There’s little I don’t envy about Italians. The way their language sounds, lilting and musical, and their rolling rural hills, for example. The bounty of good food, good cooking and good wine that seems to spout from the smallest spot to the most well-known. In a shameless attempt to imbibe some of their casual, enviable zest for being well (markedly different from the tech-adjacent “wellness” we’re berated with online), I booked a holiday to Tuscany, specifically Borgo Pignano, a farm, organic vineyard and hotel. There, I learned something that made all of their Italian good health seem like a . 

Pre-revelation, I spent the majority of this firewave summer heavily pregnant. If there were ever a good time to be full of baby, I wouldn’t recommend the season we’ve just had – unless, of course, you enjoy gently roasting in all manner of environments. I’ve prioritised hydration and taken my electrolytes every single day and tried to choose vegetables over another handful of Bran Flakes. I knew, though, that my attempt to stay well was missing something; I just didn’t know what. Enter the Italian genius of vitamin F.

Full up of baby.

What is vitamin F

A now-outdated term – but useful for comprehension, nonetheless – I heard it first during a sanity-restoring pregnancy massage at Borgo Pignano’s spa. Vitamin F, my practitioner explained to me, was particularly important for skin that lacked oils, suppleness and moisture. I took the hint. Ever since discovering I was pregnant, my skin had felt like sandpaper. Only twice-daily moisturising saved me from disintegrating entirely. 

Vitamin F – “F” standing for “fatty acids” – is now understood to be the combination of two types of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid. They’re essential for supporting the skin barrier, which controls how much moisture is trapped or lost from the skin, as well as keeping unwanted irritants out. 

They are also particularly beneficial for dry or sensitive skin, where the skin barrier may be compromised. “Omega-6 fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, support healthy barrier function and may also be useful for acne-prone skin because lower levels of linoleic acid in sebum have been associated with abnormal skin cell turnover within the pores and the formation of whiteheads and blackheads,” consultant dermatologist Dr Derrick Phillips explains to British . “Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are better known for their anti-inflammatory properties and can help calm irritated or inflamed skin.”

Where to find vitamin F

Knowing I needed to start slathering vitamin F on with immediate effect, I asked Dr Phillips for the best places to find them. Linoleic acid, he explained, is often incorporated into ceramides which “help to create the protective seal” that keeps moisture in and reduces water loss. Alpha-linolenic acid, on the other hand, tends to crop up in emollient sources, helping to soften and add suppleness to thirsty skin. The other rich source of vitamin F is, of course, food. 

At each meal – all grown within the borders of Borgo Pignano’s working fields – we were greeted with a vial of fresh olive oil. Zesty and fruity, we were encouraged to drip and dribble it onto our bread and meals. Yes, an Italian custom, but one that had deeper significance with my new knowledge of vitamin F. Olive oil is rich in both linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, making it a ready source of the essential fatty acids. Other sources include sunflower, grapeseed and corn oil (for LA) and flaxseed, chia seed, walnut and hemp seed oils (for ALAs). 

Ready for more olive oil.

“Alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid are called ‘essential’ fatty acids because our bodies can’t make them, so we have to get them through our diet,” Kirsten Humphreys, nutritional therapist at Bare Biology, explains. “Omega-3 and omega-6 are very important for our body’s inflammatory response. They can integrate into our cell membranes and, when needed, get released and converted into other molecules, including compounds called eicosanoids, which help regulate our inflammatory response.”

I have a hunch that the Italian way of being well is linked to more than just olive oil – though it’s an extremely officious start. It’s in sleeping well, moving regularly, using what’s around us (in the case of Borgo Pignano, that meant infusing almost everything with the herbs and flowers that grew in abundance around the grounds), and eating well. Less about tracking steps or monitoring sleep scores, I left the hotel feeling like a brand new woman. Still full of baby, yes. But calmer, clearer and with much softer skin. That deserves a at the very least, surely.