Carotenoids increase skin tone attractiveness?

Carrots get their orange color from beta-carotene. When consumed, beta-carotene is absorbed and accumulates in the skin and subcutaneous fat, giving the skin a subtle yellow-gold tone. Researchers call this effect “increased skin yellowness”, informally better known as a “carrot tan”.

A carrot tan is consistently rated as attractive, possibly because it signals current health and micronutrient status.    

This study used software to create controlled versions of the same face. These faces differed only in skin color: higher or lower carotenoid-related yellowness, or lighter or darker melanin-related skin (tanned or genetically darker skin).

Key findings

• Carotenoid-rich skin was preferred over low-carotenoid skin (~86%)
• Melanin-rich skin was preferred over low-melanin skin (~79%)
• Carotenoid-rich skin was preferred over melanin-rich skin (~76%)

Interpretation
These data suggest that very pale skin is generally rated as less attractive. While tanned skin is found more attractive than pale skin, carotenoid-rich skin is considered even more attractive. Pale skin may signal lower health, while tanning may partially mimic the visual effect of carotenoids or mask a low carotenoid status.

Strengths
The study included three complementary experiments and a relatively large sample size.

Limitations
Face variants were created digitally rather than from real interventions. Also, the carotenoid skin tone tested represented an “optimal” hue from pilot testing. It is unclear whether more extreme carotenoid tones would be equally attractive or less attractive. Finally, the participants were predominantly white, the experiment was conducted in the UK, and cultural differences may influence results.

Link to study:
Levefre et al., Fruit over sunbed: carotenoid skin colouration is found more attractive than melanin colouration. Q J Psychol (Hove), 2015