Why Is Grapefruit Good For Your Skin? Find Out Here!

As a food, grapefruit isn’t for everyone. Some find the citrus fruit’s sour notes too overpowering for snacking. Even if you don’t like eating it, you may want to incorporate grapefruit into your skin care routine. The health benefits are well-reported—grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, as well as vitamins A and E and minerals like calcium and iron. (Pink and red varieties contain lycopene, another important antioxidant.) Beauty-wise, this means that products containing the fruit itself, grapefruit peel oil, or grapefruit seed extract can help even out and brighten any complexion, and are especially beneficial for aging skin.

The power-punch of antioxidants promotes collagen production and helps protect free radicals and the sun from damaging skin. And that’s not to mention the refreshing, zingy scent that grapefruit brings to any skin cream or cleanser. Try one of these picks in the morning for an instant pick-me-up. You’ll feel energized, and over time, should notice an improvement in your skin tone and texture.

Yon-Ka Age Defense Pamplemousse Vitalizing Cream

This luxe cream is formulated to quench parched complexions, and does so while remaining impossibly light and fast-absorbing. Grapefruit peel oil paired with lemon, lime, and sweet orange help restore balance and vitality to aging skin. For extra hydration, it also contains olive and pumpkin seed oils.

Yes to Grapefruit Dark Circle Correcting Eye Cream

We all need eye creams to protect and soothe the sensitive skin around our eyes, so while we’re at it, why not work on combating dark circles, too? With regular use, this blend of licorice root and grapefruit extracts calms inflammation, reduces the appearance of darkened skin, puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles. Bonus: it’s free of petroleum, SLS, and parabens, and comes in a skinny tube that’s perfect for travel.

M-61 Fast Blast 2-Minute Vitamin C Facial Mask

I’m in favor of any mask that you don’t have to leave on forever, and this one works in just two minutes (try it while you brush your teeth!). But it’s so much fun to use that I’m always tempted to go longer. The product starts out creamy but foams up as you massage it in; the foam acts as the most gentle exfoliant, leaving behind a natural glow. It’s among the most hydrating masks I’ve tried—there's no scratchiness and no post-application "tight" feeling, just a satisfying fizziness and a light hint of grapefruit peel oil.

Bliss Grapefruit + Aloe Body Butter

Bliss released this scent of its well-loved body butter over the summer, but the rich, decadent cream is so perfect for winter-dry skin. It has aloe, coconut oil, and vitamin E, all among nature’s most effective moisturizers. Slather it all over right after a shower or bath—it melts right in, and gives skin an amazing (but not overpowering) scent that reminds us of sunnier, warmer days. (Shop it here.)

Güd from Burt’s Bees Red Ruby Groovy Natural Body Wash

We’re loving this new offshoot of Burt’s Bees, which offers slightly more affordable products that, while not quite 100% natural, are still pretty healthy. This gentle shower gel, for example, is free of parabens, phthalates, and petrochemicals, lathers beautifully, and contains wild thyme, which lends a kicky, herbal top note to the invigorating grapefruit.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub

A drugstore standby facial scrub that foams lightly and smoothes out rough spots and imperfections with microbeads and naturally derived grapefruit extract. The maximum strength salicylic acid means it’s powerful stuff. We recommend it for oily types only; even then, use it a few times a week max, and be sure to follow up with a moisturizer. It has great blemish-healing power many acne sufferers swear by, but can be drying if overused.