The Research Behind RENEW + PROTECT: More Than the Sum of Its Ingredients
In our previous blog, we explored how carotenoids—including lutein and zeaxanthin—may help support the skin’s natural antioxidant defences against environmental stressors like UV exposure.
But an important question remains: What happens when carotenoids are combined with other specialized, skin-supportive nutrients?
While much of the conversation around ingestible skin protection focuses on individual ingredients, such as carotenoids, fish oil, or borage oil, skin is a complex organ—and the nutrients that support it don't work in isolation.
RENEW + PROTECT was formulated around this idea: that a carefully selected combination of complementary ingredients may provide broader support than any single ingredient alone.
The formula combines omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, the omega-6 fatty acid GLA, the carotenoid antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, and vitamin D3. Rather than being simply a fish oil supplement or a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement, RENEW + PROTECT brings together different types of skin-supportive nutrients in one targeted formula.
The research behind the formula has explored this combination from two perspectives: first, at the cellular level, to investigate how the ingredients work together in response to UV exposure; and second, in real people, to examine whether consistent daily use can help support the skin's resistance to UV-induced redness over time.
Here's what the research found.
A formula designed around complementary ingredients
RENEW + PROTECT brings together several types of nutrients with established research in skin health:
- EPA and DHA - omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil
- GLA - an omega-6 fatty acid from borage oil
- Lutein and zeaxanthin - carotenoid antioxidants
- Vitamin D3 - a vitamin with important roles in overall health
The goal is not to rely on a single ingredient.
Instead, RENEW + PROTECT was designed as a multi-ingredient approach to skin health, combining fatty acids, carotenoid antioxidants, and vitamin D3 in one formula.
This distinction matters because the skin’s response to environmental stress is complex. Supporting skin health may involve more than simply adding more of one isolated nutrient.
So, what happens when these ingredients are brought together?
Study 1: Exploring the formula at the cellular level
A 2020 study examined how human dermal fibroblasts responded to UVA and UVB exposure after being pretreated with the complete formula, individual ingredients, or a control.1
Dermal fibroblasts are important cells found in the deeper layers of the skin. They play a role in producing collagen and supporting the skin’s structure.
The study found that the complete formula protected the cells more effectively than any individual ingredient alone.
Following UVA exposure:
- Cell viability was approximately 19% in untreated cells
- Cell viability was approximately 55–80% in cells treated with the complete formula
- No individual ingredient matched the same level of protection observed with the full formula
The researchers also observed that the formula appeared to support the cells’ own antioxidant defence pathways, including the glutathione and thioredoxin systems, while reducing certain inflammatory signals associated with UV exposure.
Taken together, these findings suggest that the combination of ingredients may be important - and that the formula’s potential effects cannot necessarily be attributed to a single ingredient alone.
Of course, this was a cell-culture study. Laboratory research can help scientists understand how a formula may work and identify plausible mechanisms, but it cannot guarantee that the same effects will occur in real-world human skin.
That’s why the human research is particularly important.
Study 2: Exploring the formula in real people
A second study examined what happened when 28 adults with lighter, sun-sensitive skin types took the formula daily for eight weeks.2
Researchers measured each participant’s minimal erythema dose (MED) - the amount of UV exposure required to produce visible skin redness (e.g. sunburn).
A higher MED indicates that more UV exposure is required before redness occurs.
After taking the formula consistently:
- Average MED increased by 39% after four weeks
- Average MED increased by 84% after eight weeks
- 100% of participants showed improvement by the end of the study
The results suggest that consistent daily nutritional support may help increase the skin’s resistance to UV-induced redness (sunburn) over time.
Importantly, the results also reinforce the idea that this type of support is progressive rather than immediate.
Putting the Research in Perspective
The findings are encouraging, while the study designs are important to keep in mind.
The cellular study provides evidence that the complete formula may help support antioxidant and other cellular defence mechanisms in response to UV exposure. However, cell-culture findings cannot be directly translated into guaranteed effects in human skin.
The human study was relatively small and open-label, so a larger, randomized, placebo-controlled trial would provide stronger evidence about the formula’s effects. Importantly, the results were progressive: the average increase in minimal erythema dose was greater after eight weeks than after four weeks, consistent with the idea that this type of nutritional support develops over time with consistent daily use.
Taken together, the studies provide complementary evidence: one explores how the complete formula may work at the cellular level, while the other examines a measurable effect in real people.
That combination of mechanistic and human research is an important part of the evidence behind RENEW + PROTECT.
Keeping oral and topical protection in perspective
It’s important to understand that nutritional support works differently from sunscreen.
Sunscreen remains an evidence-based, first-line defence against UV exposure. It provides topical protection at the skin’s surface and should remain an essential part of a daily sun-care routine.
The effects observed in the human study developed progressively with consistent daily intake over several weeks. This is not same-day sun protection and should not be treated as a replacement for sunscreen.
Instead, nutritional support may be viewed as one additional layer in a broader approach to supporting skin health.
That approach can include:
- Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen
- Seeking shade when possible
- Protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses
- A nutrient-rich, varied diet
- Adequate sleep and stress management
- Targeted supplement support
The Takeaway
The research behind RENEW + PROTECT explores a broader approach to ingestible skin health—one that goes beyond relying on a single ingredient.
By combining omega-3 EPA and DHA, omega-6 GLA, lutein and zeaxanthin, and vitamin D3, RENEW + PROTECT was formulated to provide multi-ingredient support for skin health from within.
Research on the formula has explored its effects both at the cellular level and in real people, providing evidence that the combination may help support the skin’s natural defences against UV-related stress over time.
It’s not a replacement for sunscreen. It’s another layer of support.
Because healthy-looking skin is about more than what you put on it. It’s also about how you support it from the inside-out over time.
References
1. Hall, S. R., Reid, A.-J., Eng, J., McKeown, B. T., St-Onge, M., & Goralski, K. B. (2020). A lipid-based oral supplement protects skin cells in culture from ultraviolet light and activates antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Journal of Natural Health Product Research, 2(1), 1–14.
2. Morse, N. L., Reid, A.-J., & St-Onge, M. (2018). An open-label clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of Bend Skincare Anti-Aging Formula on minimal erythema dose in skin. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 34(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpp.12350
