PABA – otherwise known as Vitamin B10 – although technically it’s not a vitamin nor an essential nutrient – is an organic white-crystalline compound that’s manufactured for both skincare and supplement products.
It’s also found naturally in brewer’s yeast, organ meat, mushrooms, whole grains, and spinach.
PABA can absorb ultraviolet (UV) rays — especially UVB rays, which are associated with sunburns and DNA damage. It was thus a key ingredient in sunscreen starting in the 1940s but later linked to allergic skin reactions in some people – which led to it losing its status with the FDA as a recognised safe and effective ingredient for this purpose.
Even after losing this recognition, there has never been an official ‘ban’ on PABA for use in either food supplements or beauty products, neither in the USA or the UK – and PABA, though now rarely found in cosmetics, can still be readily found in food supplement form by reputable brands.
So, if it’s not banned, and the only observed negative effects were skin rashes in certain individuals – what is PABA actually good for when it’s consumed as a food supplement?
Well, interestingly, PABA in supplement form is said to actually help with skin related issues related to skin hardening, tissue build-up, and discoloration. The clinical evidence for this benefit remains very thin on the ground however, and I could only find a couple of very loosely-connected clinical studies that inferred or concluded any benefit in this regard.
One of these studies took 467 people with scleroderma and found that 90% of those who received potassium PABA supplements experienced mild, moderate, or marked skin-softening, compared with 20% of a control group.
However, this study was performed over 30 years ago! And other studies show little to no effect of PABA on skin softening – so as I said, very thin on the ground.
Another interesting supposed benefit of PABA is that of darkening grey hairs.
Studies in the 1940s and ’50s found that taking PABA at daily doses ranging from 200 mg to 24 grams led to hair darkening and helped gray hair return to its original color.
It’s important to note, though, that some research found that hair became gray again after participants discontinued the supplement
What’s more, even though PABA was shown to darken gray hair in early studies, this effect has not been studied recently. Some researchers concluded that PABA should not be taken for the sole purpose of darkening hair, due to its unknown side effects.
I did some more scouring across clinical research papers and publishing platforms, and found very few other studies involving PABA in clinical studies – so ultimately, the few benefits it is known for are very thinly researched, and PABA’s downsides are equal in their level of study and investigation.
So, in summary, still very little is known about PABA in general. We know it has downsides and potential side-effects, but we also have some weak signals that it can help with specific conditions.
Unless you’re considering taking PABA for one of these specific reasons, and have exhausted more heavily-researched or credible alternatives to solving a health-related issue – then taking PABA may actually be more harmful than it is beneficial.
However, every individual is different and the effects of supplements – even those that are heavily studied and understood – vary from person to person, so whether you take PABA or not, is really a personal decision and is very much a trial and error process, considering the lack of clinical data.
The very least you can do, if you’re looking to trial a PABA supplement, is use a reputable brand – so at least you’ll be taking what it actually states on the packaging, and not inadvertently damaging your health with unknown contaminants or rogue ingredients.
Look out for supplements with our Verifier Lab accreditation mark on the packaging – which confirms the product has been tested for quality/integrity and contains what it says it contains. Or, if you can’t find a PABA supplement with our accreditation mark, simply send yours in for individual verification/testing for your own peace-of-mind. Take a look at our testing packages here.
So there you go – I hope this post gave you a little more insight into PABA and its potential benefits and downsides.