Fucoxanthin: A Safer, Anti-inflammatory Alternative to Retinol for Skin Cells
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to comprehensively compare the efficacy, safety, and underlying molecular mechanisms of fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoid, with those of retinol, the gold-standard anti-aging agent, in key skin cell models. The objective was to evaluate the potential of fucoxanthin as a safer, anti-inflammatory alternative to retinol, focusing on retinoid activity, anti-inflammatory effects, extracellular matrix synthesis, and global transcriptomic changes. Methods High-purity fucoxanthin was extracted from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and characterized using spectral analysis, HPLC, and NMR. In vitro assessments in HaCaT keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) included cytotoxicity (CCK-8 assay), gene expression of retinoid targets (RARG, RBP1), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α), and extracellular matrix components (COL1A1, COL3A1, ELN) via qPCR. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) was performed to elucidate differential pathway regulation. Results Fucoxanthin exhibited significantly lower cytotoxicity than retinol in both cell lines. It effectively upregulated RARG and RBP1 gene expression, indicating selective transcriptional activity on retinoid-related targets. Crucially, fucoxanthin potently suppressed LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, whereas retinol showed inconsistent inhibition and even exacerbated TNF-α expression. Conclusion Fucoxanthin functions as a high-efficacy, low-irritancy compound that shares certain functional similarities with retinol, including the modulation of retinoid-related gene expression and stimulation of collagen synthesis, while demonstrating superior safety and anti-inflammatory properties. It delivers comparable anti-aging benefits by stimulating collagen synthesis and engaging retinoid signaling, but crucially diverges from retinol by concurrently activating robust anti-inflammatory and homeostatic mechanisms.
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BibTeX
@article{yuan2026fucoxanthin,
title = {{Fucoxanthin: A Safer, Anti-inflammatory Alternative to Retinol for Skin Cells}},
author = {Jumao Yuan and Lin Lin and Nuo Shi and Zhenzhen Wang and Yuanyuan Feng and Dahai Zhang and Xinwei Wang},
journal = {Natural Product Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1177/1934578x261501917},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578x261501917},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fucoxanthin: A Safer, Anti-inflammatory Alternative to Retinol for Skin Cells
AU - Jumao Yuan
AU - Lin Lin
AU - Nuo Shi
AU - Zhenzhen Wang
AU - Yuanyuan Feng
AU - Dahai Zhang
AU - Xinwei Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Natural Product Communications
DO - 10.1177/1934578x261501917
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578x261501917
AB - Objective This study aimed to comprehensively compare the efficacy, safety, and underlying molecular mechanisms of fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoid, with those of retinol, the gold-standard anti-aging agent, in key skin cell models. The objective was to evaluate the potential of fucoxanthin as a safer, anti-inflammatory alternative to retinol, focusing on retinoid activity, anti-inflammatory effects, extracellular matrix synthesis, and global transcriptomic changes. Methods High-purity fucoxanthin was extracted from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and characterized using spectral analysis, HPLC, and NMR. In vitro assessments in HaCaT keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) included cytotoxicity (CCK-8 assay), gene expression of retinoid targets (RARG, RBP1), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α), and extracellular matrix components (COL1A1, COL3A1, ELN) via qPCR. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) was performed to elucidate differential pathway regulation. Results Fucoxanthin exhibited significantly lower cytotoxicity than retinol in both cell lines. It effectively upregulated RARG and RBP1 gene expression, indicating selective transcriptional activity on retinoid-related targets. Crucially, fucoxanthin potently suppressed LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, whereas retinol showed inconsistent inhibition and even exacerbated TNF-α expression. Conclusion Fucoxanthin functions as a high-efficacy, low-irritancy compound that shares certain functional similarities with retinol, including the modulation of retinoid-related gene expression and stimulation of collagen synthesis, while demonstrating superior safety and anti-inflammatory properties. It delivers comparable anti-aging benefits by stimulating collagen synthesis and engaging retinoid signaling, but crucially diverges from retinol by concurrently activating robust anti-inflammatory and homeostatic mechanisms.
SN - 1555-9475
SN - 1934-578X
ER -