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Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 11, 51–54

Carotenoids and polyphenols in nutricosmetics, nutraceuticals,

and cosmeceuticals
Talita Pizza Anunciato, MPharm & Pedro Alves da Rocha Filho, DPharm
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil

Summary The market for cosmeceuticals continues with significant annual growth, but today
consumers are more aware of nutritional products that contribute to both skin health
and disease prevention. In the last 10 years, pharmacists, chemists, nutritionists, and
physicians have been working together to develop new nutritional applications to satisfy
people’s needs and demands. As a recent result of convergence phenomenon between
cosmetics and food industries, nutricosmetics is a blurry area unfamiliar to many
consumers and sometimes even to foods and cosmetics experts. Characterized by oral
supplementation of nutrients, nutricosmetics are also known as ‘‘beauty pills,’’ ‘‘beauty
from within,’’ and even ‘‘oral cosmetics.’’ The major claim is the antiaging effect,
reducing wrinkles by fighting free radicals generated by solar radiation. Among the
ingredients used in nutricosmetics, antioxidants represent the most crucial. The best-
known antioxidants are carotenoids (beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and
astaxanthin) and polyphenols (anthocyanidins, catechins, flavonoids, tannins,
and procyanidins). This study presents an overview about the concept of
nutricosmetics and gives us information about the difference between nutricosmetics,
nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. The article also discusses about carotenoids and
polyphenols, two classes of ingredients often employed in such products.
Keywords: carotenoids, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, nutricosmetics, polyphenols

Introduction supplements to produce an appearance benefit and are

In the highly dynamic market of cosmetics, the new
product launches happen at a fast rate. According to
Dederen1, in addition to traditional products, novel
delivery forms such as transdermal patches, oral nutr-
icosmetics and cosmeto-textiles are examples of innova-
tions accepted in the market, which highlights the
power of trends in the industry.
Nutricosmetics, a new concept in cosmetic field, can
be described as the consumption of food or oral
Correspondence: T P Anunciato, MPharm Departamento de Ciências
Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto,
Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida do Café, s ⁄ n – Campus Universitário,
14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. E-mail: talitapa@fcfrp.usp.br
Accepted for publication November 9, 2011
also called ‘‘beauty pills,’’ ‘‘beauty from within,’’ and
even ‘‘oral cosmetics’’.2 This product category is formed
by the intersection of cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals
(Fig. 1).
As a recent result of convergence phenomenon,
nutricosmetics is a blurry area unfamiliar to many
consumers and sometimes even to food and cosmetics
experts. When the first nutricosmetic products were
developed, the objectives were to encourage those who
wanted to drain exceeding fluid to reduce the appearance
of cellulite.3 Today, different types of dietary supplements
have been developed, aimed at different needs of the skin,
both dermocosmetic and dermatologic ones.3 The major
claim is the antiaging effect, reducing the wrinkles by
fighting free radicals caused by solar radiation.3

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Nutricosmetics • T P Anunciato & P A da Rocha Filho
Nutraceuticals Cosmeceuticals
Nutricosmetics
Figure 1 Intersection of nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals
resulting in nutricosmetics (elaborated by the author).
Cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals are more popular
among consumers because these markets are full of
products with such concepts, presented with different
brands and approaches. Cosmeceuticals are the result of the
fusion between cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.4
The term ‘‘cosmeceutical’’ was coined by Albert Kligman5
at National Scientific Meeting of the Society of Cosmetic
Chemists (1984), referring to topically applied products
capable of making changes in the skin status that are not
considered drugs, nor cosmetics, that decorate the skin.
The term nutraceutical was defined by Stephen DeFelice6
as ‘‘any substance that is a food or part of a food that
provides medical or health benefits, including the preven-
tion and treatment of disease’’. DeFelice (1995) cites that
the nutraceutical revolution began in the ‘80s, caused by
clinical studies published in medical journals showing the
benefits of oral intake of calcium, fiber, and fish oil. Since
then, other studies were conducted to describe the potential
benefits of other compounds in food.6
Through consultation at renowned bibliographic
databases, this study presents an overview about
the concept of nutricosmetics, clarifying aspects of the
three areas formed by convergence phenomenon. Fur-
ther, it will discuss about carotenoids and polyphenols,
two classes of ingredients employed as nutraceutical,
nutricosmetic, and cosmeceutical.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are a group of lipophilic molecules including
the major components beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein,
and zeaxanthin.7 While beta-carotene, a provitamin A,
accumulates in the skin providing a ‘‘golden-yellow’’
color, lutein and zeaxanthin accumulate preferentially in
the macula lutea, where they protect the retina against
52
oxidative damage from UV light.7 Thus, these two
carotenoids have been studied in age-related macular
degeneration.8 Recent studies have reported the role of
lycopene against atherosclerosis 9 and the potential in
reducing LDL cholesterol in a similar way of statins in
patients with slightly elevated cholesterol levels.10
Carotenoids present in the skin have an important role
in photoprotection against UV radiation. As a nutricos-
metic ingredient, clinical studies have been conducted to
assess their photoprotective capacity responsible for the
prevention of premature skin aging. In 1996, Gollnick
et al.11 published one of the first studies about the
photoprotection function of beta-carotene. Stahl et al.12
studied the beneficial effects of the ingestion of a tomato
paste 40 mg ⁄ day (lycopene 16 mg), showing the signif-
icant reduction in erythema induced by ultraviolet light.
Recently, a study compared the cosmetic effects of
three groups of treatments with the carotenoids lutein
and zeaxanthin: combined oral and topical; topical
application; oral supplementation.13 According to
results, all treatment groups showed a significant
enhancement of elasticity of skin and the combined
treatment showed a cutaneous hydration more pro-
nounced compared to isolated treatments. The combined
oral and topical administration also provided the highest
degree of antioxidant protection, demonstrating a
synergistic effect of oral and topical approaches.
Mechanism of action
Carotenoids are the most efficient singlet oxygen (1O2)
quencher in biological systems by either physical or
chemical mechanisms, the physical route being predom-
inant (99.05%).14 The energy of singlet molecular
oxygen is transferred to the carotenoid molecule to yield
ground state oxygen and a triplet excited carotene
(Equation 1).14 Then, carotenoid returns to ground
state dissipating its energy by interaction with the
surrounding solvent (Equation 2).14
1
O2 þ CAR ! 3 O2 þ 3 CAR ð1Þ
3
CAR ! CAR þ HEAT ð2Þ
Carotenoids act as ROS acceptors and scavengers of
peroxyl radicals, and consequently, they are able to
interrupt the sequence of reactions that leads to damage
in lipophilic compartments.15
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are among the most abundant antioxidants
in the human diet and are present in fruits, vegetables,
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 Nutricosmetics • T P Anunciato & P A da Rocha Filho

cereals, olive oil, dried vegetables, chocolate, and bever- offered by polyphenols.16 Polyphenols such as ECGC has
ages such as coffee, tea, and wine.16 The most popular been shown to protect against UV-induced DNA damage
polyphenols are the flavonoids, a family composed by and immune suppression, in part through its ability to
flavones, flavonols, anthocyanins, among others. Epide- reduce oxidative stress and inhibit NF-KappaB.18
miological studies present the relation between the An in vitro study showed in a dose-dependent manner
increased nutraceuticals phenolic compounds consump- that the addition of pycnogenol inhibited the NF-KappaB
tion and the reduction of certain types of cancer and factor, a pro-inflammatory component induced by UV
cardiovascular diseases, for example, reviews describing radiation.20 The activation of NF-KappaB is involved
the aspects related to the consumption of red wine in in erythema UV induced, and this is the possible
association with a reduction in coronary heart disease mechanism explaining how polyphenols of pycnogenol
symptomatology.16,17 can reduce the hyperpigmentation caused by solar
Acting as cosmeceuticals, there are an increasing exposure.19
number of studies evaluating the antioxidant effects of
herbal extracts incorporated in topical creams and
lotions.18 Some phenolic compounds, such as epigal- Conclusions
locatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) from green tea, have been
Interdisciplinary activities are evident in the studies
shown to protect against UV-induced DNA damage
presented. Today, pharmacists, chemists, physicians,
and immune suppression, allowing this component to
and nutritionists are working together to develop new
be incorporated in conventional sunscreen formula-
nutritional applications that contribute not only to
tions to boost the photoprotection provided by the UV
disease prevention, but also to provide benefits to skin
filters.18
health. The emergence of the new interindustrial area is
Acting as nutricosmetics, there are studies proving the
the direct result of a new mentality and therefore
effects of the extract of Pinus pinaster (rich in catechin,
demand that the consumer has in respect of products
epicatechin, caffeic and ferulic acids and procyanidins)
intended to promote health and well-being.
on reduction of melasma 19 and UV-induced damage.20
Nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals are most likely to
Administrated orally, the grape seed extract (rich in
be found in databases of indexed journals. They are also
procyanidins) was shown to reduce the hyperpigmenta-
more well established in the market and are often used
tion in women with melasma.21
as adjuvants in conventional drug treatment for pathol-
Epicatechin and catechin cocoa flavonols demon-
ogies or skin conditions. As well as that, they can be
strated photoprotective effects when orally adminis-
used as a single approach for the treatment.
tered. In this study, the administration of a high
Nutricosmetics can be defined as a result of the
flavanol (326 mg ⁄ day) or low flavanol (27 mg ⁄ day)
intersection of cosmeceuticals and nutraceutical, char-
cocoa powder dissolved in 100 mL water for 12 weeks
acterized as oral supplementation of nutrients formu-
was given to two groups of women. UV-induced
lated and marketed specifically for beauty purposes. The
erythema was significantly decreased in the high
concept of nutricosmetic is new and has been the subject
flavanol group, by 15% and 25%, after 6 and
of scientific research more frequently; however, they
12 weeks of treatment, respectively, whereas no
deserve greater attention in relation to clinical studies
change occurred in the low flavanol group. The high
and regulation.
flavonol group also showed increased blood flow of
The antioxidant activity of several compounds is
cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, increased skin
already well established and is often the factor that
density, and skin hydration. Evaluation of the skin
determines their application as cosmeceuticals, nutra-
surface showed a significant decrease in skin rough-
ceuticals, and nutricosmetics, being, therefore, a great
ness and scaling in the high flavanol cocoa group. The
subject of worldwide research. Now, what we need is to
authors suggest that dietary flavonol from cocoa can
explore the effects of these compounds on skin and
contribute to endogenous photoprotection, affecting
appendices parameters.
cosmetically relevant skin surface and hydration
parameters.22
Acknowledgments
Mechanism of action We would like to thank FAPESP and CAPES for their
There is strong evidence about the anti-inflammatory, financial support. We would also like to thank the
antimutagenic, and free radical scavenger activities authors of the articles used for this review.

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Nutricosmetics • T P Anunciato & P A da Rocha Filho
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