If you've looked at an eye-health supplement, you've seen these two names: lutein and zeaxanthin. They're in almost every formula, and they're the ingredients most people are really buying. Here's what they actually are — and the one number to check when you compare products.
This is part of our guide to choosing an eye-health supplement.
What they are
Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids — the same family of natural pigments that makes carrots orange and kale dark green. You get them in the diet from leafy greens, egg yolks, sweetcorn and orange peppers.
What makes these two special is where they end up in the body. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the two carotenoids that concentrate in the macula — the small central part of the retina — where together they form what's called the macular pigment. That's simply a fact of human biology, and it's the reason these two, out of hundreds of carotenoids, are the ones associated with eye supplements.
Why they're in eye formulas
Because the body can't make carotenoids, the amount in your macular pigment reflects what you take in. That link — diet in, pigment measurable — is why lutein and zeaxanthin have been so heavily studied, and why they're the headline ingredients in eye formulas.
Here's where I have to be straight with you, because it matters. In Great Britain, lutein and zeaxanthin have no authorised health claim. There's a large body of research you can read and judge for yourself — but no UK seller is permitted to turn it into a promise on a product page, us included. Anyone telling you these carotenoids will sharpen your sight or protect against eye disease is going beyond what the rules allow. What we can tell you is what they are, where they sit in the body, and how to compare products honestly — which is the useful part anyway.
The one labelling trick to watch for
This is the practical takeaway, and it's the sort of thing that separates a straight label from a flattering one.
Lutein is often supplied as lutein esters — lutein with fatty acids attached. The ester weighs about twice as much as the free lutein it delivers. So a label can say “15mg lutein esters” and sound impressive, when the actual free lutein is around 7.5mg.
Neither figure is wrong — but they're not the same number, and a product quoting the bigger ester figure alongside a rival's free-lutein figure is not a fair comparison. When you compare, compare free lutein to free lutein. A seller who states the free-lutein figure plainly is doing you a favour.
What about zeaxanthin?
Zeaxanthin is the partner pigment — the other half of the macular pigment. It's usually present in smaller amounts than lutein, both in the diet and in supplements, which is normal. A formula that includes a stated amount of zeaxanthin alongside its lutein is giving you both halves rather than just the better-known one.
Our formula, honestly
Our Better Eyes Complex provides 7.5mg of free lutein (from 15mg of lutein esters, stated honestly as the free figure) and 2mg of zeaxanthin — both halves of the macular pigment — alongside bilberry, pine bark, and a full antioxidant spread of vitamins and minerals. Zinc is included at 50% of your daily reference intake, so the formula genuinely contributes to the maintenance of normal vision — the one authorised vision claim.
Read next: our honest look at bilberry, or the full buyer's guide. Or browse our antioxidant range.
Always read the label. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. This article is general information, not medical advice. This product should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and if you take any medication, unless advised by a medical practitioner.
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