Gluten and acne: does going gluten-free help?

Going gluten-free is one of the most popular diet changes people try for their skin. The research gives no support for it as an acne treatment. No trial has tested a gluten-free diet on acne, and the studies that looked for a link found none. This guide explains what gluten is, what the studies show, why bread and pasta may still matter for a different reason, and when a gluten test makes sense. It is part of Skinli's acne diet guide.

What gluten is and where it is found

Gluten is a protein found in certain grains. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), lists:

• Wheat and its types, such as durum, emmer, semolina and spelt
• Barley, including malt, malt extract, malt vinegar and brewer's yeast
• Rye, and triticale, a cross between wheat and rye

It adds that gluten is in baked goods, breads, cereals and pastas, and in drinks such as beer, lager, ale and malt drinks. Ingredients made from these grains, such as some starches and thickeners, carry gluten into many processed foods.

What the research shows

Four studies speak to gluten and acne. None of them is a trial that removed gluten and counted spots.

Study	Who	Finding
Indian Journal of Dermatology, 2024	Review of 114 articles on gluten and skin disorders	Evidence for gluten in acne rated grade IV, the lowest; cutting gluten not warranted in most skin disorders
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2025	Genetic data: 64,949 people for gluten-free diet, 399,413 for acne	No link between a gluten-free diet and acne
Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2023	327 adults with celiac disease and 382 without, in Finland	No higher risk of acne in celiac disease, and no difference in severity
Indian Journal of Dermatology, 2022	1,571 people with acne	Half said a gluten-free diet gave no benefit for their acne

The 2024 review

The 2024 review searched the medical literature for gluten and several skin diseases, including acne, and read 114 articles. It rated the evidence for each disease. Psoriatic arthritis had the strongest evidence, grade I. Acne had grade IV, the weakest grade. The author concluded that in the large majority of skin disorders, cutting out gluten is not warranted and can lead to shortages of nutrients.

The genetic study

The 2025 study used a method called Mendelian randomization. Some genes make a person more likely to follow a gluten-free diet. By checking the acne rates of people with those genes, researchers can look for a link without asking anyone to change their diet. They used genetic data from the UK Biobank and from a large acne study of 399,413 people. They found no link between a gluten-free diet and acne. The same analysis did find one link, between low-calorie diets and psoriatic arthritis, a disease of the joints and skin. The authors list limits: most people in the data had European ancestry, and the genetic signals for diet were weak. They say their results cannot yet guide treatment.

Celiac disease and acne

Celiac disease is a condition in which gluten harms the small intestine, and people with it need a gluten-free diet for life, according to the NIDDK. The 2023 Finnish study asked 327 adults with celiac disease and 382 people without it about skin conditions. People with celiac disease had no higher risk of acne, and their acne was no more severe. The study relied on what people reported. The people with celiac disease who said a gluten-free diet helped their skin most often had eczema, a different condition.

Why gluten gets blamed

Many people with acne believe food affects their skin. In the 2022 survey of 1,571 people with acne, 78.55 percent said food made their acne worse, and junk food was the food they named most often. Three in four had tried some form of complementary or alternative treatment, most often lemon juice. More than half had learned about these methods on the internet, and 43.94 percent tried them before seeing a doctor. The 2025 genetic study adds that Google search data from 2004 to 2019 ranked gluten-free and vegetarian diets among the most popular diets.

A 2024 review of popular diets in the Spanish dermatology journal Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas looked at how diets affect skin. Its summary reports positive effects on acne with intermittent fasting and with ketogenic or Mediterranean diets. It names no such effect for a gluten-free diet.

Why bread and pasta may still matter

Some people feel their skin improves when they cut out bread and pasta. One reason could be that many of these foods raise blood sugar fast. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) lists white bread among high glycemic foods that may worsen acne, and small trials found fewer spots on a diet low in these foods. A 2024 survey in Poland linked white flour pasta and white rice to worse acne, as people rated it. See high glycemic foods and acne.

This matters for what you buy instead. The NIDDK says some packaged gluten-free foods are higher in fat and sugar than the foods they replace. A 2020 French study of 24,452 adults linked current acne to fatty and sugary products, whether or not they contain gluten.

Celiac disease and its skin rash

Celiac disease does affect the skin, through a rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. The NIH describes it as itchy and blistering, and says it usually appears on the elbows, knees, buttocks, back or scalp. It affects 10 to 20 percent of adults and 2 to 3 percent of children with untreated celiac disease. Some people have the rash and no other symptoms. On a gluten-free diet, the rash may take time to heal, and it may come back if the person eats small amounts of gluten.

A blistering, itchy rash in those places needs a doctor. Celiac disease is diagnosed with tests, and the NIDDK says a doctor or registered dietitian can then help plan a balanced gluten-free diet.

Get tested before you cut gluten

If you think gluten makes you unwell, the NIDDK's advice is clear: talk with your doctor about testing for celiac disease before you start a gluten-free diet. If you avoid gluten before the test, the results may not be accurate. It also warns that cutting gluten without advice from a doctor or registered dietitian can leave your diet short of fiber, iron and calcium. The authors of the 2025 genetic study add B vitamins and magnesium to that list.

For people without celiac disease or another gluten problem, the NIDDK says researchers have found no evidence that a gluten-free diet promotes better health.

Oats need a word of their own, because the AAD lists steel-cut oats as a low glycemic food. The NIDDK says research suggests most people with celiac disease can safely eat moderate amounts of oats, and it advises choosing oats labeled gluten-free, because cross-contact between oats and grains that contain gluten is common.

If you still want to test gluten

If you have no symptoms of celiac disease and still want to see whether gluten affects your skin, follow the AAD's general advice for testing a food. Watch whether it seems to trigger breakouts, and see what happens without it for up to a month. Keep your skincare the same, take photos in the same light, and change nothing else. The progress tracker keeps your photos in order. Replace bread and pasta with beans, vegetables and other whole foods. The NIDDK says packaged gluten-free foods can be higher in fat and sugar. If you feel unwell when you eat gluten, see a doctor for testing first.

What to do for acne

• Skip the gluten-free diet for acne alone. The evidence gives no reason to expect it to help, and it carries nutrient risks.
• Look at fast-rising carbohydrates instead. Swapping some white bread and sugary foods for beans, vegetables and steel-cut oats has small trials behind it.
• Consider milk. If you want to test a single food, cow's milk has more research behind a link to acne. See milk and acne.
• Keep treating the acne. NICE, which writes health guidance for England, says there is not enough evidence to support specific diets for treating acne. The AAD says clear skin needs acne-friendly skincare and acne medicine. The acne skincare routine covers the steps, and analyze your skin builds a free plan from a photo.