Astaxanthin is a natural carotenoid pigment found abundantly in marine life including micro algae that gives the reddish-pink color to shrimp, lobsters and wild salmons. Astaxanthin is known as "The king of carotenoids," one of nature's most potent antioxidants that can counteract oxidative stress and has health benefits clinically supported by numerous studies. Dietary astaxanthin supplementation is widely used to enhance skin and visual health, support physical endurance and muscle performance, and promote age-related oxidative stress and immune health.*

Since 2010, AstaReal astaxanthin is the only astaxanthin to attain GRAS status (Generally Recognized As safe by the United States FDA Administration) and therefore is the only astaxanthin to have the permission to be marketed as an ingredient in food and beverages within the US.10 It is approved for use in nutritional supplementation in the US, Europe, and Japan, as well as other markets worldwide. AstaReal astaxanthin is obtained by cultivating the naturally occurring microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis and is one of the purest and most potent astaxanthin in the world.*

Supports overall skin health*

The skin is the largest organ of the body and is directly exposed to environmental pollutants, solar radiation, and other mechanical and chemical factors, which can induce the generation of free radicals from oxidative stress.* Because the skin functions as a protective barrier between the body and its environment, it is exposed to more free radicals than other organs. With time, the normal aging process will also lead to the thinning of the skin layers, loss of elasticity and wrinkle formation. Evidence from literature review show that dietary supplementation could represent a significant alternative for improving skin health.* As such, evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies, as well as human clinical trials, have demonstrated that astaxanthin (oral supplements and/or topical applications) may play an important role in improving human skin health, displaying molecular and protective activities Astaxanthin helps to protect the skin, throughout the dermal layers, from free radical damage that is partly responsible for the skin aging process.* In addition, it improves the elasticity of the skin, skin smoothness and decreases fine lines and wrinkles by promoting healthy skin cell function.*

Provides one of the most potent natural antioxidants to support the body's defense against free radicals*

Carotenoids are a family of natural lipid-soluble pigments that are only produced by phytoplankton, algae, plants, fungi and bacteria. Carotenoids, and especially astaxanthin, are distinguished by their capacity to interact with chemically reactive species of oxygen (ROS) such as singlet oxygen and free radicals that are known to cause oxidative stress in the body. A growing body of scientific literature has revealed astaxanthin has the strongest quenching effect against singlet oxygen. In fact, astaxanthin was found to be at least 10 times stronger antioxidant than most well-known antioxidants, and 100 times stronger than Vitamin E. For these reasons, astaxanthin dietary supplementation has the potential to provide antioxidant protection at the cellular level in the entire human body. *

Promotes healthy immune response*

For the most part, the oxidant/antioxidant balance is maintained with a predominance of antioxidants in the body. Any disturbance in this equilibrium usually favor oxidants and can lead to oxidative stress with elevated intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause damage to lipids, proteins and DNA, a situation which not only harms membranes and biomolecules but also impairs cell integrity and functionality.22 Our immune system is extremely affected by elevated ROS levels since this phenomenon can adversely influence the immune cells and their defense mechanism as well. Since the immune system is an important indicator of well-being and longevity, maintaining an appropriate balance of oxidants and antioxidants is of great importance. As a defense mechanism, a vast array of endogenous antioxidants is produced within the body capable of scavenging the extra free radicals in order to preserve an optimal balance of oxidants and antioxidants, thereby maintaining appropriate cellular homeostasis.

CLINICAL STUDIES

A single blind placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the cosmetic effects of astaxanthin oral supplementation (4 mg/day for six weeks) among forty-nine healthy middle-aged women in the US. The obtained results showed significant improvements in fine lines/wrinkles and elasticity by dermatologist's assessment and moisture content (via a NOVA meter) at the end of the study compared to the initial values of the measured parameters at baseline.*

In 2012, a research team conducted two human clinical studies to evaluate the effects of astaxanthin on skin health. The first one was an open-label non-controlled study involving 30 healthy female participants. They were given astaxanthin 6 mg per day oral supplementation with 2 mL per day of topical applications of astaxanthin derived from microalgae for 8 weeks. At the end of the treatment trial, the participants showed significant improvements in the skin wrinkle (crow's feet), the age spot size, skin texture, and moisture content of the corneocyte layer. In the second study, which was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled investigation, 36 healthy male participants took 6 mg of astaxanthin supplementation per day for six weeks. Overall results showed beneficial skin health benefits of astaxanthin supplements and include decreased wrinkles and sebum oil levels, improvement of skin elasticity and moisture content of the corneocyte layer. The authors concluded that astaxanthin derived from Haematococcus pluvialis may improve
the skin condition in not only in women but also in men.*

A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study examined the effects of using a combination of dietary astaxanthin and collagen hydrolysate supplementation on moderately photoaged skin in humans. A total of 44 healthy subjects were recruited and treated with astaxanthin (2 mg/day) combined with collagen hydrolysate (3 g/ day) or placebo for 12 weeks. The elasticity and hydration properties of facial skin were evaluated as well as the expression of procollagen type I, fibrillin-1, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and -12, and ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damage in artificially UV-irradiated buttock skin before and after treatment. The supplement group showed significant improvements in skin elasticity and trans-epidermal water loss in photoaged facial skin after 12 weeks compared with the placebo group. In the supplement group, expression of procollagen type I mRNA increased and expression of MMP-1 and -12 mRNA decreased compared with those in the placebo group. These results demonstrated that dietary astaxanthin (combined with collagen hydrolysate) can improve elasticity and barrier integrity in photoaged human facial skin, and such treatment is well tolerated.*

In 2017, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of continuous astaxanthin consumption in reducing systemic oxidative stress and its impact on alleviating aging-related changes on the surface of the stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the epidermis responsible for the key barrier functions of the skin. Monitored dermal oxidative stress and skin aging biomarkers were done in 31 middle-aged volunteers who were given orally 4 mg capsules of astaxanthin for four weeks. Blood samples were taken on days 0, 15, and 29 to quantify oxidative stress (biomarkers) and morphological analysis of the residual skin surface components (RSSCs) allowed for detecting age-related changes in corneocyte desquamation and microbiol presence was carried out. Based on the data obtained from the study, the authors concluded that continuous astaxanthin consumption produces a strong antioxidant effect resulting in facial skin rejuvenation.*

In Japan, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study evaluated the protective skin effect of astaxanthin under certain changing environmental factors (UV and dryness factors from August to December). 65 healthy female subjects were administered either 6 or 12 mg capsules of astaxanthin per day or a placebo for 16 weeks. In both astaxanthin treatment groups, wrinkle formation was decreased compared to baseline values and/or placebo group. Interleukin-1α levels in the stratum corneum significantly increased in the placebo and low-dose (6 mg astaxanthin) groups, but not in the high-dose (12 mg astaxanthin) group, which suggested that long-term prophylactic astaxanthin supplementation may inhibit age-related skin deterioration. the authors suggested that long-term intake of astaxanthin supplementation may inhibit age-related skin deterioration and maintain skin conditions associated with environmentally induced damage via its antioxidant effect.*

A 10-week double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effects of astaxanthin dietary supplementation on UV-induced skin. Twenty-three healthy Japanese participants were recruited and assigned to either the astaxanthin group (oral intake of 4 mg of astaxanthin daily) or the placebo group. To assess the protective role of astaxanthin for UV-induced skin deterioration, various parameters were analyzed such as the minimal erythema dose (MED) and the UV-induced changes of moisture and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), at baseline and after 9 weeks of the study. Subjective skin conditions were assessed by the visual analog scale. The astaxanthin group showed increased MED and had a reduced loss of skin moisture in the irradiated area compared with placebo. Subjective skin conditions for "improvement of rough skin" and "texture" in non-irradiated areas were significantly improved by astaxanthin.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.