I used this product after picking it up at a local health food store. I originally bought it because I had heard all the benefits of using it for skin. I do notice it helps my skin appear healthier, I stopped breaking out as much and the fine line on my forehead is barely noticable anymore. When I ran out of this I bought the Vitamin Shoppe store brand alpha lipoic acid capsules a few weeks later because they were having a sale. I definitely noticed the effects were not nearly as good as this brand. I noticed improvements within days with this product and could not tell any significant difference with the Vitamin Shoppe brand. I also noticed my stretch marks started to fade to a white barely visible color (usually a light purple color) after only a few weeks of use! The only problem is that the results from this for the skin are not permanent. When you stop taking it you may start to notice your skin going back to it's old ways (acne, oily, less vibrant, etc) . I personally do not mind taking this for the rest of my life because it is cheap, healthy and best of all effective.