Zeaxanthin

also: Zeaxanthin (xanthophyll carotenoid)

A yellow-orange pigment found naturally in corn, paprika, egg yolk, and goji berries. Used as a colourant and in eye-health food supplements.

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E161hColour

Zeaxanthin

This is not a permitted food additive in the UK, so you will not normally find it on a UK label.

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What zeaxanthin is, what it does and where you will see it

Why it’s worth knowing. This is not a permitted food additive in the UK, so you will not normally find it on a UK label.

What is it?

Zeaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid, a subclass of the carotenoid family. Its chemical formula is C40H56O2. It is a yellow-orange pigment that occurs naturally in plants, particularly in corn (Zea mays, from which the name derives), orange bell peppers, paprika, saffron, and the berries of Lycium plants such as goji berries. It also concentrates in egg yolk. Commercially it is extracted from marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta) or produced by chemical synthesis using the Wittig reaction.

What does it do?

Zeaxanthin imparts yellow, orange, and red colour to food. Within the human body it accumulates in the central macula of the retina, where it forms part of the macular pigment alongside lutein. The macular pigment absorbs high-energy blue light and acts as an antioxidant, which has led to research interest in whether supplementation can slow age-related macular degeneration.

Where you will see it

In the UK and EU, zeaxanthin is not currently authorised as a food colour additive under the food-additives regulation. It is authorised only in food supplements, where it appears as 'Zeaxanthin' on the label, typically combined with lutein in eye-health capsules or tablets. Internationally, including under Codex Alimentarius, the INS number 161h(i) covers synthetic zeaxanthin for broader food use, so imported products may carry the designation. In naturally coloured foods such as paprika, corn-based snacks, and egg products, zeaxanthin is present as a constituent of the food rather than a deliberate additive.

What the science says

Role in macular health and AMD

Zeaxanthin and lutein are the only carotenoids that accumulate in the human macula. Observational studies have found that people with higher dietary intake or higher blood levels of both pigments tend to have a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A large randomised trial (AREDS2, 4,203 participants) found that supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin did not significantly reduce AMD progression in the trial population as a whole, but participants who had the lowest dietary intake of these carotenoids before the study showed about a 25% reduced risk of progression when supplemented. A 10-year follow-on study continued to show benefit of lutein and zeaxanthin over beta-carotene in the AREDS formulation, particularly for current and former smokers.

The AREDS2 randomised trial found lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation (10mg and 2mg per day) did not significantly reduce AMD progression overall, but participants with the lowest baseline dietary intake showed approximately 25% lower risk of progression to advanced AMD.

2013RCTAREDS2 Research Group, JAMA, 2013 (AREDS2 Report No. 1 and secondary analyses in JAMA Ophthalmology 2013)

Supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin increases macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in RCTs. Six of seven included trials in one review found measurable MPOD increases with sufficient dosing.

2024Meta-analysisAdvances in Nutrition, systematic review and network meta-analysis, 2024

Observational studies consistently report that higher dietary lutein and zeaxanthin intake is associated with lower odds of AMD, particularly late AMD.

2016ObservationalMacular Pigment in Retinal Health and Disease, PMC, 2016

Toxicology and acceptable intake

Multiple toxicology studies have examined zeaxanthin at high doses in animals and humans. A two-generation rat reproduction study established a no observed adverse effect level. Genotoxicity tests were all negative. Human intervention studies at doses up to 20mg per day for six months reported no adverse effects. JECFA (the joint WHO/FAO expert committee) initially set a group ADI for lutein and zeaxanthin in 2006, then raised it to 'not specified' in 2018, reflecting the low hazard profile. EFSA evaluated synthetic zeaxanthin for food supplement use in 2012 and found that up to 2mg per day raised no grounds to restrict it.

JECFA raised the group ADI for lutein and zeaxanthin to 'not specified' in 2018, following reassessment of the two-generation rat study NOAEL at 500mg/kg body weight per day.

2018Regulatory reviewJECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives), 2018 reassessment

EFSA's NDA Panel concluded in 2012 that synthetic zeaxanthin at up to 2mg per day in food supplements did not raise safety concerns, applying an uncertainty factor of 200 to the NOAEL of 150mg/kg body weight per day from the two-generation rat study.

2012RegulatoryEFSA NDA Panel, EFSA Journal 2012;10(10):2891

All in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity assays for synthetic zeaxanthin were negative. Subchronic studies in rats and mice showed no adverse effects at 1000mg/kg per day. A 52-week primate study showed no adverse ocular changes.

2016Lab + animalEdwards JA, Zeaxanthin: Review of Toxicological Data and Acceptable Daily Intake, Journal of Ophthalmology, 2016

Human trials at 20mg per day for up to 6 months reported no clinically significant adverse effects. The most commonly noted effect at sustained high intake across multiple carotenoids is carotenodermia, a reversible yellow-orange skin tinge.

2016RCTEdwards JA, Journal of Ophthalmology, 2016; clinical trial literature reviewed therein

EU and UK regulatory classification

Zeaxanthin holds an E number (E161h) and an INS number (161h) under the international Codex Alimentarius framework, but it is not currently listed in EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II as a permitted food colour additive. This means it cannot legally be used as a food colourant in the UK or EU. It has separate authorisation as a novel food ingredient, restricted to food supplements at a maximum of 2mg per person per day. Any use of zeaxanthin as a food colour would require a distinct authorisation that has not been granted.

E161h (zeaxanthin) does not appear in Annex II of the consolidated EU Regulation 1333/2008 (the Union list of permitted food additives). E161b (lutein) and E161g (canthaxanthin) are listed; E161h is not.

2024RegulatoryConsolidated EU Regulation 1333/2008, EUR-Lex (version updated 2 June 2024)

Synthetic zeaxanthin was authorised as a novel food ingredient in the EU (Commission Implementing Decision 2013/49/EU) and is retained in UK law (FSA Novel-151), permitting use only in food supplements at a maximum of 2mg per person per day.

2013RegulatoryCommission Implementing Decision 2013/49/EU; UK FSA Regulated Products database, Novel-151

The UK FSA approved-additives list does not include E161h. The FSA confirmed that any use of zeaxanthin as a food colour additive falls within the scope of Regulation 1333/2008 and requires separate authorisation.

RegulatoryUK Food Standards Agency, Approved Additives and E Numbers guidance

Where it stands with the regulators

Not a permitted food colour additive in the UK or EU. Authorised in the UK and EU only as a novel food ingredient in food supplements.

Legal basis: Absent from Annex II of assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. Authorised as a novel food supplement ingredient under UK FSA Novel-151 (retained from EU Commission Implementing Decision 2013/49/EU of 22 January 2013).
Permitted foods: Food supplements as defined in Directive 2002/46/EC only
Maximum levels: 2mg per person per day (supplements only)
Safe-intake limit (ADI): JECFA: 'not specified' (group ADI with lutein, 2018 reassessment). EFSA: 0.75mg/kg body weight per day proposed for supplement use (2012 opinion).
History: Synthetic zeaxanthin was authorised as a novel food ingredient in the EU in January 2013, following a 2004 application by DSM Nutritional Products and a 2012 EFSA opinion. It was never authorised as a food colour under Regulation 1333/2008. JECFA set an initial group ADI of 0 to 2mg/kg body weight per day for lutein and zeaxanthin in 2006, then raised this to 'not specified' in 2018 after re-evaluation of the NOAEL data.

Who should be careful

No specific group is required to avoid zeaxanthin at supplement levels authorised in the UK (2mg per day). People taking multiple carotenoid supplements simultaneously should be aware that high combined intakes can cause reversible skin yellowing (carotenodermia). Anyone who notices yellowing of the skin should check total carotenoid supplement intake. Look for 'Zeaxanthin' on the label of eye-health supplements.

The honest read

Zeaxanthin is a pigment that your body already concentrates in your eyes, and the science around its role in macular health is substantial and long-running. The toxicology story is unusually clean: high doses in animals caused no organ damage, genotoxicity tests were negative, and the global expert committee raised the ADI to 'not specified' meaning no meaningful daily limit was needed. The main practical question, whether supplementing adds benefit on top of a normal diet, has a nuanced answer from the AREDS2 trial: the benefit appeared in people who started with the lowest dietary intakes. As a colourant the situation is different: it is not permitted for use in UK or EU foods under the food additives regulation, so if you see it in food products rather than supplements, that product may not comply with UK food law. The science on eye health benefits is ongoing and not fully settled for the general population.

Common questions about zeaxanthin

Is E161h banned in the UK?

It is not banned outright, but it is not authorised as a food colour additive in the UK or EU. It cannot legally be added to food as a colourant under current UK food law. It is authorised only in food supplements, where it can appear at up to 2mg per person per day.

Does zeaxanthin actually help eyes?

Zeaxanthin accumulates naturally in the human macula. The large AREDS2 randomised trial (over 4,000 participants) found supplementation reduced the risk of AMD progression mainly in people with the lowest dietary intakes at baseline. For people already eating foods rich in these carotenoids, the additional benefit was less clear. Supplementation reliably increases macular pigment optical density, but whether that translates to long-term vision protection in people with already-adequate diets remains an open research question.

What foods contain E161h?

In the UK and EU, zeaxanthin is not added to foods as a colourant, so you will not find E161h on a UK food label. It occurs naturally in orange bell peppers, corn and corn-based products, paprika, saffron, egg yolk, and goji berries. In food supplements, it appears on the label as 'Zeaxanthin', usually paired with lutein.

Is E161h vegan?

It depends on the source. Zeaxanthin extracted from marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta) or synthesised chemically is vegan. Some formulations blend zeaxanthin with lutein from marigold extracts, which are also vegan. Check individual supplement labels as some eye-health capsule shells contain gelatin.