# Das 2019: shilajit, skin and blood flow study

Source: https://shilajit.uk/research/das-2019-skin/
Author: Sam Rowan · Updated 2026-10-16

**Short answer:** In a randomised, placebo-controlled study, 45 healthy women aged 30 to 65 took 125 mg or 250 mg of PrimaVie shilajit twice a day, or placebo, for 14 weeks. The higher dose improved blood flow in the skin and switched on genes for blood vessel growth and collagen. Hydration and elasticity did not change.

After finding that shilajit switched on collagen and other structural genes in muscle, the same Ohio State research group turned to skin. They gave healthy women a purified shilajit extract or a placebo for 14 weeks, took small skin samples, and measured blood flow in the skin of the face.

The higher dose improved skin blood flow and activated genes involved in growing small blood vessels and building collagen. But the measures closest to what people care about, such as hydration and elasticity, did not change. This is a study of skin biology, not of how skin looks.

## What did the Das 2019 study do?

Forty-five healthy women aged 30 to 65 were randomised into three groups of 15: placebo, 125 mg of PrimaVie shilajit twice a day, or 250 mg twice a day. They took the capsules for 14 weeks and attended six visits. Skin biopsies were taken from the inner upper arm at week 2 and week 14, and blood flow in the facial skin was measured from dermatoscope images (Das et al., 2019).

| Detail | What the study reports |
| --- | --- |
| Design | Randomised, placebo-controlled, three groups; the registry lists masking of the outcomes assessor only |
| Participants | 45 healthy women aged 30 to 65 (average 42), 15 per group; perfusion results shown for 13 per group |
| Dose | 125 mg or 250 mg twice a day (250 mg or 500 mg a day) |
| Product | PrimaVie (Natreon) capsules; placebo also supplied by Natreon |
| Length | 14 weeks |
| Outcomes | Gene activity in skin; skin blood flow (perfusion); hydration, elasticity, water loss and other skin properties |
| Results | 250 mg twice a day improved skin perfusion vs baseline and placebo; genes for blood vessel growth and collagen (including COL1A1) more active than on placebo; no change in hydration, elasticity or barrier function |
| Side effects | None reported as related to the supplement |
| Funding and conflicts | Part-funded by a US National Institutes of Health grant and a research grant from Natreon |
| Main limitations | Small groups, biopsies not taken at baseline, lab measures only, funded partly by the maker |

## What did it find?

At the higher dose, skin perfusion (blood flow through the tiny vessels in the skin) improved compared with both the women's own starting values and the placebo group. The lower dose did not show the same improvement.

Gene analysis found shilajit-responsive genes linked to endothelial cell migration and the growth of blood vessels, along with a cluster of extracellular matrix genes. Three collagen genes, COL1A1, COL5A2 and COL14A1, were confirmed as more active after shilajit by a second lab method.

Trans-epidermal water loss (a measure of the skin's barrier), hydration, elasticity, viscoelasticity and retraction time did not differ between the shilajit and placebo groups. No adverse effects linked to the supplement were reported.

## What does this mean?

It suggests shilajit at 500 mg a day may affect small blood vessels and collagen activity in the skin. It fits with the earlier muscle study from the same group (see [Das 2016](/research/das-2016-muscle/)) and with a later trial finding higher levels of a blood marker of collagen production in young men (see [Neltner 2024](/research/neltner-2024-collagen/)).

## What doesn't it show?

- **Younger-looking skin.** No effect on wrinkles was reported, and hydration and elasticity did not change.
- **A clean before-and-after picture of gene activity.** For practical reasons, biopsies were taken at week 2, not at the start, so the "before" sample was already after two weeks of supplementation.
- **Fully blinded results.** The paper says data analysis was done blind, and the registry lists masking of the outcomes assessor, but not of the participants.
- **Effects in men.** Only women took part.

## How much should we trust it?

It is a reasonable small study with a placebo group, but it measured biology rather than outcomes people notice. With 15 women per group, and results shown for 13 per group on perfusion, it is easy to find chance differences. The product and placebo came from Natreon, which also part-funded the work. No independent team has repeated it.

That is why we grade shilajit for [skin and collagen](/benefits/skin-and-collagen/) as weak.

## Where does this study fit?

This study is one of two trials on our [shilajit for skin and collagen](/benefits/skin-and-collagen/) page, and one of only two shilajit trials to focus on women. For dosing, see [dosage](/how-to-take-shilajit/dosage/); for the full list of trials, see the [research library](/research/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Did shilajit reduce wrinkles in the Das 2019 study?

The study did not report any effect on wrinkles. Skin hydration, elasticity and barrier function were measured and did not differ from placebo.

### What dose improved skin blood flow?

250 mg twice a day (500 mg a day) improved skin perfusion compared with both baseline and placebo. The lower dose of 125 mg twice a day did not show the same benefit.

### Who funded the skin study?

It was supported partly by a US National Institutes of Health grant and partly by a research grant from Natreon, which also supplied the shilajit and placebo capsules.

## References

1. [Das A et al. Skin Transcriptome of Middle-Aged Women Supplemented With Natural Herbo-mineral Shilajit. J Am Coll Nutr. 2019;38(6):526-536.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31161927/) Full text read on PubMed Central (PMC7027386).
2. [ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02762032: PrimaVie skin study record.](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02762032) Lists 45 enrolled, randomised, with masking of the outcomes assessor only.
3. [Das A et al. The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation. J Med Food. 2016;19(7):701-9.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27414521/)
4. [Neltner TJ et al. Effects of 8 Weeks of Shilajit Supplementation on Serum Pro-c1α1, a Biomarker of Type 1 Collagen Synthesis. J Diet Suppl. 2024;21(1):1-12.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36546868/)