This ‘Tattoo’ Has a Secret—It’s a Vitamin

A few weeks ago, I was toweling off after a yoga class and overheard a conversation between two friends. One was speaking about a product with such reverence that my ears perked up. “They’ve changed my life,” she said. “I feel 10 years younger.” The product in question? Vitamin patches. She invited her friend to a “patch party.” They left before I could ask for the address, but I exited the studio with wearable vitamins dancing in my head.

We all know we need our vitamins. On the most basic level, they are among the essential nutrients that our bodies need in order to function. Yet even though we only require them in tiny amounts, many people are still deficient, whether it’s because they’re not eating a balanced diet or for some other reason, such as an autoimmune disease like Crohn’s that could hinder nutrient absorption. Supplements might be able to fill in the gaps—a belief that the wellness industry happily capitalizes on.

The problem with oral vitamins is that they might not make it past your gut. “A lot of supplements get destroyed by stomach acid,” says New York physician Alexander GolBerg, MD, DO. He adds that because supplements aren’t as strictly regulated as pharmaceutical drugs, they might not have the best quality control, and some can also cause nausea. Both GolBerg and Yana Delkhah, MD, a physician in New York, say the best way to maximize vitamin absorption is through a shot or an IV infusion—injecting it directly into a muscle or your bloodstream—but not everyone likes needles or can get to the doctor’s office for a recurring jab.

Patches present an alluring third option. In theory, you can smooth them on like a Band-Aid and forget about them, while nutrients like B12, D, zinc, and even brain-boosting NAD+ or sleep-inducing melatonin seep under your skin. Some patches, like those from Barrière

, are also as aesthetically pleasing as a high-end tattoo (the brand has a collaboration with Bluestone Babe, a Brooklyn tattoo shop). Sizes range from tiny (think: Hailey Bieber’s finger tattoos) to as big as your forearm. Barrière’s stickers, which are made in a lab that micronizes vitamins into particles invisible to the human eye, are comfortable, waterproof, hypoallergenic—and, yes, “cute,” according to co-founder

Cleo Davis-Urman. Transdermal stickers can be worn daily for 8 to 12 hours on hairless skin.

But do they work? One 2023 review in Experimental Dermatology found that transdermal vitamin delivery shows potential for bypassing the skin barrier and may boost the amount of nutrients your system can take in, but the report stressed that more clinical data, quality control, and studies on long-term safety are needed. Without more research, it’s unclear just how much of a nutrient gets into your system through the skin, and how patches compare to oral supplements. Still, GolBerg and Delkhah say wearable vitamins show promise and seem low risk, but they’re best as an additive.

Talk to your doctor before starting any vitamins; as with oral supplements, there’s a risk of vitamin toxicity if you apply too many patches at once. Delkhah says fat-soluble nutrients like D, E, A, and K—which can pass through the skin barrier—are likely among your best bets. According to the FDA, oral vitamins are regulated as dietary supplements (a term that excludes transdermal patches, which aren’t ingested). Barrière doesn’t market its transdermal patches as dietary supplements—but if a brand were to do so, the FDA would likely classify it as health fraud.

A small 2022 study in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health to examine the tolerability and safety of vitamin patches found that subjects who wore vitamin D patches daily for eight weeks saw their levels go up by an average of 22 percent. Davis-Urman can personally attest to their efficacy: “My vitamin D levels have never been so consistent,” she says.

I’ve been taking the patches for a test-drive of my own, and a friend asked about the tiny lightning bolt sticker on my forearm. “It’s actually a vitamin,” I said, feeling like the woman in my yoga class. I might not be throwing patch parties—but as someone who hates taking vitamins, I’m willing to bet that my tiny decal is better than nothing.

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