Sourced from the algae Hematococcus pluvialis, astaxanthin is liable for the pink or pink coloring of flamingos, salmon, shrimp and different crustaceans. Animal analysis on this space started within the late 1940s in France, with a plethora of research since revealed on its potential advantages for mind, liver and ocular well being.
“Astaxanthin possesses a double whammy of advantages with regard to matrix well being,” Dr. Mark Miller, a biomedical researcher and president of Kaiviti Consulting, instructed NutraIngredients. “Its efficiency as a free radical scavenger is unmatched in nature.”
Certainly, astaxanthin has emerged as a possible anti-aging resolution resulting from its capacity to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), thereby reducing oxidative harm.
Past its potential healthy-aging properties, analysis suggests it may have beauty advantages, too. Probably the most researched aesthetic advantages focus the antioxidant’s capacity to assist wholesome pores and skin.
Historical past of astaxanthin
In 1988, AstaReal pioneered massive scale cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis, turning into the world’s main producer and innovator of pure astaxanthin, and went on to launch the primary human dietary astaxanthin complement in 1995.
Through the years, science across the ingredient has continued to construct, and it was listed as one of many high compounds in human pores and skin well being analysis on the 2024 American Academy of Dermatology rating.
“Astaxanthin gives a confirmed scientific method to complete wholesome growing older and wonder from inside,” Dr. Karen Hecht, vice chairman of science at AstaReal, instructed NutraIngredients. “It safeguards the pores and skin’s high layer from environmental elements, aids in preserving hyaluronic acid and elastin, helps collagen manufacturing and protects pores and skin cells from oxidative harm and can be utilized as a synergistic enhancement to different collagen-boosting elements.”
Dr. Miller says the antioxidant can present a wide range of advantages, from concentrating on wonderful strains and wrinkles to lowering the looks of hyperpigmentation.
“Astaxanthin is lipophilic, which is right for concentrating within the outer layers of pores and skin, maintaining the disruptive forces of UV radiation at its preliminary goal,” he defined.
“It additionally limits the activation of melanocytes, the cells that make the pigment, melanin. Because of this, it suppresses the era of age spots, or areas of hyperpigmentation. Different medical analysis in pores and skin well being displays improved hydration, elasticity, and visibly fewer wonderful strains and wrinkles.”
Can astaxanthin cut back the looks of wrinkles and wonderful strains?
Two research revealed within the journal Acta Biochimica Polonica have explored astaxanthin’s capacity to enhance wonderful strains and wrinkles.
The first study concerned 36 male members who had been randomized into two teams. One obtained 6 mg of astaxanthin for six weeks and the opposite a placebo.
By the tip of the examine, these in astaxanthin group noticed enhancements within the look of crow’s toes, pores and skin elasticity and transepidermal water loss. Moisture content material and sebum oil degree on the cheek zone additionally confirmed sturdy tendencies for enchancment.
The second study was an open-label non-controlled examine involving 30 wholesome feminine topics who got one capsule of astaxanthin twice a day along with a twice-daily topical software.
After eight weeks, members within the intervention arm confirmed enhancements in pores and skin floor (diminished look of crow’s toes), age spot measurement, elasticity, pores and skin texture, corneocyte situation and moisture content material at this layer.
“These outcomes might recommend that astaxanthin derived from H. pluvialis can enhance pores and skin situation in all layers resembling corneocyte layer, dermis, basal layer and dermis by combining each oral supplementation and topical remedy, and oral supplementation of astaxanthin can enhance the pores and skin situation in not solely ladies but in addition males,” wrote the authors from AstaReals’ mother or father firm Fuji Chemical Trade, Japan.
Astaxanthin for pores and skin elasticity and moisture
Past wrinkles and wonderful strains, pores and skin growing older manifests as degradation of elasticity, age spots and moisture content material.
To research whether or not astaxanthin may mitigate these indicators of pores and skin harm and growing older, researchers for AstaReal in Toyama, Japan, recruited 65 wholesome feminine members for a 16-week medical examine.
Individuals consumed both a each day 6 mg or 12 mg dose of astaxanthin or a placebo. The examine passed off between August and December, a interval throughout which publicity to sturdy UV radiation is adopted by a lower in humidity, leading to a decline in pores and skin barrier perform and elevated pores and skin dryness.
At week 16, the researchers reported vital worsening of pores and skin moisture content material and deep wrinkles within the placebo group, whereas the astaxanthin-supplemented teams remained unchanged. Pores and skin elasticity enhancements had been additionally noticed within the high-dose group in comparison with placebo, suggesting a protecting impact.
“Lengthy-term astaxanthin supplementation might prophylactically inhibit pores and skin deterioration induced over time by environmental harm and consequently [slow] the pores and skin growing older course of by way of its anti-inflammatory impact,” the researchers wrote within the Journal of Scientific Biochemistry and Vitamin.
Does astaxanthin supply UV safety?
Whereas proof means that astaxanthin can shield the pores and skin from environmental elements, researchers have additionally begun to take a look at whether or not it may shield the pores and skin from solar harm inflicted by ultraviolet gentle.
Astaxanthin supplementation has been proven to protect the skin from UV-induced skin deterioration in a 10-week examine double-blind placebo-controlled examine involving 23 wholesome members. Utilizing a Photo voltaic Stimulator, the researchers uncovered the members’ again pores and skin to UV-B then analyzed for UV-induced modifications.
Astaxanthin appeared to extend the Minimal Erythema Dose (MED) and attenuate the UV-induced lower of pores and skin moisture. Its capacity to extend the MED meant the members’ pores and skin was much less delicate to UV harm, suggesting it might shield pores and skin from dangerous UV rays.
The researchers from Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Analysis Laboratories in Kanagawa, Japan, additionally assessed for subjective pores and skin circumstances utilizing the visible analogue scale.
“Subjective pores and skin circumstances for ‘enchancment of tough pores and skin’ and ‘texture’ in non-irradiated areas had been considerably improved by astaxanthin,” they wrote in Vitamins. “Astaxanthin appears protecting towards UV-induced pores and skin deterioration and helps keep wholesome pores and skin in wholesome individuals.”
One other examine revealed within the European Journal of Biomedical Analysis discovered that the addition of astaxanthin to sunscreen inhibited the rise in sunburn cells in rats, indicating a probably protecting impact.
“Sunscreen is just not an antioxidant, which suggests it could actually nonetheless trigger the impression of free radicals,” wrote the researchers from Udayana College, Indonesia. “Sunscreen additionally has safety limits. For instance, SPF 30 has 97% safety, which suggests that there’s nonetheless 3% radiation getting into the pores and skin so there’s nonetheless a small portion that may trigger free radicals.”
Can astaxanthin promote tanning?
Extra lately, astaxanthin has additionally been included in merchandise to advertise tanning, nonetheless, Dr. Miller stated it’s extra prone to have the other impact.
“The aim of tanning is to advertise melanin formation, the pigment for pores and skin colour,” he defined. “Astaxanthin limits the activation of melanocytes and would restrict tanning—and its cadre of destructive results on pores and skin well being—fairly than selling a tan.”
Susan Hamrahi, scientific communications specialist at AstaReal agrees that astaxanthin is unlikely to have tanning properties, including that the sturdy pigment might contribute to pores and skin colour modifications at excessive doses.
“Astaxanthin doesn’t stimulate melanin synthesis and thus doesn’t induce tanning,” she stated. “Nonetheless, some carotenoids have contributed a yellow hue to pores and skin because of supplementation at larger doses.”
“Visible modifications in pores and skin tone ensuing from carotenoid deposition have been documented with β-carotene and lycopene supplementation,” she added. “Nonetheless, these results should not melanogenic and don’t contain activation of the melanocortin-1 receptor pathway, which governs UV-induced tanning. Whereas β-carotene and lycopene are recognized to trigger seen pores and skin tone modifications, no medical or observational information presently helps an analogous impact with astaxanthin.”
Synthetic or natural?
Dr. Miller says that astaxanthin’s capacity to restrict activation of melanocytes is useful for the pores and skin, notably for these with hyperpigmentation or age spots, however highlighted the efficacy of pure astaxanthin dietary supplements.
“Some [astaxanthin supplements] come from different sources like yeast or petrochemicals, however these don’t possess the identical stereochemistry and don’t work the identical as pure astaxanthin,” he defined. “Pure is a straight molecule with two polar ends and an aliphatic chain that separates them.”
“The construction is ideal for anchoring in membranes with the aliphatic chain within the lipid a part of membranes the place it captures pileup peroxides, or rancid lipids, and negates these free radicals with out forming some other free radicals. It is a distinctive motion that separates astaxanthin from different free radical scavengers and membrane perform protectors.”
