What is Carotenoids?
Carotenoids are coloured antioxidant plant pigments. Lycopene is the red pigment in tomatoes.
What it does for skin
In the trial of 149 healthy volunteers, the supplement significantly protected against UVB-induced erythema (redness) compared with placebo.
The minimal erythema dose did not differ significantly between groups.
The supplement significantly protected against UVB-induced rises in the inflammatory markers IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
What the research shows
Participants had a 5-week washout, then took the supplement or placebo for 12 weeks. The placebo was medium-chain triglycerides.
The active supplement provided 15 mg of lycopene a day, plus 5.8 mg of phytoene and phytofluene, 0.8 mg of beta-carotene, 5.6 mg of tocopherols and 4 mg of carnosic acid from rosemary extract.
Forms, amounts and limits
The trial used a supplement providing 15 mg of lycopene a day for 12 weeks. That is a trial amount, not an established skin dose.
Safety
In the ATBC trial, 20 mg of beta-carotene a day raised lung cancer incidence by 18% in male smokers. In the CARET trial, lung cancer incidence was 28% higher in the beta-carotene group.
Smokers should talk to a clinician before taking beta-carotene supplements.
Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a medical condition or take medicines.
Questions
Is lycopene safer than beta-carotene?
The clearest harm signal is high-dose beta-carotene supplements in smokers, from the ATBC and CARET trials.
Sources
- Tomato phytonutrients balance UV response: double-blind RCT (University of Dundee record) (opens in a new tab)
- NCI: ATBC trial follow-up (archived press release) (opens in a new tab)
General information, not medical advice. Vanu Health does not sell this supplement. Read our terms.