Excellent Cosmetic Ingredient

Zeaxanthin

Also known as: EINECS 205-636-4, 3R 3'R Zeaxanthin, 3R,3'R-Zeaxanthin, UNII-CV0IB81ORO, meso-Zeaxanthin (+6 more)

INCI: ZEAXANTHIN

Zeaxanthin (CAS 144-68-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Skin conditioning, antioxidant, colorant (carotenoid pigment). EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in pharmaceutical and food safety data.

View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 144-68-3 →

Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations

CAS Number

144-68-3

View industrial chemical safety profile →

Function

Skin conditioning, antioxidant, colorant (carotenoid pigment)

Safety Rating

EXCELLENT

Chemistry & Identifiers

ChEBI: CHEBI:27547 UNII: CV0IB81ORO Wikidata: Q169337

Regulatory Status

EU EU Status permitted

US US Status permitted

US Notes Permitted — FDA considers zeaxanthin exempt from color additive certification as a naturally occurring carotenoid when used appropriately

For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Zeaxanthin.

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values

1 toxicity value from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).

Endpoint	Value	Species	Route	Duration	Source
NOAEL	=150 mg/kg-day	Rat	oral	-	EFSA

Additional Ingredient Properties

6 property records from structured ingredient metadata.

anti_aging

{"anti_aging_claim": "antioxidant-protection, photoprotection", "mechanism_of_action": "Bioactive compound, specialized mechanism", "target_skin_layer": "epidermis, dermis", "collagen_stimulation": "Mild", "elastin_protection": "Mild", "wrinkle_reduction_pct": "8-15", "clinical_study_duration_weeks": "12", "sample_size": "35", "double_blind": "No", "placebo_controlled": "Yes", "published_journal":…

anti_pollution

{"cas_number": "144-68-3", "ingredient_class": "blue_light_filter", "primary_mechanism": "free_radical_scavenging", "pollution_types_targeted": "blue_light_HEV/UV_A/oxidative_stress", "blue_light_absorption_range_nm": "425-475", "blue_light_protection_factor": "High", "HEV_screening_efficacy_pct": "80-90", "IR_A_protection": "no", "visible_light_protection": "yes", "digital_screen_protection_claim…

antioxidant

{"cas_number": "144-68-3", "antioxidant_class": "carotenoid", "chemical_subclass": "xanthophyll", "molecular_weight_daltons": "568.87", "orac_value_umol_te_per_g": "2000", "dpph_radical_scavenging_ic50_ug_per_ml": "15-25", "abts_trolox_equivalent": "0.82", "singlet_oxygen_quenching": "high", "superoxide_dismutase_mimetic": "low", "hydroxyl_radical_scavenging": "moderate", "lipid_peroxidation_inhib…

cost_pricing

{"cost_tier": "premium", "estimated_cost_per_kg_usd_low": "280", "estimated_cost_per_kg_usd_high": "520", "natural_premium_markup_pct": "0", "organic_certified_premium_pct": "0", "supply_chain_volatility": "high", "primary_source_region": "Mexico", "bulk_discount_threshold_kg": "5", "seasonal_price_variation": "high", "commodity_or_specialty": "specialty", "substitute_ingredients": "Lutein, Carote…

depigmentation

{"cas_number": "144-68-3", "ingredient_class": "combined_mechanism", "primary_mechanism_of_action": "Synthetic or isolated bioactive with melanin reduction properties", "secondary_mechanisms": "Variable", "molecular_target": "other", "tyrosinase_inhibition_IC50_uM": "varies", "tyrosinase_inhibition_type": "competitive", "melanin_reduction_pct_in_vitro": "25-45", "melanin_reduction_pct_clinical": "…

self_tanning

{"cas_number": "144-68-3", "ingredient_class": "instant_bronzer", "tanning_mechanism": "cosmetic_colorant", "color_development_onset_hours": "0.0", "full_color_development_hours": "0", "color_duration_days": "0", "color_depth": "light", "undertone": "warm_golden", "DHA_concentration_if_applicable_pct": "0", "erythrulose_concentration_pct": "0", "pH_dependent_color": "no", "formaldehyde_release_con…

Function Categories & List Membership

Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories

Antioxidant

Expert Verdict

Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Zeaxanthin.

Regulatory Flags

colorant

Known Synonyms

EINECS 205-636-4 3R 3'R Zeaxanthin 3R,3'R-Zeaxanthin UNII-CV0IB81ORO meso-Zeaxanthin beta-Carotene-3,3'-diol (1R)-4-[(1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-18-[(4R)-4-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-en-1-yl]-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaen-1-yl]-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-3-en-1-ol (3R,3'R)-Zeaxanthin (3R,3'R)-dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene all-trans-beta-carotene-3,3'-diol beta,beta-carotene-3,3'-diol

Chemical Function

Antioxidant

Regulatory Lists

Canada; pharmaceutical Canada; pharmaceutical

Cross-Vertical Safety Context

Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical and food safety data.

SOURCE ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS DB_PHARMA CAS match

Pharmaceutical Data

Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.

Compound

ZEAXANTHIN

ChEMBL ID

CHEMBL2359248

Max Phase

Adverse Event Associations

185

View full pharmaceutical profile →

SOURCE EFSA / FDA GRAS food_additives + fda_gras_enriched

Food Safety Data

Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.

Food Name

Zeaxanthin

FDA GRAS

FDA has no questions; some uses may require a color additive listing

GRN

588

Food Category

preservative

For use as an ingredient in baked goods and baking mixes, beverages and beverage bases, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, dairy products analogs, fats and oils, frozen dairy desserts and mixes, gravies and sauces, hard candy, milk products, processed fruit and...

View full food safety profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zeaxanthin safe in cosmetics?

Zeaxanthin has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.

Is Zeaxanthin allowed in the EU?

Zeaxanthin EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Zeaxanthin do in cosmetics?

Zeaxanthin functions as: Skin conditioning, antioxidant, colorant (carotenoid pigment). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 144-68-3.

Is Zeaxanthin used outside cosmetics?

Zeaxanthin also appears in pharmaceutical and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.

Compliance Tools

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Substance Compliance

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MoS Calculator

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