Glutathione (Liposomal)

Liposomal glutathione · Glutathione supplementation · Glutathione · GSH

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Skin lightening¹ Melasma¹ Oxidative stress in diabetes² Parkinson's disease³	Intravenous use for pigmentation⁴ Hypersensitivity to glutathione⁵ Soy allergy⁶

Glutathione is a tripeptide that serves as the cell's main redox buffer, supporting antioxidant defense and detoxification⁷. Liposomal and other oral forms are taken to raise glutathione status, mainly for skin lightening, oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson's disease, where trials are few.

Randomized trials found oral glutathione lowered melanin index versus placebo, though one multicenter trial of a combination supplement did not reach significance¹. Reviews in type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease call the evidence preliminary^{2, 3}. Liposomal and other delivery forms may improve availability, but clinical benefit is unproven⁷. A 2025 case report described systemic inflammatory response syndrome after a high-dose intravenous glutathione infusion given for skin lightening; no trial has tested that risk. Products listing glutathione are mostly liquids and capsules; see Form comparison.

Intravenous use is where caution concentrates: a 2025 systematic review judged it contraindicated for skin lightening, citing lack of efficacy and side effects¹. Product choice matters too: the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) import alerts record a product manifested as glutathione that held undeclared human growth hormone⁸. Health Canada lists a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding on licensed oral products⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

62 sources, 53 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources