Open Food Labels. Search 352 ingredients⌘K

E160

Carotenoids

What the research shows

Prototype

No concerns

none of the findings here link it to harm

3 health findings on this page, 2 in people · See the findings

Yellow, orange, and red pigments made by plants and algae.

They give foods like carrots, tomatoes, and egg yolks their color.

Written from English Wikipedia1

  • May not be vegan
  • May not be vegetarian

What research says

Studies in people

  • Open question

    Heart and blood vessel risk2

    In women past menopause, eating carotenoids from juices and spinach changed cholesterol and inflammation markers tied to heart risk.

  • Benefit

    Bowel cancer risk3

    In an Italian study, people who ate more carotenoids had a lower risk of colorectal cancer, except lycopene.

  • Benefit

    Rheumatoid arthritis risk4

    People with higher carotenoid intake and blood levels were less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Study type not stated

  • Benefit

    Skin protection from sun5

    Carotenoids build up in your skin and may help protect it from sun, though only a little.

How it’s made and used

  • Vitamin A from plant foods6

    Carotenoids in plants can become vitamin A, but things like fat, fiber and cooking change how much the body absorbs.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 108 products on Open Food Facts that list carotenoids.

  • fanta Orange Fanta · 330 ml 3 additives
  • Céréales Trésor Kellogg's Chocolat Noisettes Kellogg's · 750 g 5 additives
  • Mini Classic Almond White Chocolate Magnum · 254 g 6 additives
  • Premium Bourbon - Dairy ice cream Bon Gelati · 1 L 3 additives
  • NESTLE LION Barres de Céréales 6x25g 150 g 6 additives
  • 10 pains au lait Les PâtissadesAldi · 400 g 5 additives

References

  1. 1Carotenoid. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.
  2. 2Tomás Luiz A, Martín Pozuelo G, González Navarro I, et al. [Influence of dietary carotenoids on biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in peri- and post-menopausal women]. Nutr Hosp. 2021;38(5):993-1001. doi:10.20960/nh.03624
  3. 3Natale A, D'Angelo A, Bidoli E, et al. Intake of total and selected carotenoids and colorectal cancer risk: An Italian case-control study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2025;79(11):1154-1159. doi:10.1038/s41430-025-01661-7
  4. 4Jing X, Lv M, Chen Y, et al. Associations between carotenoids and rheumatoid arthritis risk: evidence from two population-based studies. Nutr J. 2026;25(1). doi:10.1186/s12937-026-01333-7
  5. 5Zerres S, Stahl W. Carotenoids in human skin. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids. 2020;1865(11):158588. doi:10.1016/j.bbalip.2019.158588
  6. 6Priyadarshani AM. A review on factors influencing bioaccessibility and bioefficacy of carotenoids. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017;57(8):1710-1717. doi:10.1080/10408398.2015.1023431