Lycopene oil and topical use: what the research actually tested

One published human trial has tested a topical lycopene product: a specifically formulated emulgel, applied over 12 weeks, which improved skin hydration and elasticity and reduced redness, melanin and sebum compared with a placebo formulation. That's a single manufactured product tested once, not a general finding about lycopene oils or creams as a category, and it doesn't establish sun protection.

What the one human trial actually tested

A 2022 study developed a lycopene-based topical emulgel — a stabilized gel-emulsion formulation, built specifically to keep lycopene's antioxidant activity intact against heat, light and pH during storage — and tested it on human skin over 12 weeks using non-invasive biophysical measurements, against a placebo formulation. It found significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, and significant reductions in redness, melanin content and sebum, versus placebo. The study authors describe it as the first published report of a lycopene emulgel tested in human volunteers, and the abstract doesn't state how many volunteers were involved. That's one trial of one specific formulation — it doesn't establish that any lycopene oil, cream or lotion on the market produces the same result, since formulation (how well the lycopene is stabilized and how well it penetrates skin) is exactly what the study says is the hard part.

How this differs from lycopene and sun protection

A separate, earlier trial tested oral lycopene — about 10 mg/day for 12 weeks, from either a synthetic source or a tomato extract — against a standardized UV-light erythema challenge, and found less reddening at week 12 than at baseline in all groups (see lycopene benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for the full study). That's a different route of administration (swallowed, not applied to skin) and a different, more controlled measurement (a standardized UV exposure test) than the topical emulgel trial above, which measured everyday skin redness rather than response to a UV challenge. Neither trial measured sun protection factor (SPF), and no topical lycopene product is a substitute for sunscreen.

What "lycopene oil" usually means outside that one study

Most "lycopene oil" or "tomato lycopene oil" products sold for skin use are oil infusions or cosmetic formulations built by individual brands, not the tested emulgel above. None of those specific products has published research behind it; the one trial that exists tested a formulation developed for that study, not a commercially available product.

Questions people ask

Does lycopene oil work on skin?

One trial of one specific formulated emulgel found improvements in hydration, elasticity, redness, melanin and sebum over 12 weeks. That's real evidence for that formulation, but it doesn't generalize to every "lycopene oil" or cream on the market, since none of those other products has been tested.

Is lycopene sunscreen?

No. Neither the oral nor the topical lycopene trials measured or established a sun protection factor, and no topical lycopene product is a substitute for sunscreen.

What about products combining lycopene with saw palmetto or pumpkin seed oil?

That combination shows up mainly as an oral capsule product name, not a topical one, and it's outside what this page covers — no trial has tested lycopene combined with saw palmetto or pumpkin seed oil for any outcome, topical or oral.

Can lycopene oil go in olive oil, or be made at home?

A homemade tomato or lycopene-infused oil is a folk preparation, not the tested formulation described above — no research has evaluated a home infusion's stability, penetration or effect on skin.

Related reading: what is lycopene, lycopene benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, and lycopene side effects.