Intravenous glutathione, although having rapid action, is associated with serious safety concerns like anaphylaxis and hepatotoxicity, further aggravated by a lack of standardized dosing protocols. Current evidence supports glutathione's potential as a depigmenting agent but underscores the need for rigorous, large-scale clinical trials to establish long-term safety, optimal dosing, and standardized applications. Until such data are available, clinicians and consumers should exercise caution to ensure safe and effective dermatological practices, particularly with intravenous use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.