Topical CoQ10: creams and lotions versus a capsule

Topical CoQ10 is a cream or lotion you put on skin, and it is a different thing from a capsule you swallow. A 2024 review reports that applying CoQ10 raised its levels in the skin, but its authors include employees of a skincare company, and it tells you nothing about what a capsule does. Our CoQ10 is an oral capsule only.

What topical CoQ10 is, and what the research covers

CoQ10 occurs naturally in the body, and the same review describes it as a lipid-soluble molecule involved in cellular energy production and antioxidant activity. A 2024 narrative review of 36 publications on CoQ10 and skin reports that in laboratory and human studies of topical products, applying CoQ10 raised CoQ10 levels at the skin's surface and more deeply (Lain 2024). Three of its authors are employees of a skincare company and the other two report consulting and research ties to dermatology companies, so read it as a summary by interested parties. It also describes results on wrinkles from product studies. We did not read those studies and don't rely on them here.

Nothing in it speaks to taking CoQ10 by mouth, and the reverse is also true: the oral trials we cite tested capsules and liquids, not creams. Neither tells you about the other.

Topical and oral are not interchangeable

	Topical (cream, lotion, face cream)	Oral (capsule, softgel, liquid)
Where it goes	Onto the skin	Absorbed through the gut into blood
What we cite	One 2024 narrative review (Lain 2024)	Absorption trials at 60 to 300 mg a day; a 2006 safety review (60 to 1,200 mg a day)
What we can say	Skin levels rose in the studies it summarises	Blood levels rise with dose and formulation
What we sell	Nothing	Electric Tiger CoQ10 200 mg, as low as $16.31 a bottle on subscription

Our capsule holds 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 as ubiquinone, with rice flour in a hypromellose capsule. It is to be swallowed, once a day, and we make no benefit claim for it. We have no skin data of any kind, and a capsule is not a substitute for a skin product or the other way round.

Questions people ask

Does a CoQ10 cream, lotion or face cream work?

We can't tell you from the sources we read. The one review we cite reports raised skin levels of CoQ10 after topical use and was written by authors with company ties (Lain 2024). Whether a given product does what its label says depends on the product, which we have not tested.

Can you take CoQ10 and krill oil together?

We found no study of the two taken together. They are different substances, and our sources don't report a problem, but absence of data is not a safety finding. If you take medication, especially a blood thinner, ask a pharmacist. See CoQ10 and krill oil and CoQ10 and fish oil.

Is CoQ10 the same as fish oil, or is it in fish oil?

No. CoQ10 is a compound the body makes and that food supplies in small amounts; fish oil is oil from fish. The full answer is in CoQ10 and fish oil.

Can I get CoQ10 without seed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, palm oil or MCT oil?

For our capsule, yes: the label lists only coenzyme Q10, rice flour and hypromellose, with no oil of any kind. Oil-based softgels are common because CoQ10 is fat-soluble, and the one formulation trial we cite found a soybean-oil softgel absorbed best of four at 100 mg (Weis 1994). That is a trade-off: an oil-free capsule avoids the oil, and we have no absorption data on it. For other products, read Other Ingredients; see CoQ10 without fillers.

What about CoQ10 at 400 mg with MCT oil?

That is an amount and a carrier we have no trial for. Doses up to 1,200 mg a day were reviewed for safety, with no dose-related stomach complaints (Hathcock 2006), though that review was written by an industry trade body. Our label says not to exceed the recommended dose. See how much CoQ10 to take.