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Beta-carotene

Supplement carotenoid skin & hairimmune
Aka: provitamin A, betacarotene
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, NOW Foods, Swanson Vitamins, Solgar, Natural Factors
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Provitamin A source · HSA lists eyesight, skin, immune
When to take
No timing rule published
Take with
Food · cooking raises its uptake from foods
Pros & cons
Pros
  • The FNB has set no UL for beta-carotene
  • Not teratogenic, unlike preformed vitamin A
  • HSA permits eyesight, skin and immune claims for it
Cons
  • ATBC: 20 mg/day raised lung-cancer risk in smokers
  • The FNB advises against it for the general population
  • Excess turns the skin yellow-orange (carotenodermia)
Sources
  1. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Introduction (provitamin A carotenoids) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Provitamin A carotenoids are plant pigments that include beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin … The body converts provitamin A carotenoids into vitamin A in the intestine via the beta-carotene monooxygenase type 1 BCMO1 enzyme”
  2. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Recommended Intakes (retinol activity equivalents) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “One mcg RAE is equivalent to 1 mcg retinol, 2 mcg supplemental beta-carotene, 12 mcg dietary beta-carotene, or 24 mcg dietary alpha-carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin”
  3. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Sources of Vitamin A: Food (Daily Value note under Table 2) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The DV for vitamin A is 900 mcg RAE for adults and children age 4 years and older”
  4. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Sources of Vitamin A: Dietary supplements (absorption) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The absorption of preformed vitamin A esters from dietary supplements is 70%–90%, and that of beta-carotene ranges from 8.7% to 65%”
  5. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Sources of Vitamin A: Food (bioavailability from foods) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The body might absorb up to 75% to 100% of retinol and, in most cases, 10% to 30% of beta-carotene from foods … Cooking and heat treatment can increase the bioavailability of beta-carotene from foods”
  6. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A (beta-carotene) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Unlike preformed vitamin A, beta-carotene is not known to be teratogenic or lead to reproductive toxicity”
  7. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A (carotenodermia) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The most common effect of long-term, excess beta-carotene is carotenodermia, a harmless condition in which the skin becomes yellow-orange … This condition can be reversed by discontinuing beta-carotene ingestion”
  8. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A (ATBC trial) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “the ATBC trial found that supplementation with a large amount of beta-carotene (20 mg/day), with or without 50 mg/day vitamin E, for 5–8 years increased the risk of lung cancer and mortality … in male smokers”
  9. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A (CARET trial) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “supplementation with a large amount of beta-carotene (30 mg/day) plus 7,500 mcg RAE (25,000 IU)/day retinyl palmitate for 4–8 years in current and former smokers as well as some men occupationally exposed to asbestos increased the risk of lung cancer”
  10. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A (no UL for carotenoids; FNB advice) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The FNB has not established ULs for beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids … the FNB advises against the use of beta-carotene supplements for the general population, except as a provitamin A source to prevent vitamin A deficiency”
  11. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional), “Updated: March 10, 2025”; read via the web.archive.org capture 20260823085737 because ods.od.nih.gov 403s direct fetches — Interactions with Medications (orlistat) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Orlistat (Alli, Xenical), a weight-loss treatment, can decrease the absorption of vitamin A, other fat-soluble vitamins, and beta-carotene, resulting in low plasma levels in some patients”
  12. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), List of Health Claims, rows 61 and 63 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Provitamin A/vitamin A to help maintain eyesight, skin, membranes and immune function • Betacarotene, vitamin A … Beta-carotene, a provitamin A, to help maintain eyesight, skin, membranes and immune function • Betacarotene”
  13. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), clause 4.8 and Table 4 Vitamins Limits (a retinol row only; no beta-carotene row) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5 … Table 4: Vitamins Limits … Vitamin A (retinol) 1.5mg (5000IU)”
  14. HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. 001 (October 2025), Annex A row 107; Annexes A and B checked for carotenoids · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “107. Vitamin A (retinol) Restricted use in HS and TM Maximum Daily Dose … the maximum recommended daily dose should not provide more than 1.5mg (5000IU) [no beta-carotene or carotenoid row in Annex A or B]”
  15. iHerb Singapore — “Beta Carotene Vitamins” category page, default order, 24 results · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “California Gold Nutrition, Vitamin C Gummies with Vitamin A from 100% Beta-Carotene … NOW Foods, Natural Beta Carotene, 7,500 mcg (25,000 IU) … Swanson Vitamins, Beta Carotene … Solgar, Naturally Sourced Oceanic Beta-Carotene … Natural Factors, BetaCareAll®”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.