Mikronährstoffe in optimaler Kombination aktivieren deinen Stoffwechsel – die Grundlage aller lebenswichtigen Vorgänge im Körper. Für Wohlbefinden und gesundes, jugendliches Aussehen.

Vitamine, Mineralien, Spurenelemente und mehr bringen deine Immunabwehr auf Hochtouren, wirken entzündungshemmend und schützen vor Krankheitserregern.

Schutz vor Entzündungen

Antioxidantien wie Zink, Selen, Vitamin C, E, B2 und viele Pflanzenstoffe wirken entzündungshemmend und schützen deine Zellen vor oxidativem Stress, der Auslöser für viele Krankheiten und das Altern ist.

Basische Mineralstoffe und Spurenelemente unterstützen die Säure-Basen-Balance. Zudem wirken basenbildende pflanzenbasierte Zutaten in Rohkostqualität einer Übersäuerung entgegen, die Ursache vieler Zivilisationskrankheiten sein kann.

Präbiotika, Polyphenole, Aminosäuren, Bitterstoffe und mehr unterstützen deinen Magen-Darm-Trakt und fördern eine gesunde Darmflora – der Schlüssel zu körperlicher und geistiger Gesundheit.

Natürliche Vitalstoffe stärken deine körpereigenen Entgiftungsorgane. Zusätzlich unterstützt Chlorella die Ausleitung von Giften und Schwermetallen. Silizium aus Bambus fördert die Aluminium-Ausleitung.

Energie + Regeneration

Pflanzliche Proteine, Omega-3-Fettsäuren, Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, Spurenelemente und Antioxidantien unterstützen den Energiestoffwechsel, helfen bei der Regeneration und reduzieren Muskelkater.

Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis

Astaxanthin benefits

The benefits of astaxanthin become clear the moment you understand what it actually protects against: the kind of oxidative stress that leaves you feeling drained after a day in the sun or a hard training session. This intensely red plant pigment ranks among the strongest antioxidants found in nature, and the research behind it now spans skin health, eye health, and athletic recovery. Astaxanthin comes from the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, which produces the pigment to protect itself from intense UV light. That same protective mechanism is exactly what makes astaxanthin so interesting for us too.

In this article, you’ll learn how astaxanthin works, what the research shows, how to take it correctly, and what to look for when buying it.

Antioxidant Power

Astaxanthin ranks among the strongest antioxidants nature has to offer. As a xanthophyll carotenoid, it can neutralise free radicals both inside and outside the cell membrane, something more familiar antioxidants like vitamin C or vitamin E can’t do on their own. That reach is what sets astaxanthin apart: it can work almost anywhere in the cell where oxidative stress shows up.

Research into astaxanthin is broad and still growing, spanning skin, eyes, immunity, cognition, and recovery. As with most plant-based nutrients, there aren’t yet EU-approved health claims for astaxanthin, so below we simply lay out what the current evidence actually shows.

Skin and UV Protection

A meta-analysis of eleven studies shows that astaxanthin measurably improves skin moisture and elasticity.¹ In a placebo-controlled study, taking 4 mg of astaxanthin daily for nine weeks made skin noticeably more resilient to UV exposure and reduced moisture loss afterwards. Think of it as sunscreen from the inside.

The same meta-analysis also found a positive trend for wrinkle depth, though it wasn’t yet statistically significant, which makes it an exciting area for future research.

Eyes and Eyesight

Astaxanthin’s effect on the eyes is among its best-studied benefits. A randomised, placebo-controlled trial from 2025 followed children with heavy screen use over 84 days.² Compared with placebo, chronic digital eye strain dropped by 20 percent, and acute symptoms by as much as 27 percent.

Adults show a similar pattern in studies going back to the 2000s: improved accommodation, the eye’s ability to shift focus between near and far, along with noticeably less fatigue after just four weeks. Given how much screen time most of us clock these days, that’s a genuinely everyday benefit.

Cognition and Memory

Astaxanthin is also being studied for its role in mental sharpness as we age. In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial with 96 healthy middle-aged and older adults who reported occasional forgetfulness, twelve weeks of daily supplementation produced measurable improvements across two cognitive test batteries.³ The higher-dose group (12 mg daily) improved on CogHealth test scores, while the lower-dose group (6 mg daily) showed earlier gains on the Groton Maze Learning Test than placebo.

The sample was small, and the researchers themselves urge caution reading too much into it. That’s exactly what makes astaxanthin and cognition one of the more exciting research areas ahead, one we’re following with genuine interest.

Immune System

In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial with 42 healthy women, eight weeks of astaxanthin supplementation produced several positive effects on immune function.⁴ At 8 mg daily, natural killer cell activity rose noticeably. At 2 mg daily, the inflammatory marker CRP dropped significantly while T and B lymphocyte counts increased. Even a marker of DNA damage was lower after just four weeks.

Taken together, that’s a promising picture of how astaxanthin can support the body’s own defences on several levels at once.

Sport and Recovery

A recent meta-analysis shows astaxanthin can significantly lower creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), two key markers of muscle damage after intense training.⁵ For anyone who trains regularly, that translates to a real advantage: faster recovery between sessions.

On direct performance measures like VO2max or time-trial results, the same analysis found no significant effect. Astaxanthin seems to support recovery first and foremost, while any effect on raw performance still needs clearer evidence, an interesting angle for future studies.

Strength and Mobility with Age

There’s also interesting data on muscle strength later in life. In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial with 42 healthy adults aged 65 to 82, researchers combined a supplement containing astaxanthin, tocotrienol, and zinc with a structured interval walking programme.⁶ After four months, the astaxanthin group showed a greater gain in muscle strength, longer training endurance, and a longer distance covered in the six-minute walk test than the placebo group.

Aminosäuren

Antioxidantien

Ballaststoffe

Mineralstoffe

Sekundäre Pflanzenstoffe

Essentielle Fettsäuren

Ungesättigte Fettsäuren

Spurenelemente

Vitamine

Enzyme

Sekundäre Pflanzenstoffe / Antioxidantien / Polyphenole / Flavonoide

Interesting facts about astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a red carotenoid from the xanthophyll family. German chemist Richard Kuhn first isolated related pigments from lobster shells in 1933, then characterised and named astaxanthin as its own carotenoid in 1938. In nature, it’s produced by the freshwater microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, which makes the pigment to protect itself against UV radiation, nutrient scarcity, and high salinity.

You’ve probably encountered astaxanthin more often than you realise: it’s the pigment behind the reddish colour of salmon, shrimp, and flamingos. These animals don’t produce it themselves, they take it in through the food chain.

Astaxanthin Side Effects: What to Know

Astaxanthin is considered safe. The EFSA classes a total daily intake of up to 8 mg as safe, and clinical studies involving over 2,000 participants, some lasting a full year, confirm good tolerability.

At very high doses, a mild, harmless orange-red skin discolouration (carotenodermia) can occur in rare cases. It fades on its own once you stop taking it.

Astaxanthin can have a mild blood-thinning effect. If you’re already taking blood-thinning medication such as warfarin, talk to your doctor before adding astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin Dosage: How to Take It Right

Clinical studies typically use dosages between 4 and 12 mg daily. The EFSA recommends keeping total daily intake from food and supplements combined at a maximum of 8 mg.

Astaxanthin is fat-soluble, so it’s best absorbed alongside a meal containing some fat. This small habit noticeably improves how well your body takes it up.

Buying Astaxanthin: What to Look For

There’s a real quality difference in astaxanthin that a lot of buyers aren’t aware of.

Natural versus synthetic: most astaxanthin sold worldwide is synthesised from petrochemical starting materials and used mainly in aquaculture, for example to feed farmed salmon. For supplementation, natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis is clearly the better choice: studies show higher antioxidant activity, and it’s the form used in human clinical trials. Synergo basis uses exclusively natural astaxanthin from this microalga.

Extraction method: gentle CO2 extraction preserves the sensitive molecular structure better than methods using chemical solvents.

Lab testing: reputable manufacturers back up the actual astaxanthin content and purity of their extract with current certificates of analysis (CoA).

Astaxanthin in Synergo basis

In Synergo basis, astaxanthin is part of our carefully composed algae blend, alongside Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis. As described above, we use exclusively the natural, higher-quality form from Haematococcus pluvialis. A daily serving contains 2.4 mg of astaxanthin.

Synergo basis is far more than a pure algae supplement: astaxanthin works here alongside more than 40 other carefully balanced ingredients, designed for long-term, daily support rather than the high-dose, single-ingredient effect studied in some clinical trials.

Frequently Asked Questions About Astaxanthin

Is the astaxanthin in salmon the same as in supplements?

Chemically, yes, though the source differs. Salmon don’t produce astaxanthin themselves, they take it in through krill and other marine organisms, which in turn get it from microalgae. Supplements like Synergo basis source astaxanthin directly from the Haematococcus pluvialis alga, vegan and without the detour through the food chain.

Is astaxanthin vegan?

Yes, as long as it comes from the Haematococcus pluvialis microalga, as is the case with Synergo basis. Astaxanthin sourced from krill or fish oil, on the other hand, is not vegan.

Can astaxanthin support liver health?

This is currently one of the most active research areas around astaxanthin. In lab and animal studies, astaxanthin activates the body’s own Nrf2 pathway, a key cellular defence system against oxidative stress, and has been shown to protect liver cells from fibrosis and inflammation. That mechanistic groundwork is well documented and makes liver health a promising area to watch.

The human data so far is more mixed: a study in people diagnosed with fatty liver disease showed no significant change in liver markers after 24 weeks, while studies in healthy people showed small, inconsistent shifts in individual markers. Clinical confirmation of the promising basic research is still pending, and we’re following this field with genuine interest.

Can astaxanthin help with cancer?

There’s exciting early lab research, in cell and animal studies, into astaxanthin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in relation to cancer cells, a field with plenty of potential still to explore. Robust human clinical trials, however, are still lacking. Astaxanthin is not a cancer treatment and is not a substitute for medical care. If you have cancer, always discuss astaxanthin with your treating doctor before taking it.

Can astaxanthin help with joint discomfort?

Early clinical studies in people with knee osteoarthritis showed improved pain scores with astaxanthin compared with placebo.⁷ It’s an exciting research area, but astaxanthin isn’t a treatment for osteoarthritis and isn’t a substitute for medical care. If you have ongoing joint discomfort, it’s always worth talking to a doctor.

How quickly does astaxanthin work?

For eye fatigue, study participants reported noticeable improvements after around four weeks. Effects on skin and athletic recovery tend to show up after several weeks of consistent use. As with most plant-based nutrients, consistent, long-term use pays off the most.

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