Curcumin’s Dermatological Potential: From Multifaceted Mechanisms to Advanced Delivery Systems and Clinical Translation

Skin diseases pose a significant global health burden, yet conventional therapies face limitations like adverse effects and high costs. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol, is a promising alternative due to its broad anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties. Its primary clinical challenge is poor bioavailability, which necessitates advanced formulation strategies. This review critically evaluates the therapeutic potential of curcumin in dermatology by synthesizing evidence on its molecular mechanisms, clinical applications across various skin disorders, and innovations in drug delivery systems designed to enhance its efficacy and translational potential. This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted across major international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2005 and April 2025. This timeframe captures the recent surge in nanotechnology research while retaining key foundational studies. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, published in English, and provided clear experimental data on curcumin’s molecular mechanisms or clinical applications in dermatology. Conversely, duplicates, gray literature, clinical trial registries, and studies lacking direct relevance to skin pathology were excluded. Based on these criteria, 73 articles focusing on molecular targets and formulation strategies were analyzed. Preclinical studies confirm that curcumin modulates critical pathogenic pathways in psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, skin cancer, and infections. However, clinical outcomes remain heterogeneous, primarily due to inconsistent bioavailability and variability in formulations. Evidence indicates that advanced delivery systems, particularly nanoparticles, liposomes, and hydrogels, are essential to mitigate these limitations and enhance therapeutic stability compared to free curcumin. Curcumin shows remarkable versatility as a multi-target dermatological agent. However, its clinical translation is hindered by formulation variability and a lack of standardized clinical data. To bridge this gap, future research must prioritize: (a) large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials to validate clinical efficacy; (b) the standardization of novel delivery formulations; and (c) comprehensive assessments of long-term safety and interactions with the skin microbiome.