Astaxanthin for UV-damaged skin in healthy people
What it found
In a 10-week trial in 22 healthy Japanese adults, a daily 4 mg astaxanthin capsule increased the amount of UV needed to redden skin and reduced moisture loss after UV exposure compared with placebo.
The authors say astaxanthin seems protective against UV-induced skin deterioration.
What they found
Studies in people
UV redness threshold
The astaxanthin group showed a significant increase in the minimal erythema dose from baseline compared with placebo after 9 weeks. The raw value after supplementation was 44.0 mJ/cm2 in the placebo group and 48.4 mJ/cm2 in the astaxanthin group.
Skin moisture after UV
The decrease in moisture at the area irradiated with 1.15 MED was significantly smaller in the astaxanthin group than in the placebo group at 7 days after irradiation. At the higher dose of 1.32 MED, the decrease in moisture was similar between groups.
Water loss
No significant differences between the astaxanthin group and the placebo group were seen in transepidermal water loss at the irradiated area.
Subjective skin ratings
Changes from baseline in "improvement of rough skin" and "texture" in non-irradiated areas were significantly better in the astaxanthin group than in the placebo group. No significant differences were seen for skin clarity, youthfulness, crow's feet, dullness or nasolabial folds.
Safety checks
No adverse events or severe changes in blood biochemistry or hematology tests were observed, and the responsible physician reported no problems with the safety of astaxanthin.
What the authors conclude
“Astaxanthin seems protective against UV-induced skin deterioration and helps maintain healthy skin in healthy people.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say astaxanthin seems protective against UV-induced skin deterioration and helps maintain healthy skin in healthy people.
- They note that the precise mechanisms involved in how astaxanthin improved UV-induced skin deterioration in healthy humans was not elucidated.
- They call for further studies to determine the protective functions of astaxanthin in human skin.
How it was done
Skin barrier function is worn down by stresses including UV rays, and the authors wanted to see whether a daily supplement could protect and maintain healthy skin. Astaxanthin is a red carotenoid from shrimp, crab, salmon and microalgae with strong antioxidant activity.
They recruited 23 healthy Japanese participants aged 30 to under 60 and assigned them to a capsule with 4 mg of astaxanthin or a placebo for 9 weeks, after 1 week of baseline measurements. Skin on the back was irradiated with UV before and after supplementation to measure the minimal erythema dose, moisture and transepidermal water loss, and participants rated their skin by visual analog scale.
What it can’t tell you
- The trial was small, with 22 people analyzed, and lasted 9 weeks, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods or in larger groups.
- The authors did not measure how much astaxanthin participants got from their normal diet, which may have obscured the supplement's effects.
- The study did not analyze the relationship between astaxanthin levels in blood or skin and the protective effects against UV-induced skin deterioration.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- N.I., S.S. and F.U. belong to FUJIFILM Corporation, a sponsor and funder of this study.
- Authors work at
- Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Research Laboratories, Japan
The paper
- Title
- The Protective Role of Astaxanthin for UV-Induced Skin Deterioration in Healthy People-A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ito N, Seki S, Ueda F (2018). The Protective Role of Astaxanthin for UV-Induced Skin Deterioration in Healthy People-A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu10070817Free full textPubMed 29941810DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error