Have you been taking omega-3 and not noticing any change in your skin? Are you not sure whether to blame the product, or your skin, or your period, or your diet for the lack of results? One thing I hate tremendously is when people who are already suffering with skin issues feel even worse about their skin and their outcomes just because they’ve been taking stuff that doesn’t work; especially when a little bit of science can help clear the air and get you on the right track.
I have spent many years of my career explaining to patients, clinicians, therapists, and random people on Instagram about the science of fish oil for skin health. So, I’m here to give another very long and scientific rant about why your vegan omega-3 substitute is actually a big fat lie, and why, in my professional opinion, you are better off without them.
That might sound harsh, but the truth is, I deeply care about the journey that people are on, especially before they find clinics like ours that help to give them answers as to why their skin is problematic.
Chronic inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis come with a psychological toll; and the more someone who is suffering is told that “this thing will work“ and it doesn’t, the more it impacts their pscyhe and the belief that maybe their skin condition is untreatable. This infuriates me greatly when it’s easy to see why a supplement won’t work based on a little bit of science and understanding of biochemistry.
Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid. It is one of the most essential things to take if you have an impaired skin barrier; not only for the direct impact that it has on helping to restore and repair the skin barrier itself, but also for the specific ways that omega-3 actives work on inflammation (which is what can cause and keep the barrier in an impaired state). They serve a critical function in health, and can be an absolute game changer in treating skin… if they are used properly, and if the right forms are utilised.
This article is to help you understand the role of omega-3 in skin healing, what the actives in omega-3 are and how they work, and why vegan omega-3 is a bullsh*t lie that is not only doing sweet FA for your skin health, but may actually worsen inflammation.
So, let’s start at the start.
What are omegas and PUFAs and why the hell does it matter?
Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids belong to the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) family, and while both are essential and must be obtained through the diet (this is why they’re called essential - they are one of the few nutrients our body can’t produce itself), their effects in the body differ dramatically due to their roles in certain inflammatory pathways.
It’s all about the actives, baby
Let’s focus on omega-3 fatty acids first, as they are the most important for skin health.
Omega-3 fatty acids are critical to skin health, regulating inflammation and brain function; but not all omega-3s are equal in their ability to help our skin and health. This is why it’s important to understand the difference between marine (fish) and plant (vegan) omega-3, their concentrations, and how the concentration in actives can impact your health.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be split up into three categories, which all come under the umbrella of omega-3:
ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) — found in plant-based sources (e.g. flaxseed, chia, walnuts, hemp)
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) — found in marine sources (e.g. fatty fish, algae)
DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) — also found in marine sources
These are what we refer to as the “actives” in polyunsaturated fatty acids, as it is these molecules which are studied for their impact on health. This is also why vegan sources of omega-3 are able to call themselves omega-3; because their active constituent called ALA fall under this umbrella. In reality, ALA has very little benefit to the skin. It is most important to understand that EPA and DHA are the molecules which have a beneficial impact on your skin (and other health parameters).
How EPA and DHA help skin
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are precursors to specialised pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), including resolvins, protectins, and maresins. These lipid-derived molecules actively promote the resolution phase of inflammation, clearing neutrophils, restoring tissue homeostasis, and modulating immune responses to prevent prolonged tissue damage.
EPA plays a critical role in reducing inflammation by competitively inhibiting the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA), which is pro-inflammatory, through the cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways. This inhibition decreases production of inflammatory eicosanoids like prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). EPA also suppresses nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), a transcription factor that upregulates inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α — all of which are elevated in acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis.
What do all those words mean?
TNF-α (Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha) is a master inflammatory switch that upregulates IL-6, IL-1β, and NF-κB — driving inflammation deeper into the dermis. It also increases vascular permeability, exacerbating skin swelling, and drives the expression of adhesion molecules that attract immune cells. This is particularly a problem in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, but is also usually a contributor to chronic inflammation seen in acne and eczema. EPA works specifically on reducing activation of this switch, which means that the following inflammatory cytokines are downregulated in production. Because of this action, EPA helps to calm neutrophilic infiltration, protects keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and stabilises barrier integrity.
IL-6 (Interleukin-6) is a key player in chronic inflammation. It amplifies immune responses and stimulates the production of acute-phase proteins. In the skin, IL-6 contributes to keratinocyte proliferation, angiogenesis, and barrier disruption — all central features in eczema and acne pathophysiology.
IL-8 (CXCL8) is a chemokine that recruits neutrophils to the site of inflammation. Neutrophils are like the SWAT team of the immune system — great in short bursts, but when chronically activated (as in acne), they release enzymes and reactive-oxygen-species (AKA oxidative damage) that damage the extracellular matrix and sebaceous glands.
In addition, EPA serves as a precursor to E-series resolvins, which are lipid mediators that can downregulate neutrophil permeation and oxidative damage in skin tissues, which is an incredibly important function in inflammatory conditions like acne and eczema.
DHA, which everyone seems to favour when it comes to omega-3 supplements, contributes structurally to the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes, enhancing membrane fluidity and improving intracellular signalling. In keratinocytes and corneocytes, DHA is essential for healthy lipid matrix formation and stratum corneum integrity. DHA also gives rise to D-series resolvins and neuroprotectins, which help regulate neurogenic inflammation, modulate immune cell activation, and protect against oxidative damage.
Studies have shown EPA and DHA enhance expression of tight junction proteins such as occludin and claudin, reinforcing barrier integrity, which is essential in presentations like eczema.
The way that EPA and DHA work isn’t theoretical; it’s supported by numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, including skin biopsy analysis and cytokine profiling in dermatological research.
The way ALA works, however, is kind of theoretical.
Why Vegan Omega-3 Sucks
The benefits claimed in ALA dominant omega supplements are really leaning on the benefits of DHA and EPA, under the assumption that ALA can be effectively converted into higher amounts of EPA and DHA within the body. The truth is, that doesn’t happen, girl!
While plant-based omega-3s, such as those found in flaxseed, chia, and hemp, contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), this short-chain fatty acid must be converted into EPA and DHA through a series of desaturation and elongation steps involving the delta-6-desaturase, elongase, and delta-5-desaturase enzymes.
Unfortunately, this conversion is highly inefficient. In fact, less than 10% converts to EPA (7% average conversion), and even less to DHA. This means high ALA content does not necessarily translate to a high active concentration of EPA and DHA and, therefore, can’t really claim all the anti-inflammatory and skin restorative benefits that EPA and DHA achieve.
Additionally, vegan omega-3 sources often contain higher amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, which compete metabolically with omega-3s, potentially decreasing their benefits by promoting inflammation.
Why omega-6 sucks
Omega-6 fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid (AA), are metabolised into pro-inflammatory mediators such as PGE2 and LTB4. These eicosanoids promote inflammation, increase vascular permeability, and recruit immune cells, all of which are necessary in acute injury or infection but become pathological in chronic states. If eaten in excess from foods like vegetable & seed oils, nuts, meat and poultry, AA can exacerbate inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and acne.
Modern western diets heavily skew toward omega-6 dominance, sometimes with ratios as high as 15:1 or more, which is far from the ideal 1:1 to 4:1 ratio recommended. This imbalance drives chronic low-grade inflammation and impairs skin healing. This ‘new norm’ ratio is due to widespread intake of seed oils, processed foods, and grain-fed animal products. This imbalance contributes to a pro-inflammatory internal environment, which in the context of skin, promotes keratinocyte dysregulation, barrier breakdown, cytokine overexpression, and potentially microbial overgrowth.
EPA is a competitive inhibitor of arachidonic acid, which is just one of the ways that EPA works as an anti-inflammatory. A huge amount of the population is actually deficient in omega-3s from the get-go, with many not getting omega-3 through dietary sources. If you’re taking supplements that are not high in EPA, then these supplements aren’t working on inhibiting arachidonic acid, and you remain in a low-grade chronic inflammatory state which EPA would help to rectify. In my opinion, dietary reliance on omega-3 through consumption of fish is actually not the safest or most effective way to go about getting your EPA and DHA, but I’ll share more on that in a minute.
Without adequate EPA and DHA, or in the presence of excess omega-6 (which studies show majority of peole have), your skin’s defences weaken. This can lead to several disadvantageous symptoms like increased transepidermal water loss, barrier dysfunction, and chronic inflammation.
So, that vegan omega claiming to have all those anti-inflammatory and skin restorative benefits might actually be directly worsening chronic inflammation, as you are most likely just supplementing with MORE omega-6 and seed oils which are known to be pro-inflammatory.
Why Fish Oil is the Best Source of omega-3
Seed oils should go straight in the bin, in my opinion. The only “vegan“ form of omega-3 that isn’t an absolute lie is algae oil. You may have seen algae oils or capsules, claiming all the benefits of omega-3, which I hope you now know is largely based on the benefits of EPA and DHA, which algae oils do not contain high amounts of.
Sure, algae supplements are better than other plant-based supplements that contain a bunch of omega-6 which worsens inflammation; but they do not hit the mark compared to fish oil. Why’s that? Because fish eat algae, and convert the algae into active EPA and DHA through metabolism. That’s probably why humankind evolved so greatly once we started eating fish.
Algae is the vegan (depending what you consider life to be, if you are an ethical vegan) option for fish oil that is the least harmful, as in it will not promote more inflammation within the body the way that taking a bunch of seed oils will.
The main species of algae used in supplements is Schizochytrium sp., which is high in DHA but has minimal to no EPA. Algae oil is also commonly blended with sunflower oil or omega-6 rich oils for stability. Some newer algae formulas, which are harder and more expensive to access, contain the Nannochloropsis species, which has a higher amount of EPA compared to other algae species. The amount on average of EPA within this species is around 27%; the important thing to note is that to be able to get a therapeutic amount of EPA through this source would mean taking about 20 grams of algae powder daily, which is actually more expensive and still less effective in regards to concentration than taking fish oil.
How do I know all of this? Because I spent three months in research and development a few years ago when our E/FA Pure was unable to be sourced due to logistical challenges and ingredient shortages during the pandemic. I tried to make a comparable product to our E/FA Pure (which thankfully now has no disruptions in manufacturing), and simply couldn’t without using fish. I am not going to bring an ineffective product to the market, and rely on sham marketing to sell it, when it doesn’t meet the therapeutic requirements to achieve a result. Sorry vegans, but there is no comparison when it comes to fish oil.
Fish oil not only supports skin hydration and barrier function; they are also known to lower triglycerides, improving heart health, enhance cognitive function, modulate immune response, reduce joint pain and stiffness, improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health & aid mood regulation and stress resilience. The additional benefits of fish oil, outside of barrier repair and anti-inflammatory skin intervention, means that this one nutrient may also work on other concomitant problems driving your skin problems, like insulin sensitivity and cortisol dysregulation.
Now that we’re on the same page about why vegan oils don’t do sh*t compared to fish oil, let’s look at what is needed in a fish oil supplement to actually help your skin.
Why concentration matters
Many commercial fish oil supplements contain only 30–50% EPA and DHA by volume, with the remaining content made up of filler oils, oxidised lipids, or low-potency triglyceride fractions. Some may even contain higher proportions of omega-6 fatty acids or cheaper short-chain PUFAs, further increasing inflammation.
Therapeutic-grade omega-3 supplementation, by contrast, requires high-potency concentrations. That’s why concentrated EPA and DHA formulas are superior, as they deliver the potent amount of omega-3s that your skin actually uses for cellular repair and skin barrier function.
So when looking at the concentration of actives (EPA & DHA) to other PUFA, you want to aim for at least 70% of the product being active. This is what is referred to as therapeutic grade.
If your omega-3 supplement does not list the active amount of EPA or DHA on the label, then it does not have actives in it. It is trash.
If your omega-3 supplement does list the active amount of EPA and DHA on the label, you can easily see what concentration it is by doing this simple maths equation:
Add up the EPA and DHA content, which should be listed in milligrams. Divide this total amount of actives by the amount of total omega-3 listed on the label (which is often in grams, so ensure to convert to milligrams), and then multiply by 100.
Here’s an example of the calculation done on our E/FA Pure:
650mg of EPA + 400mg of DHA = 1050mg total actives.
1050mg divided by total omega-3 content of 1300mg multiplied by 100 = 80.76% concentration.
That is above the threshold of therapeutic dose, and that’s what you want to aim for when using omega-3 to actually help your skin.
Using a fish oil supplement which contains 50% or less active concentration simply exposes you to unhelpful polyunsaturated fatty acids, and ultimately you have to take a hell of a lot more of them per day to reach a therapeutic dose.
The other thing that’s incredibly important is the way that fish oil is stabilised, and how well you are able to continue to stabilise the fish oil within your body after ingestion.
Why Antioxidants are Essential in Fish Oil Supplements
Because of their multiple double bonds, omega-3 fatty acids are characteristically vulnerable to lipid peroxidation, a process in which free radicals can attack PUFAs and create reactive aldehydes such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) when exposed to heat or moisture over time. These toxic by-products can ultimately damage cell membranes, proteins, and mitochondria, and are therefore known contributors to oxidative stress.
This is why fish oil must be stabilised by some kind of preservative or antioxidant; to prevent it going rancid. The most common to see preservatives used to stabilise fish oil is soybean oil and sulphites. Both of these are gross, and things that I wanted to avoid personally in my own fish oil as they can be irritating to those who are hypersensitive (which is a hell of a lot of people with eczema).
Soybean oil and sulphites are cheap ingredients, which is why they are opted for. Sure, they stabilise the fish oil, but they do not provide other benefits.
What many people don’t know or understand is that fish oil remains prone to oxidation after ingestion. That’s because our bodies are full of heat and light, which destabilise the molecular bonds of omega-3. When ingesting larger amounts of fish oil, it is imperative that you have adequate antioxidant capacity, as your body will lean on these antioxidant compounds to continue to stabilise the fish oil after ingestion. This is why it is generally recommended to utilise antioxidant support if you are taking higher doses of fish oil (2 grams or higher of omega-3).
This is why our E/FA Pure contains Vitamin E in a therapeutic amount as well. It not only naturally stabilises the fish oil, allowing us to avoid unhelpful additives and preservatives, but is also continues to provide the antioxidant support needed after ingestion to assist in stabilising the fish oil and repleting antioxidant deficiency.
Vitamin E functions as a lipid-soluble antioxidant, inhibiting lipid peroxidation chain reactions, protecting EPA and DHA from oxidative degradation, thus supporting cellular redox balance. This is essential in presentations like acne and eczema, which are often characterised by lipid oxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and barrier impairment.
What to Look For
When selecting an omega-3 supplement, look for:
Marine sources of omega-3, which is the only source that contains bioavailable EPA and DHA combined
A high concentration of EPA and DHA (don’t purchase it if these actives are missing or at a low dose under 70% concentration)
No omega-6 content, to reduce the risk of pro-inflammatory pathway activation.
Antioxidants like vitamin E to maintain supplement quality and protect your cells
As far as I am aware, our E/FA Pure is the only fish oil on the market that meets all of the above requirements for a therapeutic grade fish oil with inclusion of required antioxidants. After all, I only make products that I need for my patients and can’t find on the market.
If you are using other products to impact your skin and are able to find a fish oil that meets the requirements above but doesn’t contain antioxidants, you can take an additional antioxidant supplement to get the desired outcome. The price of doing this and using two supplements is usually around the same cost as our E/FA Pure anyway!
Purity Matters
On my last note in this long rant about fish oil, let’s cover why dietary sources of omega-3 are questionable. As I hope you’re all aware at this point, the ocean is a bit of a hot mess. We have polluted it beyond measure, and unfortunately most pollution and toxins are absorbed by marine life lower on the food chain, which fish eat, which leads to contamination of fish. Fish which are farmed are fed food which is quite toxic, which leads to contamination of fish. Most people opt for salmon when trying to get their dietary omega-3, but salmon is unfortunately one of the most contaminated forms of fish unless it is wild caught.
Fish oil supplements in Australia have to be purified and contain a minimal amount of contaminants that are found in fish. The Australian requirement is that fish oil is purified to parts per million. Our E/FA Pure is called E/FA Pure because it contains vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and is purified to parts per billion, which goes above and beyond the purity requirements in Australia. Fish oil supplements also allow manual concentration of EPA and DHA to be elevated, compared to the dietary source (which is usually much higher in DHA than EPA).
In my opinion, we have come to a time where relying on consumption of fish is no longer therapeutic or beneficial, and may actually contribute to other health problems. However, this doesn’t change the fact that omega-3s are essential fatty acids and must be consumed in one way or another to prevent deficiency. Fish oil supplements, in my opinion, are a much safer and more effective way to support omega-3 intake. They also work out to be cheaper than dietary sources.
Now it’s time to go throw out your vegan omegas.
Much love,
Em (Founder, Directing Naturopath, Fish Oil Queen)
References
Balić, A., Vlašić, D., Žužul, K., Marinović, B., & Bukvić Mokos, Z. (2020). Omega-3 Versus Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(3), 741. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030741
Calder, P. C. (2023). Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 117(5), 1407–1414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2023.110555
Daniel K. Chen, Adam H. Metherel, Kimia Rezaei, Camilla Parzanini, Chuck T. Chen, Christopher E. Ramsden, Mark Horowitz, Keturah R. Faurot, Beth MacIntosh, Daisy Zamora, Richard P. Bazinet, Analysis of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism by compound-specific isotope analysis in humans, Journal of Lipid Research, Volume 64, Issue 9,2023,100424,ISSN 0022-2275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlr.2023.100424
Burdge, G. C., & Calder, P. C. (2020). Conversion of α-linolenic acid to longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human adults. Progress in Lipid Research, 41(3), 205–230. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7602731/
Xu, R., Molenaar, A. J., Chen, Z., & Yuan, Y. (2025). Mode and Mechanism of Action of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Chronic Diseases. Nutrients, 17(9), 1540. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17091540
Zingg JM. Vitamin E: Regulatory Role on Signal Transduction. IUBMB Life. 2019 Apr;71(4):456-478. doi: 10.1002/iub.1986. Epub 2018 Dec 17. PMID: 30556637.
