Is there any known efficacy for the use of B12 oils? (Transdermal delivery). I am new to all this and am very confused by the arguments for or against the different ways to supplement. While looking around at what was available, I came across these oils, available in all forms...hydroxy, adenosyl, methyl, and a combination.
Thank you.
Yes - they do not work.
The B12 molecule is too large to pass through the skin unaided. Some people are working on a B12 patch that does work. But it does so by using loads of really fine needles filled with B12.
I'm surprised they can get the B12 to dissolve in oils.
I use the oils and they do work based on my blood results going from 228 to 1691. I also have noticeable abatement of symptoms.
I don’t believe I have P.A. since I had noticeable results from oral supplements. I went to the oils because I seemed to need more throughout the day and the oils seem to give a steadier control of things like brain fog. I also had near constant ibs type symptoms so decided to bypass that route. I’ve spoken at length to the research biochemist that developed the oils so if you want any more info on them let me know and I’ll try and answer. I’m slow in responding though due to low cognitive stamina.
They have tested these on animals I believe and got an 80% absorption rate.
Hope that helps. I was equally skeptical as Fbirder for similar reasons, and am more than aware of bias etc, but you can’t argue with test results like that and I do feel better for using them.
Hi sorry to but in, but am interested in the B12 oil. Husband on B12 and has Parkinson's. So would like info on how to get the B12 oil if possible. Thanks Pam
If you google b12 transdermal oils you should be able to find it. It’s an Australian company. The website doesn’t tell you very much other than what you can buy. If you use the email contact us address there is a helpful chap who can talk the science bit.
I haven’t had injections to compare results I’ve only got personal experience of their comparison to oral/sublingual.
It comes in a small bottle that meters out a dose. You smear the oil on your skin. It does come off on clothes (pink) but washes off and doesn’t stain.
Oops. I hadn’t read this far. Yes, Australia is the only place I have found so far. With a metered dose, I will not have the option of starting lower as I seem to need to?
EiCa Last year the supplier started switching canisters for some of the B12 product line from a one squirt at a time canister to a canister which allows a drop at a time if you press very slowly.
One full squirt of either is 2,500 mcg and the claim is that most of it gets absorbed, which means quite a lot of B12. So you would be right to be cautious if you are sensitive.
Just post the link to the published work.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
That’s all I could find....as I say I’m as much of a skeptic as you but it seems to work based on my test results and symptoms. I should say I’m not affiliated with this company in any way or trying to sell it ...just passing on my n=1 experience.
Hi Slothlike,
Promising research. Do you know which, if any, of these carriers are used with the transdermal oil you are using?
Nope they only say it’s a blend of light Oils which is all a bit vague for my liking.
I was quite skeptical about how it was absorbed since many large molecules need to be transformed or transported To get into the bloodstream. I pretty much knew that the symptoms were improving and I had quite a dramatic change from the sublinguals. but that could have been just chance or confirmation bias so getting the blood test results did at least show that something radical had changed
I have used these transdermal B12 oils and they are effective but in the end I tend to prefer injections. The oils I used were supplied by a former biochemist researcher into transdermal delivery of medications based in Australia.
There are several published articles supporting the use of microemulsions to deliver medication through the skin. Here are a couple of articles which might allay any scepticism.
mdpi.com/1999-4923/3/3/474/htm
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/239...
I believe (???) some of the interest in researching transdermal B12 was as a carrier to deliver anti-cancer medication although I don't think it came to anything.
The first reference is the same as the one above (only the use of electric currents or needles works)
And the second reference is just theory.
better drug partitioning into the skin may be obtained
50 mcg/cm2 after 24 h according to figure 1 sounds like a substantial amount to me given that you only absorb around 10 mcg from a 1000 mcg tablet. Caption to the figure:
"Effect of donor concentration on cyanocobalamin delivery. Passive permeation of cyanocobalamin indicated a concentration dependent delivery with maximum delivery at 10 mg/mL."
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Are we reading the same article???
fbirder I don't think anyone is suggesting transdermal B12 is superior to other methods of delivery. I was only addressing the point that "I'm surprised they can get the B12 to dissolve in oils". The chemists use a microemulsion which is a well understood technique for drug delivery. Animal studies on the effectiveness of B12 absorption via the skin go back to at least 1967 (Howe, Dooley, et al).
Some companies such as Vitabay in Germany supply a transdermal methylcobalamin skin care cream which, my own experience shows, packs a punch. Not that I am recommending it over injections. See amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01...
You could even make your own topical B12 (and I used to do this with adenosylcobalamin before I used B12 oil). Home made topical B12 is clearly effective but the absorbed dose is very uncertain.
Look at the Amazon reviews for skin patches. However, they do not work.
Home made topical B12 probably has a pretty good placebo effect.
fbirder You seem to be claiming that transdermal B12 doesn't work well, whereas it is well known that it does work very well (both in the literature and from patient experience) but perhaps this lies outside your experience.
I personally don't use B12 oil because it is hard to control the dose and am currently trying to establish the correct dose of B12 for me.
No it is not well known.
Give me the citation for the scientific paper that shows that it does work well. Amazon reviews count for nothing at all. Zero. You can find Amazon reviews that say waving a bit of coloured quartz over your head can cure every ailment known to man.
Show me a scientific paper, done on real, intact, humans, that shows they can absorb B12 transdermally without the use of electric fields or needles.
Not on animals, but on tissue samples.
Their conclusions were that oils didn’t do much good. The only things that worked were using an electric current across the skin, or to use needles,
Therapeutically relevant doses could be delivered through skin with the use of iontophoresis and microneedles.
Thanks so much. I have terrible digestive problems so I need to go another route. When you are able, can you tell me where you get your oil and what form you take?
Thanks.
EiCa I bought B12 oil from b12oils.com who are based in Australia but are familiar with shipping to Europe. Delivery takes about 10 days. It is not cheap and works out to be about the same price per dose as injections. I am not aware of another supplier of B12 oil anywhere.
Me too I buy a batch to save on the carriage. The one I use is hydroxyl methyl blend although other blends are available as they say.
Slothlike Hydroxo + methyl B12 is an unusual combination. Is there any reason you didn't opt for the adenosyl + methyl blend?
This was the one Greg recommended after I explained my onset/symptoms test results etc. He said I could have the straight hydroxyl since the body converts what it needs to the different forms anyway. The methyl was because I had been taking methyl sublinguals before hand.
I have tried the methyl/Adenosyl blend which didn’t seem to be any different for me ..maybe a bit better if I’m going to be quite physical (light pottering in the garden) but very slight difference ...mostly the methyl hydroxyl seems to suit. I may move to straight hydroxyl and see if this is any different. I’ve been using the oil for over 2 years now (or is it 3, I forget).
I dose twice a day but worked my way up to this over 6-12 months. My numb fingers and toes seem to be less numb ...but I would need to get the neurologist to retest me to be sure. I suspect that the paresthesia is so far gone it won’t go away completely I’ve had this eating worse for over 15 years before I went to the doctor.
My main symptoms that are now much more manageable after taking the oil (and folate) is the brain fog which still rears its head throughout the day ..but so far the periods of fogginess are much less frequent.
Are you still using the oils?
I have just bought 2 of the b12 oils.
I was expecting something amazing based on the positive reviews. It works but I'm having to use 5 or 6 squirts.
I think it is the same as injections - maybe not as powerful.
Does anyone else notice greater absorption with using a oil or cream moisturiser before?
The first time I used it this morning, I had no response.
So I did another spray but this time using an oil based moisturiser, and I felt relief in my symptoms this time.
I don't see anyone recommending this method or understand why I need to do this for absorption
Purchasing self injecting b12 in USA
Rejected B12 injections at home
B12
b12 and b6 combined injections 
