Lycopene is the red carotenoid that colours tomatoes, and Japanese and European researchers have studied it for years as an oral ingredient for skin exposed to sunlight. Brands abroad ask for a Japan-made lycopene product with that skin-and-sun story in mind.
This guide is for brand owners planning a lycopene product made in Japan. It covers what small human trials actually found for skin after UV exposure, how Japan frames lycopene in its own labelling system, why lycopene is formulated as a soft capsule, and what to fix before asking for a quotation.
Health supplements are foods, not medicines, and are not a substitute for medical treatment. Nothing here is a claim that any product prevents, treats or cures a disease.
💬 Planning a lycopene product made in Japan? We check the full formula against Japanese food law first. See Japan-made supplement OEM.
What the research shows
Small randomised trials report that oral lycopene reduces UV-induced skin redness and the molecular markers of UV damage, but the trials are short and involve small numbers of participants.
| Study | Design | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Randomised controlled trial, British Journal of Dermatology 2011;164(1):154-162 (PMID 20854436) | 20 healthy women; 55 g tomato paste providing 16 mg lycopene, or olive oil alone, daily for 12 weeks | The lycopene group showed reduced UV-induced erythema (skin redness) and other markers of photodamage compared with control |
| Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, British Journal of Dermatology 2017;176:1231-1240 (PMID 27662341) | 65 healthy volunteers; a lycopene-rich tomato nutrient complex or lutein, each for 12 weeks, with skin biopsies before and after UV irradiation | Supplementation reduced the UV-induced expression of genes linked to skin damage (including HO1, ICAM1 and MMP1) compared with the unsupplemented state |
Points to keep in view:
- Small groups, short duration. Both trials ran for around 12 weeks in fewer than 70 participants each; neither is a long-term study.
- Different kinds of outcome. The 2011 trial measured visible skin redness after UV exposure; the 2017 trial measured gene expression in skin biopsies, a molecular marker rather than something a consumer would see or feel. Citing either study accurately means being clear about which kind of outcome it measured.
- Not a sunscreen substitute. These are oral supplementation studies of the skin’s response to UV exposure, not tests of sunscreen or sun-protection products, and neither trial is a basis for a sun-protection claim.
Checked against the published abstracts on 25 September 2026.
What Japanese products say
In Japan, lycopene appears in Foods with Function Claims notified for functions related to maintaining LDL cholesterol within the normal range, at a lycopene intake of around 22 mg a day.
Under the Foods with Function Claims system, the notifying business is responsible for the scientific evidence behind the stated function and submits it to the Consumer Affairs Agency before sale. The notified lycopene function on record concerns a blood lipid marker, not skin or UV-related outcomes.
Two points for a brand abroad:
- The notified function and the skin research are separate evidence bases. A Japanese notification for LDL cholesterol does not extend to a skin or UV claim, and the skin trials above are not the basis of any Japanese notification found for lycopene.
- A Japanese notification is not a global endorsement. It is a Japanese regulatory mechanism for products sold in Japan. Your label abroad follows your own market’s rules, and cholesterol-related wording carries its own regulatory sensitivity in most markets.
💬 Need an evidence summary for your regulatory adviser that separates the skin trials from any Japanese notification? We prepare it with the manufacturing documents. Tell us your market.
Wording that stays on safe ground
Describe lycopene by what was studied and measured, not by a sun-protection or cholesterol-treatment promise.
| Safer wording | Wording to avoid |
|---|---|
| ”Studied for skin response to UV exposure" | "Protects against sunburn”, “works like a sunscreen" |
| "Contains [amount] mg lycopene per serving” | Cholesterol-lowering or any blood-marker treatment claim |
| Naming the study you cite, with its size and what it measured | ”Clinically proven” without naming the study |
How lycopene is formulated
Lycopene is oil-soluble and sensitive to light and oxygen, so it is almost always made as a soft capsule.
| Dosage form | Why | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Soft capsule | Holds the oil-based extract and limits light and oxygen exposure | The standard choice; capsule shell affects dietary suitability |
| Tablet or powder | Possible with a stabilised, encapsulated lycopene powder | Colour and stability need testing over shelf life |
| Drink or jelly | Combined tomato-based beauty products | Protecting a light-sensitive ingredient in a liquid needs formulation work |
Decisions that shape the specification:
- Source. Lycopene for supplements is commonly extracted from tomatoes, sometimes concentrated as tomato oleoresin. Ask the supplier for the source, the extraction method and the lycopene content of the material.
- Daily amount. Match the amount to any study you intend to cite — for example 16 mg a day in the 2011 trial above.
- Companion ingredients. Lycopene is often combined with other carotenoids or antioxidants in beauty formulas. Each companion ingredient needs its own check against Japanese food law.
- Packaging. Light protection matters for a carotenoid. Blister packs, aluminium pouches or opaque bottles are the usual choices.
The check that comes first
Every ingredient must be permitted in foods in Japan, or a Japanese factory cannot make the product.
Lycopene itself is widely used in Japanese foods. Beauty formulas that combine it with botanical extracts need each companion checked, since some ingredients sold freely as supplements elsewhere are treated as medicines in Japan. See the Japan-made supplement OEM page, and the astaxanthin guide for a comparison with another oil-soluble carotenoid.
Before you ask for a quotation
A factory can quote accurately once the source, the daily amount, the form and the packaging are fixed.
- Lycopene source and extract specification
- Daily amount and servings per pack
- Dosage form and capsule shell
- Companion ingredients and their amounts
- Packaging and light protection
- Countries you will sell in, and first order and annual volume
💬 Ready to design a Japan-made lycopene product? Send us the concept — extract, daily amount, form and the countries you will sell in.
Frequently asked questions
1. Does lycopene protect skin from the sun?
It is not a sunscreen substitute. Small trials found that oral lycopene reduced UV-induced skin redness and molecular markers of UV damage after around 12 weeks of daily use, which is different from claiming sun protection.
2. How much lycopene do the skin studies use?
Around 16 mg a day in a 2011 trial using tomato paste over 12 weeks. Match your product’s amount to the study you plan to cite.
3. Does Japan allow a skin claim for lycopene?
The lycopene notification found under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system concerns LDL cholesterol, not skin or UV outcomes. The skin research above sits outside that notification.
4. Why is lycopene usually a soft capsule?
It is oil-soluble and sensitive to light and oxygen, so a soft capsule holds the oil-based extract and protects it during shelf life.
5. Can lycopene be combined with other carotenoids?
Yes, it is commonly combined with astaxanthin or other carotenoids in beauty formulas. Each ingredient needs its own check against Japanese food law and your market’s rules.
Sources: “Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial”, British Journal of Dermatology 2011;164(1):154-162 (PMID 20854436); “Molecular evidence that oral supplementation with lycopene or lutein protects human skin against ultraviolet radiation: results from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study”, British Journal of Dermatology 2017;176:1231-1240 (PMID 27662341); Consumer Affairs Agency notifications for Foods with Function Claims. Checked on 25 September 2026.