First and foremost: “There aren’t scientific studies examining the effects of using banana peels on the skin, so I can’t say there is any science-backed data to prove benefits,” says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D.
However, she notes that many scientific studies are often funded by skin care companies who may financially benefit from positive results, and banana peels aren’t a patentable ingredient or device that these companies could profit from, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the data isn’t there. (That’s also why you should take more than one study into account before weighing an ingredient’s benefits and risks.)
That being said, there may actually be some benefits to rubbing this natural peel on your skin, King says, including: