Lycopene side effects

Lycopene is generally well tolerated at the doses used in research, roughly 10 mg to 25 mg a day. The most documented side effect isn't dangerous: very high, sustained intake — almost always from diet rather than a standard supplement serving — can tint the skin orange-red, a benign and reversible condition called lycopenemia or carotenosis cutis.

Skin discoloration (lycopenemia)

A 2007 case report described a 68-year-old woman who ate about 1 kg of kaki fruit (a lycopene-rich persimmon) daily and developed red-orange discoloration of her palms and soles. Lab testing confirmed elevated lycopene levels. The discoloration was benign — a pigment deposit in the skin, not a sign of organ damage — and it resolved once she reduced her intake. The dietary intake behind that case is far beyond what a typical 10-25 mg supplement serving provides; case reports of this kind almost always involve unusually high, sustained intake of lycopene-rich foods rather than a standard capsule.

Digestive symptoms

We found no dedicated human trial reporting on digestive tolerability specifically for isolated lycopene supplements at standard doses. Carotenoid supplements as a category are occasionally associated with mild stomach upset, but that's a general observation about the category rather than a lycopene-specific, dose-matched finding — worth stating plainly rather than dressing up as more than it is.

Allergic reactions

Reactions are uncommon, but anyone with a known tomato allergy should be cautious with tomato-extract forms of lycopene specifically, since those can carry other tomato compounds along with the lycopene. Synthetic lycopene doesn't contain tomato protein.

What the research hasn't found

Our search turned up no large safety trial in a healthy general population reporting serious adverse events at the doses typically used in lycopene research (10-25 mg a day). That's an absence of reported harm in the studies we found, not the same thing as a formal safety trial designed to look for it.

Questions people ask

Is lycopene safe to take every day?

At the doses used in research — roughly 10-25 mg a day — reported side effects are limited to rare skin discoloration at much higher, sustained intakes. Follow the label directions on whatever product you're taking.

Can lycopene turn your skin orange?

Yes, at very high sustained intake, almost always dietary rather than from a standard supplement serving. It's benign and reverses when intake drops. See the case report above.

What are the risks of taking lycopene supplements?

The best-documented risk is cosmetic skin discoloration at high, sustained intake. We found no evidence of organ damage or serious adverse events at typical supplement doses in the research we reviewed.

Does lycopene cause stomach problems?

We didn't find dedicated research on this for isolated lycopene specifically. If you notice digestive discomfort after starting any new supplement, that's worth mentioning to a doctor or pharmacist.

Lycopene 500 mg side effects — is that a lot?

A "500 mg" label is almost always a blend or extract weight, not 500 mg of actual lycopene — see how much lycopene to take a day for how to read that number. A genuine 500 mg dose of isolated lycopene would be far above anything tested in research.

Related reading: who should not take lycopene, lycopene and medications, and lycopene dosage.