We are always on the lookout for things that would slow down aging and protect our skin from the damaging effects of the surrounding environment, such as UV light and blue light, both of which represent two of the major things that accelerate skin aging. And if the solution is natural and easy to come by, then that is better. Carotenoids represent one of the natural and easy-to-obtain compounds that would offer great protection against the sun and might aid in slowing down aging. In this article, I will share with you all that you need to know about carotenoids and their skin protective effect against blue light and UV light.
What Is Blue Light?
Before we dive deep in, there are a few things that need to be made clear. You probably all know about UV light and its effects in general, but few of you know about blue light and what it does to us.
Blue light is the reason why the sky appears to be blue during the day; it comes from the sun and also from LED screens. Blue light from the sun is way more than that emitted from LED screens, but the problem is that we are exposed to screens almost all day long, which leaves us bare to the effects of blue light.
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The Damaging Effects of Blue Light
Blue light from electronic devices can lead to changes in your skin cells; those changes include cell shrinkage and death. Cell shrinkage and death accelerate the aging of the skin. Not only that, but blue light can also lead to skin pigmentation and darkening. Even short exposure, such as 60 minutes, can trigger those changes on your skin. Now imagine what it does when you are exposed for longer periods.
What Are Carotenoids?
Carotenoids Are fat-soluble pigments mainly of the colors yellow, red, and orange. Those pigments are what give the plants their color, such as tomatoes. They occur naturally and are synthesized by plants, photosynthetic bacteria, and algae.
Carotenoids are not synthesized by our human bodies and need to be consumed in the diet. Some of them are converted to vitamin A. So far, there are over 1100 carotenoids discovered.
Some of the most famous carotenoids are:
beta cryptoxanthin
alpha carotene
beta carotene
zeaxanthin
lycopene
lutein
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Carotenoid and Skin Protection
The skin protective effect of carotenoids has long been established. There are lots and lots of studies that were conducted on the effect of carotenoids on skin.
Carotenoids have antioxidant effects; this effect plays a role in their ability to protect your skin against sun damage. Carotenoids have a protective effect against oxidative damage by inhibiting the decline in antioxidant enzyme levels in the cells that were exposed to UV light. This leads to a much more favorable reduction in the levels of UVB-induced oxidative stress metabolites.
In vitro studies in which scientists used human skin cells (fibroblasts), carotenoids, namely lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene, effectively removed peroxide radicals and free oxygen radicals. They also inhibited the peroxidation of lipids, which was induced by UV light. In other words, carotenoids helped to protect the skin from the damaging effect of free radicals.
There is more; the antioxidant effect is not the only way in which carotenoids protect the skin from the damaging effects of sun rays. Carotenoids also have the ability to directly absorb the light and thereby exert a direct photo protective effect.
Carotenoids Protection Against Blue Light
I read an article that described carotenoids as “the blue light nemesis.” A name that could not be anymore accurate than it is. Lutein is one of the carotenoids known for its protective effect against blue light. Keep in mind they do not only protect your skin, but they also protect your retina.
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Are Carotenoids Good for Your Skin?
By this far you figured the answer to this question is yes, carotenoids are good for the skin. Here is a summary of what carotenoids do to your skin:
Offer protection against sunlight, including blue light and UV light.
Antioxidant effect on the skin.
Improve skin elasticity.
Improve wrinkles.
Improve skin texture.
Improve hydration.
Improve age spots.
In other words, carotenoids improve skin aging.
Carotenoids might alsohelp in the prevention and treatment of some skin conditions, such as:
erythropoietic protoporphyria (inherited condition in which the accumulation of protoporphyrins in red blood cells causes extreme photosensitivity).
Porphyria cutanea tarda (painful and blistering lesions that develop in sun-exposed skin).
polymorphous light eruption (itchy and red small bumps that appear on the skin that was exposed to the sun).
Protect against skin cancer.
Anti-inflammatory activity, which decreases skin inflammation and ECM (collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid) degradation.
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Where to Find Carotenoids?
Thankfully, obtaining carotenoids from the diet is not a hard thing, as there are many plants out there that are rich in carotenoids. Some of those are:
Carrots
Watermelon
Tomatoes
Yams
Kale
Spinach
Oranges
Mangos
Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Important Tips About Carotenoids Ingestion
Carotenoids are fat soluble, so eating them with a meal that contains fat will increase their absorption.
There is more benefit to carotenoids when they are cooked and exposed to temperature compared to the other way around. That is because cooking increases the bioavailability of carotenoids by destroying the cell wall of the plants.
The fact that carotenoids are fat means that their absorption is affected by abnormalities in fat absorption.
Interaction with some drugs, such as sulfonamides and aspirin, also reduces the absorption.
It should also be noted that the photo protective effect of natural preparations of carotenoids (like tomatoes, especially tomato seeds) is stronger than that of synthetic carotenoids.
Risks of Certain Carotenoids
High doses of beta-carotene (from beta-carotene supplements) can be harmful to people at high risk of lung cancer (e.g., smokers). High doses for a longer duration can turn your skin yellow or orange. It might also increase the risk of death from all causes.
Do Carotenoids Lighten Skin?
Carotenoids might actually lighten your skin, which is useful for someone who suffers from dark spots, age spots, and hyperpigmentation due to acne and other issues. This effect could be due to a blocking of melanin pathways.
Are Carotenoids Good for Acne?
Carotenoids have an anti-acne activity that could be attributed to them releasing Vitamin A. Although not all carotenoids release vitamin A.
Are Carotenoids The Same As Retinol?
Retinol is actually vitamin A itself, not carotenoids. Retinol comes from two sources: retinoids, which come from animal sources, and carotenoids, which come from plant sources.
The Takeaway
Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments that are available in many plants and responsible for the color of those plants. Carotenoids can protect your skin from sunlight damage and slow down skin aging, including that caused by blue light and UV light. You can find carotenoids in high concentrations in plants like tomatoes, yams, and broccoli. Synthetic Preparations of carotenoids seems to carry some risks and complications that are not seen with naturally occurring carotenoids.
References and Citations
Biskanaki, F., Kalofiri, P., Tertipi, N., Sfyri, E., Andreou, E., Kefala, V., & Rallis, E. (2023). Carotenoids and dermoaesthetic benefits: Public health implications. Cosmetics, 10 (5), 120. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics10050120
Flieger, J., Raszewska-Famielec, M., Radzikowska-Büchner, E., & Flieger, W. (2024). Skin Protection by Carotenoid Pigments. International journal of molecular sciences, 25(3), 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031431
Angelika Junghans, Helmut Sies, Wilhelm Stahl, Macular Pigments Lutein and Zeaxanthin as Blue Light Filters Studied in Liposomes, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Volume 391, Issue 2, 2001, Pages 160-164, ISSN 0003-9861, https://doi.org/10.1006/abbi.2001.2411.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003986101924117)
Balić, A., & Mokos, M. (2019). Do We Utilize Our Knowledge of the Skin Protective Effects of Carotenoids Enough?. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 8(8), 259. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8080259
Flieger, J., Raszewska-Famielec, M., Radzikowska-Büchner, E., & Flieger, W. (2024). Skin protection by carotenoid pigments. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25 (3), 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031431
Baswan, S. M., Klosner, A. E., Weir, C., Salter-Venzon, D., Gellenbeck, K. W., Leverett, J., & Krutmann, J. (2021). Role of ingestible carotenoids in skin protection: A review of clinical evidence. Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine, 37(6), 490–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpp.12690
Juturu, V., Bowman, J. P., & Deshpande, J. (2016). Overall skin tone and skin-lightening-improving effects with oral supplementation of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 9, 325–332. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S115519
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