Other · Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin: this page records a badge we lowered by hand

There are two placebo-controlled randomised trials, and the endpoint is a lesion count. Mechanically, that passes this site's conditions for 'strong evidence'. But the large trial (168 people) put three things in one capsule — lactoferrin, vitamin E and zinc — and the trial that isolated lactoferrin (36 people) is the smallest. In that 36-person trial, inflammatory lesions fell 38.6% against placebo, total lesions 23.1%, and sebum 31.1%. The conditions count designs; they cannot count what was inside the capsule. So we lowered the badge by hand.

Last checked Oct 2, 2026

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What it is: An iron-binding protein found in milk. The oral supplement form has been studied for acne.
What it is used for: Taken as an oral supplement for acne and sebum.
How it is said to work: Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects have been reported in vitro and in animals. What moved in people is in the entries below.

There are no numbers and no citations in this box. What has been established, and how far, is below.

At a glance

In pregnancy: Not established
Irritation: Minimal
Daytime use: ✓ Fine
How well established: Moderate evidence
Concentration studied: Not disclosed
Length of the studies: 8–12 weeks

Not a measurement — reported irritation grouped into five steps. It varies between people.

“Concentration studied” and “Length of the studies” are taken straight from the research on this page. They are not a recommended dose, and the figure for each finding is written out in the text.

This is not how large the effect is but how well confirmed it is. It shows the highest grade among the findings on this page.

Korean classification Being checkedThe regulatory class has not yet been confirmed against a primary document. It will be filled in once it is.

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein found in milk. It is in the whey left after casein is removed, and the oral supplement form has been studied for acne.

This page records something rare for this site: we lowered a badge by hand.

'Strong evidence' here has conditions. Two or more separate randomised controlled trials, not on self-report alone, not all industry-funded.

Lactoferrin passes them.

there are two placebo-controlled randomised trials (2017, 168 people; 2010, 36 people)
the endpoint is a lesion count — a number someone counts, not a self-rating
the 2017 trial is from the manufacturer's side, but the 2010 trial is from a university, so it is not 'all'

And yet we did not award the badge. Why is the content of this page.

The larger trial put three things in one capsule — lactoferrin, vitamin E and zinc. Which means the 28.5% reduction cannot be divided up.

And this site has a separate oral zinc page. The placebo-controlled trial on zinc for acne is from 1977, and it found no difference. So 'it was the zinc' cannot be said either. Being unable to say either is what this capsule leaves us with.

The trial that isolated lactoferrin has 36 people. And its design is what this site keeps wishing for — the control arm was fermented milk, and the treatment arm was the same fermented milk with lactoferrin in it. The carrier was the same. It is the same good design as the control being niacinamide alone on the hexylresorcinol page.

So the shape of this page is: the good design is small, and the large trial is mixed. A mechanical condition cannot tell those apart. This site does not raise a badge just because the condition passed.

Finally, there is a third trial. An uncontrolled, open-label study in 43 people from 2011, whose authors wrote in their conclusion that further randomised, placebo-controlled trials of longer duration appear warranted. We do not delete that sentence.

On acne, the places with thick evidence here are azelaic acid, adapalene, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; on the oral side, spironolactone and isotretinoin.

Contents

It beat placebo in 168 people — but there were three things in the capsule
This trial isolated lactoferrin — the control was fermented milk. But it is 36 people
The third trial had no control group, and p for inflammatory lesions was 0.054

What is established

The same ingredient at a different strength, in a different formula, is a different product. These are the conditions the studies used.

Moderate evidenceConcentration studied — Not established

It beat placebo in 168 people — but there were three things in the capsule

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Int J Dermatol (2017).

168 subjects aged 13 to 40 with mild to moderate acne took either a capsule containing lactoferrin with vitamin E and zinc or placebo, twice a day for 3 months. 164 completed per protocol (82 in each group).

The results.

the median percent reduction in total lesions was significant against placebo as early as 2 weeks — 14.5% (P = 0.0120)
the maximum reduction came at week 10 — 28.5% (P < 0.0001)
at that same week 10, comedones 32.5% and inflammatory lesions 44% (both P < 0.0001)
sebum scores improved by week 12
no adverse events were observed during the trial

How to read it.

First, there were three things in one capsule — lactoferrin, vitamin E and zinc. Which means the lactoferrin's share of that 28.5% cannot be separated out. The question this site keeps asking — what was it mixed with — is here. It is the same problem as the hair trial on caffeine and the second trial on hexylresorcinol.

Second, that does not make it 'the zinc' either. See this site's oral zinc page. The placebo-controlled trial of zinc for acne is from 1977, and it found no difference. So explaining this capsule by its zinc has no basis either. Which of the three it was is simply not known.

Third, the amounts are not in the abstract. How many milligrams of lactoferrin, how much zinc, how much vitamin E — the abstract does not say. This site does not estimate amounts. It leaves them unreported.

Fourth, the funding. One author affiliation is the research and development division of United Laboratories. This site marks that as industry funding.

Fifth, the good points, too. 168 is large for this layer. It was placebo-controlled and double-blind, and the endpoint was a lesion count. It is not a trial where people answered that they felt better. And a difference showed from week 2.

Sixth, we do not turn 'no adverse events were observed' into 'it is safe'. That is 168 people over 3 months. Things do not show at that size.

So it sits at 'moderate'. This badge is about the capsule, not about lactoferrin alone. That distinction is the most important thing in this entry.

Randomised controlled trial in people · 168 participants · 12 weeks · Compared with vehicle (same formula minus the active) · Funding manufacturer-funded · Endpoint clinical events (cancers, lesion counts) PMID 28369875

Early researchConcentration studied — Not established

This trial isolated lactoferrin — the control was fermented milk. But it is 36 people

A 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Nutrition (2010), carried out from Kyung Hee University in Korea.

The design first. It is the point of this entry.

Patients aged 18 to 30 with acne were randomised into two groups.

treatment (18 people) — fermented milk with 200 mg of lactoferrin, daily
control (18 people) — fermented milk only

The control is the fermented milk itself. That is, the carrier was the same and the only difference was the lactoferrin. This is the design this site wishes for on every ingredient page — comparison against the same thing minus the ingredient.

The results, all at 12 weeks and against the placebo group.

inflammatory lesion count down 38.6%
total lesion count down 23.1%
acne grade down 20.3%
sebum content down 31.1%
the total amount of skin surface lipids decreased in both groups
among the major lipids, triacylglycerols and free fatty acids decreased in the lactoferrin group, while in the placebo group only free fatty acids did
the decrease in triacylglycerols in the lactoferrin group correlated significantly with the decreases in sebum content, lesion counts and acne grade
skin hydration and pH did not change in either group

How to read it.

First, the design is good. The carrier matched, it was double-blind, it was placebo-controlled. And the endpoints were lesion counts and grade plus an instrument-measured sebum content.

Second, it is 36 people — 18 per group. That is small for this site. Which is why this entry stops at 'early'. A good design does not make up for a small number.

Third, something moved in the placebo group too. The total amount of skin surface lipids fell on both sides. This site does not delete such lines. What separated them was which lipids fell — triacylglycerols came down in the treatment group, and that decrease correlated with the lesions.

Fourth, note that the carrier was fermented milk. Both groups drank fermented milk, so what this trial answered is 'when lactoferrin is added to fermented milk'. The fermented milk's own share cannot be known from this design. And the literature on dairy and acne is something we have not read in the original for this page.

Fifth, correlation is not cause. That the fall in triacylglycerols correlated with the fall in lesions does not mean the triacylglycerols reduced the lesions. What the abstract reports is a correlation.

Sixth, we record the funding as 'unclear'. The affiliations are university ones, and the abstract does not state a funder. We do not invent one.

So it sits at 'early evidence'. One of the cleanest designs on this site, and one of the smallest numbers.

Randomised controlled trial in people · 36 participants · 12 weeks · Compared with vehicle (same formula minus the active) · Funding not declared · Endpoint clinical events (cancers, lesion counts) PMID 20692602

Not establishedConcentration studied — Not established

The third trial had no control group, and p for inflammatory lesions was 0.054

An open-label, single-arm study in Curr Med Res Opin (2011), carried out from the Technical University of Dresden.

43 adolescents and young adults with mild to moderate facial acne took a chewable tablet of bovine lactoferrin twice daily for 8 weeks. 39 completed per protocol (mean age 17.5 ± 3.8).

The results, all against baseline — there is no control group.

inflammatory lesion count down 20.2% (−2.2 ± 7.0, p = 0.054)
non-inflammatory lesion count down 23.5% (−6.2 ± 9.8, p < 0.001)
total lesion count down 22.5% (−8.4 ± 13.1, p < 0.001)
at week 8, 30 of 39 (76.9%) showed a reduction in total lesion count
the results for inflammatory lesions were variable over the course of the study
nobody experienced a lactoferrin-related adverse event

And the authors wrote this in their conclusion: despite the limitations of an uncontrolled, open-label study, the results indicate it may lead to an overall improvement in lesion counts in the majority, and further randomised, placebo-controlled trials of longer duration appear warranted.

How to read it.

First, there is no control group. It is a before-and-after. Over 8 weeks much happens besides a supplement — the season, daily life, and the fact that someone enrolled in a trial attends to their skin more. It is the problem this site wrote out at length on the hydradermabrasion page.

Second, p for inflammatory lesions is 0.054. It did not cross 0.05. And the abstract itself says the results for inflammatory lesions were variable. This site does not turn 0.054 into 'almost significant'. It was not significant.

Third, the authors wrote their own limitation first. They called it an uncontrolled, open-label study and asked for better trials. That is the attitude this site wants to learn. And what came after that request was the 2017 trial above — which put three things in the capsule.

Fourth, we carried this trial anyway. Hiding one of three would make the material on this ingredient look tidier than it is.

So it sits at 'not established'. This badge is about this one trial, and it does not delete the two entries above.

Open-label trial in people · 43 participants · 8 weeks · Compared with no control group (before-and-after only) · Funding not declared · Endpoint clinical events (cancers, lesion counts) PMID 21303195

How to use it

It is taken by mouth. We found no material on applying it to the skin for this page.
The concentration field does not apply. This site does not record concentrations for things taken by mouth.
What the trials used. The 2010 trial used 200 mg of lactoferrin in fermented milk, daily for 12 weeks. The 2011 trial used a chewable tablet twice daily for 8 weeks. The content of the 2017 capsule is not in the abstract — we leave it unreported.
This site does not recommend a dose. The figures above are trial designs, not recommendations.
When the effect showed. In the 2017 trial a difference appeared from week 2 and was largest at week 10. The 2010 and 2011 trials ran 8 to 12 weeks. Some weeks of watching are what it takes.
Copying the 2017 capsule means taking zinc and vitamin E as well. See the oral zinc page alongside.
It does not compete with what you apply. If you use something like adapalene or benzoyl peroxide, that stays as it is. How the 2017 trial handled topical treatment is not in the abstract.

Cautions

It is a protein from milk. If you are allergic to milk protein, this is to be avoided. The trials above used bovine lactoferrin.
It is an iron-binding protein. On what happens with iron supplements or in iron deficiency, we found no material. Say what you take at a consultation.
The 2017 capsule contained zinc. What there is on taking zinc long-term is on the oral zinc page. Choosing a three-in-one capsule means choosing zinc along with it.
All three trials report that no adverse events were observed. But that is 168 people over 3 months, 36 over 12 weeks, 43 over 8 weeks. Things do not show at those sizes.
We found no material on pregnancy and breastfeeding. It stays 'being verified'.
One trial included people from age 13. The 2017 trial ran 13 to 40. But it cannot be used as material for recommending this to children.
If acne is severe or scarring is forming, do not put a supplement first. Start from the thick-evidence places on the acne page, and if scars are forming, a clinic comes first.

With a new ingredient, apply a small amount somewhere inconspicuous, such as the inner arm, for two days first. Stop if it reddens or stings.

Related skin concerns

Acne Oiliness and sebum

What this article relies on

PubMed — 미국 국립의학도서관 문헌 데이터베이스National Library of Medicine · Checked on 2026-09-16