The Science Behind
Carotenoids + Skin Colour
Can what you eat really change the colour of your skin? We looked at human studies on beta carotene, lycopene, astaxanthin and the skin vitamins in our Watermelon Tanning Gummies to understand what the research shows, and where it stops.
Not all colour comes from the sun.
Skin tone is shaped by more than one pigment. Melanin is the one UV light triggers, but carotenoids from your diet also build up in the skin and add their own warm, golden colour.
Carotenoids are the natural pigments that make carrots orange, tomatoes red and salmon pink. When you take them in regularly, a share of them is stored in the outer layers of your skin, where they can be measured with light-reflecting instruments.
That is the idea behind tanning gummies. Instead of darkening the skin with UV, they deliver carotenoids every day so colour can build from within. The research behind this is real, but it is still developing, and it differs a lot between ingredients.
What the evidence currently supports
The clearest human evidence is that carotenoid intake, from food and from beta carotene supplements, is linked with measurable increases in skin yellowness and redness. Astaxanthin has small skin studies with promising results, while most research on lycopene and the skin vitamins looks at other outcomes or uses different forms and doses.
Can carotenoids really change your skin tone?
If carotenoids are stored in the skin, eating more of them should show up in skin colour. Researchers have tested exactly that by measuring skin with a reflectance spectrophotometer before and after changing carotenoid intake.
One of the clearest examples is a randomized crossover trial in young women that compared high-carotenoid and low-carotenoid diets.
30 young women, two diets, one clear difference
In a single-blind randomized crossover trial, each participant ate 7 daily servings of either high-carotenoid or low-carotenoid fruit and vegetables for 4 weeks, then switched to the other diet after a 2-week break.
Skin lightness and redness did not change, while blood levels of beta carotene and alpha carotene rose. Skin yellowness tracked those carotenoid levels, which points to carotenoids rather than sun exposure as the source of the change.
View the published research →This is a different kind of colour to a UV tan.
Carotenoid colour comes from pigment stored in the skin, not from melanin produced in response to UV damage. That is why it can build without sun exposure, and also why it does not protect your skin from the sun.
Small changes in diet showed up in the skin.
A second line of research followed people in everyday life to see whether natural changes in fruit and vegetable intake were reflected in their skin colour.
Over six weeks, changes in fruit and vegetable intake were significantly correlated with changes in skin redness and yellowness. When the researchers looked at which pigment best matched the colour shift, it lined up with the absorption pattern of carotenoids, most closely lycopene, rather than melanin.
The researchers also used these measurements to estimate how much extra fruit and vegetables would be needed for the change in skin colour to be seen as healthier and more attractive by others.
Food studies are not supplement studies
These results come from whole fruit and vegetables, which contain many carotenoids at once. RecoveryX should not claim that its gummies reproduce these exact outcomes, because the forms, amounts and combinations of carotenoids are different.
What happens when carotenoids come in supplement form?
This is where the research gets closer to a gummy, and also where careful wording matters most. Controlled trials have tested beta carotene and astaxanthin supplements on skin, but they used different doses and products, so their results cannot simply be transferred to every formula.
Beta carotene + skin colour
In a placebo-controlled study, men took either a beta carotene supplement or dummy pills for 12 weeks, with facial colour measured and photographed before and after.
Astaxanthin + skin condition
A randomized, double-blind trial gave 65 healthy women aged 35–60 either 6 mg or 12 mg of astaxanthin, or a placebo, every day for 16 weeks.
Astaxanthin + skin texture
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave 23 healthy adults 4 mg of astaxanthin or a placebo daily, with skin assessed after 9 weeks.
Most lycopene skin research looks at UV, not colour.
Two randomized trials gave adults tomato paste providing about 16 mg of lycopene a day for 10–12 weeks, then measured how their skin responded to UV light in a laboratory setting.
These studies are interesting, but they are about the skin's response to UV, not about building colour. They do not make these gummies a sunscreen, and they are not a reason to spend more time in the sun. Always wear SPF.
View the lycopene study →Four supporting nutrients. Four different evidence bases.
Alongside the three carotenoids, every serving contains vitamin C, niacinamide (vitamin B3), zinc and vitamin D3. Each of these has its own research, and not all of it comes from the same kind of study.
Vitamin C
A large analysis of US national survey data looked at diet and dermatologist-assessed skin appearance in women aged 40–74.
Higher dietary vitamin C intake was associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance and age-related skin dryness. This was an observational study of food intake, so it shows a link rather than cause and effect.
View research →Niacinamide (B3)
In a 12-week double-blind study, 50 women applied a 5% niacinamide product to one side of the face and a control product to the other.
The niacinamide side showed improvements in fine lines, uneven spots, redness and skin tone. Importantly, this was applied to the skin, not taken by mouth, so it does not show the same result from a gummy.
View research →Zinc + Vitamin D3
Zinc is an essential mineral the body uses in many everyday processes, including normal immune function and wound healing. Vitamin D is made in the skin with sunlight and also comes from food and supplements.
Both are well-established nutrients, but we do not use them as proof of a tan or a specific skin result. Both servings are also high, so please read the safety section below.
View research →This exact combination of ingredients
There are human studies on individual carotenoids and nutrients, but we are not aware of published research testing this exact combination of beta carotene, lycopene, astaxanthin, vitamin C, niacinamide, zinc and vitamin D3 at these amounts.
That means we do not present the ingredient research as proof of how quickly colour will appear, how deep it will be, or that every person will see the same result.
Ingredient research is not the same as product proof.
Research supports the conversation.
- Carotenoids from food are stored in the skin and are linked with measurable increases in skin yellowness and redness.
- A placebo-controlled trial found a beta carotene supplement made facial skin more yellow and red over 12 weeks.
- Small randomized trials of astaxanthin have reported results on skin moisture, wrinkle measures and texture.
- A simple daily format can make a routine easier to keep up consistently.
Research does not prove everything.
- The RecoveryX gummies themselves have not been clinically tested.
- The gummies are not a sunscreen. They do not protect against sunburn or sun damage, and SPF is still needed.
- We cannot promise how quickly colour will appear. It builds gradually and results vary from person to person.
- Study doses differ from ours. For example, the astaxanthin studies used 4–12 mg a day, while each serving provides 24 mg.
- The product should not be described as treating, curing or preventing a medical condition.
Why we're showing you the limitations
Good research communication should tell you both what a study found and what it cannot prove. Different forms, doses, food sources, participant groups and study lengths can produce different results. A positive trial on one ingredient does not guarantee the same result from every product that contains it.
Where the gummies fit.
RecoveryX positions the gummies as a simple daily way to build colour from within, as part of a sensible skin routine, never as a replacement for sun protection.
SPF every day
Keep wearing sunscreen outdoors. The gummies build colour, they don't block the sun.
Two gummies daily
Take two at any time of day and stick to the serving.
Colourful food
Fruit and vegetables add their own carotenoids to the mix.
Hydration
Drink enough water through the day to support everyday skin comfort.
Top up when you want
Many people add a self-tan before an event on top of their everyday base colour.
Consistency
Carotenoid colour builds gradually, so the routine matters most when it is easy to repeat.
Supplements aren't right for everyone.
Several nutrients in these gummies are provided at levels well above typical daily needs. That makes it especially important to stick to two gummies a day and to check the points below before you start.
What the research really tells us.
Carotenoids are stored in the skin, and higher intake is linked with measurable increases in skin yellowness and redness in human studies.
A placebo-controlled trial found beta carotene supplements made facial skin more golden, but the dose and product differed from these gummies.
Astaxanthin has small randomized trials on skin moisture, wrinkle measures and texture, mostly funded by ingredient manufacturers.
Most lycopene skin research looks at UV response rather than colour, and none of it makes these gummies a sunscreen.
The exact RecoveryX formula has not been clinically tested, so ingredient research should be treated as context, not as proof of guaranteed results.
The gummies make the most sense as a simple daily step in a routine that always includes SPF, a varied diet and consistency.
Three carotenoids. Four skin vitamins. Two gummies a day.
A sour watermelon format designed to build a warm, golden colour from within, alongside the SPF you already wear.
Research & evidence references
- Pezdirc K, Hutchesson MJ, Williams RL, et al. Consuming High-Carotenoid Fruit and Vegetables Influences Skin Yellowness and Plasma Carotenoids in Young Women: A Single-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016. PubMed
- Whitehead RD, Re D, Xiao D, Ozakinci G, Perrett DI. You are what you eat: within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin-color changes. PLoS ONE. 2012. PubMed
- Foo YZ, Rhodes G, Simmons LW. The carotenoid beta-carotene enhances facial color, attractiveness and perceived health, but not actual health, in humans. Behavioral Ecology. 2017. Journal
- Tominaga K, Hongo N, Fujishita M, et al. Protective effects of astaxanthin on skin deterioration. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition. 2017. PubMed
- Ito N, Seki S, Ueda F. The Protective Role of Astaxanthin for UV-Induced Skin Deterioration in Healthy People: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2018. PubMed
- Stahl W, Heinrich U, Wiseman S, et al. Dietary tomato paste protects against ultraviolet light-induced erythema in humans. Journal of Nutrition. 2001. PubMed
- Rizwan M, Rodriguez-Blanco I, Harbottle A, et al. Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Dermatology. 2011. PubMed
- Cosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, et al. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007. PubMed
- Bissett DL, Oblong JE, Berge CA. Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance. Dermatologic Surgery. 2005. PubMed
- The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group. The effect of vitamin E and beta carotene on the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers in male smokers. New England Journal of Medicine. 1994. PubMed
- Omenn GS, Goodman GE, Thornquist MD, et al. Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 1996. PubMed
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
The studies referenced above investigated specific foods, ingredients, doses and populations. They were not clinical trials of RecoveryX Watermelon Tanning Gummies. Results from ingredient studies cannot be assumed to occur with this exact product or in every individual.