Carotenoids in human skin and protection from sunlight
What it found
Carotenoids taken in through food build up in the skin and offer moderate protection against sun damage in people.
They may also improve skin moisture and texture, but few studies have checked this.
What they found
Studies in people
Where carotenoids gather
After you eat them, carotenoids collect in your skin. The highest amounts are found on the forehead and the palms of the hands.
Levels rise with intake
Taking supplements raises the amount of carotenoids in both the blood and the skin.
Moderate sun protection
Several human trials showed that eating carotenoids helps shield the skin from sun damage. The protection is only moderate but can work alongside other sun safety steps.
Skin moisture and texture
Some researchers suggest carotenoids might improve skin moisture, texture, and stretchiness. Only a small number of studies have tested this idea so far.
What the authors conclude
- They note that carotenoids offer moderate sun protection that works best when combined with other measures.
- They point out that more research is needed to confirm claims about improved skin moisture and texture.
How it was done
The skin shields the body from outside threats like sunlight. Scientists wanted to look at how carotenoids from food gather in the skin and help defend it.
They looked at several human trials where people took carotenoid supplements or ate foods rich in these compounds. The text does not say exactly how many people took part or for how long.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Only a limited number of studies have looked at whether carotenoids really improve skin moisture and texture.
- This summary does not give exact numbers for how much protection carotenoids provide against the sun.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of Competing Interest Research of WS has been funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Project STA 699/3-1
- Authors work at
- Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Carotenoids in human skin
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zerres S, Stahl W (2020). Carotenoids in human skin. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids. doi:10.1016/j.bbalip.2019.158588PubMed 31838152DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error