A natural red pigment called astaxanthin, found in seafood, might help keep skin looking younger when applied to the skin or taken by mouth, but scientists haven't done good enough studies yet to know for sure.

39

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

39

Community contributions welcome

39

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Astaxanthin on Human Skin Ageing

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

2021 Aug 24

The study looked at both oral and topical/oral-topical astaxanthin for skin aging. It found that oral astaxanthin helped with skin moisture and elasticity, and the small open-label studies on topical applications showed slight protective effects - exactly what the claim says. The claim accurately reflects the study's findings about weak evidence from small open-label studies.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Astaxanthin on Human Skin Ageing

Score: 39

DOI: 10.3390/nu13092917

Similar Assertions

Scientists looking at studies on astaxanthin for skin aging found that the research so far has problems: the results vary too much between studies, not enough people were tested, and it's hard to tell if the studies were done properly.

39

0

89%

A study said astaxanthin might help with skin aging and wrinkles, but the data wasn't strong enough to prove it - the wrinkle reduction result wasn't statistically significant.

0

39

86%

Taking astaxanthin supplements (a natural red pigment found in salmon and shrimp) every day for 1 to 4 months can make your skin more stretchy and elastic if you're middle-aged and noticing early signs of skin aging.

39

0

82%

Taking astaxanthin pills (about 2-12 mg daily for 1-4 months) can help middle-aged people's skin stay more moisturized, according to research combining 5 different experiments.

39

0

81%

Taking astaxanthin supplements (a red-orange antioxidant pigment found in salmon and shrimp) every day for 1-4 months doesn't seem to make wrinkles noticeably shallower in middle-aged people, according to research that combined results from multiple clinical trials.

39

0

73%