Astaxanthin

Natural astaxanthin is a red-orange carotenoid pigment extracted from the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis.

It is a powerful antioxidant, stronger than tocopherol and vitamin C. This allows it to prevent and reduce the signs of skin aging (wrinkles, fine lines, dehydration, spots, etc.). It also improves skin elasticity and has soothing properties. It promotes hydration and protects against the sun's rays. The human body is unable to synthesize it, which makes it an interesting ingredient to add to the skin through cosmetics.  

 

Its mode of action

Astaxanthin has different modes of action

Astaxanthin is able to capture free radicals and protect cells from oxidative stress. It is a powerful antioxidant. It is particularly impressive for your skin because it never becomes a pro-oxidant, meaning it protects our cells from oxidation and allows your skin to remain young and rejuvenated.

Astaxanthin therefore has anti-aging properties. It reduces wrinkles, improves elasticity, and improves skin texture.

Astaxanthin has soothing properties. Indeed, it inhibits the gene expression of several pro-inflammatory biomarkers.

Use

Astaxanthin is a versatile active ingredient that can be found in body and face creams, milks, masks, gels, lotions, after-sun care, masks, shampoos, conditioners, etc. Moreover, it can be used morning and evening.

Security

Anyone can use astaxanthin. However, its use is particularly effective and remarkable on dry and damaged skin. Furthermore, astaxanthin is compatible with all the products in your daily skincare routine. In fact, you can combine it with other antioxidants. However, you must be careful to follow these usage guidelines. Always test the product to see how your skin reacts (even if astaxanthin is suitable for sensitive skin). Otherwise, astaxanthin has no conditions for use (when used topically). It is suitable for young children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

Research

« (…) Astaxanthin has a unique molecular structure which enables it to stay both in and outside the cell membrane. It gives better protection than β-carotene and Vitamin C which can be positioned inside the lipid bilayer ».

Ambati, Ranga Rao, et al. "Astaxanthin: sources, extraction, stability, biological activities and its commercial applications—a review." Marine drugs 12.1 (2014): 128-152 Source

Higuera-Ciapara, I., L. Felix-Valenzuela, and F. M. Goycoolea. "Astaxanthin: a review of its chemistry and applications." Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 46.2 (2006): 185-196. Source 

« (…) evidence that astaxanthin possesses various health benefits and important nutraceutical applications in the field of dermatology. (…) its benefits on skin (…) including photoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects ».

Davinelli, Sergio, Michael E. Nielsen, and Giovanni Scapagnini. "Astaxanthin in skin health, repair, and disease: A comprehensive review." Nutrients 10.4 (2018): 522. Source

« (…) prevents ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced alterations in cellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and cellular glutathione content and displayed protection against UVA-induced DNA damage ».

Hussein, Ghazi, et al. "Astaxanthin, a carotenoid with potential in human health and nutrition." Journal of natural products 69.3 (2006): 443-449. Source

« When Asx-lipo was applied to skin before UV exposure, UV-induced skin thickening was prevented. Interestingly, collagen reduction induced by UV exposure was also prevented (…) inhibited melanin production in skin exposed to UV ».

Hama, Susumu, et al. "Protective effects of topical application of a poorly soluble antioxidant astaxanthin liposomal formulation on ultraviolet-induced skin damage." Journal of pharmaceutical sciences 101.8 (2012): 2909-2916. Source

« (…) Our results presented the protective role of Astaxanthin (AST) against oxidative stress in GCs which was mediated through up-regulating the phase II enzymes as a result of NRF2 activation. » « AST suppressed ROS generation (P<0.01) and cell death (P<0.05) in GCs induced by oxidative stress ».

Eslami, Mojtaba, et al. "Astaxanthin Protects Human Granulosa Cells against Oxidative Stress through Activation of NRF2/ARE Pathway and Its Downstream Phase II Enzymes." Cell Journal (Yakhteh) 23.3 (2021): 319 Source 

Naguib, Yousry MA. "Antioxidant activities of astaxanthin and related carotenoids." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 48.4 (2000): 1150-1154. Source

Rao, Ambati Ranga, et al. "Effective inhibition of skin cancer, tyrosinase, and antioxidative properties by astaxanthin and astaxanthin esters from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 61.16 (2013): 3842-3851. Source

« (…) combining oral supplementation (6mg/day) and topical application for 8 weeks in 30 volunteers 

showed improvements in skin wrinkle (crow’s feet), age spot size (cheek), elasticity (crow’s feet), skin texture (cheek) and moisture content of the skin (cheek) ».

Tominaga, Kumi, et al. "Cosmetic benefits of astaxanthin on humans subjects." Acta Biochimica Polonica 59.1 (2012). Source

« Astaxanthin has also shown to have anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and DNA repair properties ».

Singh, Kritarth Naman, Saiprasad Patil, and Hanmant Barkate. "Protective effects of astaxanthin on skin: Recent scientific evidence, possible mechanisms, and potential indications." Journal of cosmetic dermatology 19.1 (2020): 22-27. Source 

«  (…) a group receiving 78.9 µM topical astaxanthin treatment twice daily for 15 days. Astaxanthin-treated wounds showed noticeable contraction by day 3 of treatment and complete wound closure by day 9, whereas the wounds of control mice revealed only partial epithelialization and still carried scabs. (…)The results indicate that astaxanthin is an effective compound for accelerating wound healing. ».

Meephansan, Jitlada, et al. "Effect of astaxanthin on cutaneous wound healing." Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 10 (2017): 259. Source


Our products containing this active ingredient

Moisturizing and antioxidant day cream
44,00€