Tomato seed extract did not outperform placebo for wrinkle reduction
Despite laboratory evidence of enzyme inhibition, the clinical trial found no significant difference in wrinkle reduction between the supplement and placebo groups.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Wrinkle grades improved in the tomato seed extract group, but they also improved in the placebo group. The comparison between groups did not show a statistically significant wrinkle-reduction advantage for the supplement. Laboratory findings offered a possible mechanism to investigate, but they did not establish a visible benefit in the clinical trial.
The abstract does not provide the between-group effect estimate or its confidence interval, limiting assessment of precision. The trial involved a small, specific population, and a nonsignificant result does not establish equivalence.
What researchers found
Wrinkle reduction
Tomato seed extract versus placebo after 12 weeks; both groups improved, and the between-group effect size was not reported.
The comparison determines the result
An improvement within the supplement group cannot by itself show that the supplement caused it. Here, improvement in the placebo group made the between-group comparison essential to interpreting the clinical outcome.
Mechanism and appearance are separate
Laboratory experiments found that the extract inhibited human neutrophil elastase, an enzyme investigated in the proposed wrinkle mechanism. This abstract-based account keeps that biochemical finding separate from the trial's lack of demonstrated wrinkle benefit.
The original publication
Potential of Tomato Seed Extract for Wrinkle Care through Human Neutrophil Elastase Inhibition: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.
Degawa T, Takeda S, Shimizu N et al.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40887286
- Record checked
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