Lycopene

What is it?

A red carotenoid pigment and antioxidant, naturally found in tomatoes, studied (mostly as part of carotenoid groups and oral supplements) for skin photoprotection.

What does it do?

According to PubMed, a 2025 review on carotenoids in skin photoaging groups lycopene with beta-carotene, astaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin as antioxidants that scavenge reactive oxygen species and modulate oxidative-stress signalling pathways (MAPK, Nrf2, NF-kB), noting both oral and topical administration have shown benefit for photoaging in various studies (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14050577). Most human clinical evidence specifically involving lycopene comes from oral multi-ingredient antioxidant supplements rather than a standalone topical lycopene product, so direct topical efficacy data for lycopene alone is thinner than for the carotenoid class as a whole.

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