# Glutathione

Master antioxidant tripeptide; oral raises stores modestly, injections popular for skin glow.

- Page: https://peprank.xyz/peptides/glutathione
- Category: Mitochondria & longevity (Supplement)
- Also known as: GSH; reduced glutathione; liposomal glutathione
- Routes: Oral / Injection / IV
- Sequence: ECG (γ-glutamyl linkage (γ-Glu-Cys-Gly), not a standard α-peptide bond)
- Safety tier: Strict: Caution · Balanced: Caution · Evidence only: Caution
- Risk axes (0 none to 3 severe): Seen harm 1, Mechanism 0, Data gap 1, Silent harm 1, Product 1
- Positive: 53% of 48 graded reports glowing or positive, shrunk toward the 49% all-report average by 8 reports' weight
- Rank: #6 of 23 supplements
- Graded reports: 48 (Glowing 5, Positive 21, Mixed 3, Nothing 11, Negative 3, Bad reaction 5)
- Evidence: Human RCTs — E.g. 6-month oral RCT raised body glutathione stores; injectable cosmetic use has weak evidence
- Access: Supplement
- Onset: injections within days; oral and liposomal after 4-8 weeks, if at all
- Lasts: cumulative; the skin glow fades within weeks of stopping
- Cost per month: ≈ €6.7–27 (at 0.25–1 g/day, iHerb at €0.89/g)
- Updated: 2026-10-30

## What users report

Injectable users often rave about a skin 'glow', faded marks and energy, while plain oral capsules get many 'did absolutely nothing' reports; at least half of oral users feel nothing. Injections sting and IM sites stay sore for days. A minority feel 'hit by a bus' (headaches, nausea), which users label 'detox' with no evidence.

**Effects:** brighter skin / 'glow'; fading of marks and hyperpigmentation; energy (anecdotal); hangover / oxidative-stress support (anecdotal)

**Downsides:** painful, acidic injection; sore IM site 2-3 days; headache/nausea in some; sulphur smell; oral form often feels like nothing

**Risks:** Generic: non-sterile grey-market or clinic IV preparations (infection, endotoxin); High-dose IV skin-lightening use has drawn regulator warnings in several countries

**Typical use:** Oral 250-1000 mg/day (liposomal preferred); injectable 100-300 mg 2-3x/week, or 300-600 mg IM; NAC+glycine is the cheap precursor route.

**Getting it:** Oral and liposomal over the counter; injectable vials from telehealth, grey-market vendors or IV medspas.

**Stacked with:** vitamin C (taken by skin-lightening users and IV clinics on the idea that it recycles glutathione.); NAD+ (often injected alongside; both sting and gel the same way.); NAC + glycine (the cheap precursor route many switch to or add instead.)

## Risk profile

- **Seen harm 1/3:** Scored for oral use, the commonest: a 6-month RCT showed no safety signal and one confirmed case of toxic epidermal necrolysis followed oral whitening pills, an isolated report. Injected or IV glutathione would score 3: FDA counted at least 30 patients with shock or sepsis-like reactions from supplement-grade IV product in 2026, and regulators report SJS/TEN.
- **Mechanism 0/3:** An endogenous antioxidant tripeptide, largely broken down when swallowed; no pathway to serious harm is known orally. Inhaled glutathione can trigger bronchospasm in asthma.
- **Data gap 1/3:** Oral glutathione has small RCTs and EFSA judged S-acetyl glutathione safe at 300 mg/day; injected cosmetic use has almost no controlled safety data.
- **Silent harm 1/3:** Allergic and skin reactions, including the rare TEN case, appear within days of starting.
- **Product 1/3:** Oral and liposomal forms are OTC with variable formulation; the large injectable minority (telehealth, IV spas, grey-market vials) would score 3, given repeated endotoxin contamination of compounded IV product.
- **Never if:** IV or injected use outside a hospital; Asthma (inhaled or nebulised forms); Pregnancy or breastfeeding (no human reproductive data)

## Top reports

- Glowing, skin-hair: “Injectable glutathione is rapidly ascending my face, removing visual signs of oxidative stress I didn’t even know I had. ... This is what normies refer to as “glowing” skin it seems” — [@wanted4mogging on X](https://x.com/wanted4mogging/status/2114386589405127083)
- Glowing, skin-hair, 500 mg 3x/week in 10-week cycles: “Made me sexy af. Skin got a glow from the inside . Got rid of almost all my marks. Helped with energy levels too. 500mg x 3 weekly. 10 week cycles.” — [r/Biohackers](https://www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/comments/1r8desy/experience_with_glutathione_peptides/o64cnmt/)
- Glowing, immune, monthly IV drip, previously a shot every two weeks: “I do regular glutathione Iv drips each month for my autoimmune disease and I have been off my immune suppression medication since then.” — [r/Supplements](https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/comments/1dwe3ne/how_long_did_it_take_for_you_to_feel_the_benefits/msjrvqe/)
- Glowing, focus: “I've been taking it orally for the past 2 weeks and the brain fog that has been tormenting me for over 7 years has reduced to zero” — [r/Supplements](https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/comments/1t6ch2q/is_glutathione_actually_doing_anything_or_just/okig4i4/)
- Glowing, skin-hair, 750 mg/day: “I took gluthatione pills last year and they were the best thing ever, clean skin SHINY, got rid of all my marks and eyebags, i took 750mg a day” — [r/Supplements](https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/comments/1t6ch2q/is_glutathione_actually_doing_anything_or_just/omj1m1s/)

## Cheapest in Europe

- [Nutrimuscle](https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/glutathion-setria-r) (FR): Glutathion Setria 250 mg, 30 capsules, €15, €1.99/g
- [Supersmart](https://www.supersmart.com/fr/boutique/anti-age/reduced-glutathione-complement-0174) (LU): Reduced Glutathione 500 mg, 60 tablets, €67, €2.23/g
- [Supersmart](https://www.supersmart.com/fr/boutique/anti-age/liposomal-glutathione-complement-0833) (LU): Liposomal Glutathione 200 mL (900 mg per 10 mL dose, with vitamin C), €83, €4.61/g (also contains 14000 mg vitamin C (sodium ascorbate))
- [CertaPeptides](https://certapeptides.com/shop/glutathione-1500mg) (RO): Glutathione 1500mg, €43, €0.029/mg
- [Baltic Peptides](https://balticpeptides.com/product/glutathione/) (LT): Glutathione 1500mg, €60, €0.040/mg

## Studies

- [Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24791752/) (rct, n=54, 2015): 1,000 mg/day for 6 months raised glutathione 30-35% in blood cells and plasma versus placebo.
- [Oral supplementation with liposomal glutathione elevates body stores of glutathione and markers of immune function](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28853742/) (open-label, n=12, 2018): Liposomal glutathione raised whole-blood levels about 40% within 2 weeks.
- [Glutathione as an oral whitening agent: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20524875/) (rct, n=60, 2012): 500 mg/day for 4 weeks lowered melanin at all sites, beating placebo at two of six.
- [Glutathione and its antiaging and antimelanogenic effects](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28490897/) (rct, 2017): 250 mg/day for 12 weeks gave only trends toward less melanin and more elasticity, with fewer wrinkles at some sites, versus placebo.
- [Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19230029/) (rct, n=21, 2009): 1,400 mg IV three times a week was well tolerated but no better than placebo on symptoms.

## Sources

- [Richie et al., RCT of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores (Eur J Nutr 2015)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24791752/)
- [r/glutathione: oral vs intramuscular experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/glutathione/comments/1pul1hr/my_experience_with_glutathione_oral_and/)