Guide
Vitamin D cream, spray and cod liver oil: other forms explained
Cod liver oil, topical creams and sprays, and the oils in a softgel: what we can and cannot say about each, from USDA data and the studies we cite.
Vitamin D also comes as cod liver oil, creams, patches, sprays and oils. We cite no completed trial showing skin forms raise blood vitamin D. Cod liver oil does contain vitamin D3, in amounts that vary by product, so read the label.
Cod liver oil and fish liver oil
USDA FoodData Central (entry 173577, "Fish oil, cod liver") lists 250 mcg (10,000 IU) of vitamin D per 100 g, with D2 and D3 reported together. That is about 12.5 mcg in 5 g, roughly a teaspoon, but real products differ, so the label is the number to use. Two cautions:
- Vitamin A. Cod liver oil also contains preformed vitamin A, which has its own upper limit. Check that line on the label as well as the vitamin D.
- The label can be wrong. In a case report from Italy, three vitamin D3 intoxications were traced to a cod-liver-oil-based capsule that held about a thousand times more vitamin D3 than its label declared; other batches of the same product matched. It is one product and an unusual failure, but it is the reason to count an oil-based product's vitamin D carefully and to stop and ask a clinician if you get symptoms.
Cod liver oil is also not "vitamin D3 from fish oil" in the sense people search for. Fish oil capsules are sold for their omega-3 content, and whether one contains vitamin D depends on the product and its label. The comparison is in fish oil vs vitamin D.
Vitamin D cream, patch and spray
A fat-soluble vitamin does not pass easily through skin. The background section of a 2025 clinical-trial protocol from King's College London says that vitamin D applied to the skin "gets stuck in the stratum corneum", the outer layer, which is why that team is testing a different, more water-soluble compound, vitamin D phosphate, in a patch. That document is a protocol, not a result: it reports no outcome, it concerns vitamin D phosphate rather than D3, and the authors disclose a patent and funding from a patch company. So for creams and sprays we have no completed trial to cite, and we will not tell you they work, or that they do not.
Prescription skin creams made from vitamin D-related compounds are medicines, prescribed by a clinician for a skin problem. They are not dietary supplements, and this page does not cover them.
The practical point for a supplement buyer: a cream or a spray usually has no daily serving that can be counted against the 100 mcg (4,000 IU) adult upper limit, and nothing here shows how much reaches the blood. If you use one and take a supplement too, tell your clinician.
Vitamin D3 with olive oil, coconut oil or no oil
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so oil in the product or in the meal helps. In a trial of 50 healthy older adults, a single 50,000 IU dose of vitamin D3 reached a peak blood level 32% higher (95% CI 11% to 52%) after a fat-containing breakfast than after a fat-free one, and the type of fat made no difference. We cite no trial comparing olive, coconut, soybean or any other oil as the carrier inside a product. Whichever oil is used, "without oil" is a different question from "with a meal": see when to take vitamin D.
Is soybean oil in vitamin D3 bad for you?
Our softgel's other ingredients are gelatin, glycerin, water, soybean oil and corn oil: the oils are the carrier that the vitamin D3 is dissolved in. The panel does not state the amount of oil. We cite no study showing that the soybean oil in a supplement softgel is harmful, or that it is beneficial, and we will not guess. What we can tell you is that it is there, so if you avoid soy or corn, for any reason, our softgel is not for you. For a full read of the other-ingredients line, see vitamin D without fillers.
Our product
Electric Tiger Vitamin D3 is an oral softgel with 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol, as low as $15.35 a bottle on subscription. We sell no cream, spray, drop or cod liver oil. If you use any of them as well, add up the vitamin D from every source against the 100 mcg limit.
Questions people ask
Does vitamin D3 cream, spray or a patch work?
We cite no completed trial that shows a topical vitamin D3 raises blood levels. The one trial in our file is a protocol for a different compound, in a patch, with no result reported.
Is vitamin D3 in cod liver oil the same as a supplement?
It is the same molecule, but the amount depends on the product, and cod liver oil also carries vitamin A. Use the label, and treat the label as something to check.
Is vitamin D3 from fish oil the same?
Fish oil is sold for omega-3, and whether it has vitamin D depends on the label. Cod liver oil is a liver oil and USDA lists it at 250 mcg per 100 g.
Can I take vitamin D3 without soybean oil?
Not in ours: soybean and corn oil are in the softgel. Check any product's other ingredients line.
Sources
- Vitamin D3 quantification in a cod liver oil-based supplement One batch of a cod-liver-oil supplement held far more vitamin D3 than its label said and poisoned three people; other batches were as labelled.
- A multistage double-blind placebo-controlled study to assess the safety and efficacy of transdermal vitamin D phosphate supplementation (TransVitD) A registered trial is testing a vitamin D phosphate patch because ordinary vitamin D does not pass through skin well; no results are reported.
- Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption In 50 healthy older adults, one 50,000 IU D3 dose absorbed about 32% better with a fat-containing breakfast than a fat-free one.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
