Lutein
Of 2,498 on-market lutein products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 3 mg, and 68.8% list Free (unesterified) Lutein as the primary form.
Form share
Of 2,432 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Lutein on the market today.
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| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (unesterified) Lutein | Tier 1 | 1,674 | 68.8% |
| Lutein Esters (marigold-derived) | Tier 1 | 758 | 31.2% |
Forms we recognize but found no primary-form products for in this release: Lutemax 2020 (branded standardized marigold extract).
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (mg), among 2,088 products with a disclosed amount.
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- 30.9% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (1 mg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 15.5% of products don't disclose an amount because Lutein is declared inside a proprietary blend.
Where does your dose rank?
Enter a per-serving dose (mg) to see exactly how it compares to the 2,087 on-market lutein products with a disclosed amount. The chart above groups doses into deciles; this looks up the exact percentile for one number.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Search interest over time
How often people search for lutein on Google, US only, the last 5 years. This is public interest, not DSLD label data — a spike here doesn't necessarily line up with anything on this page, and Google's own index (100 = that term's peak popularity in the chosen window) is relative, not an absolute search-volume count.
Or see this search directly on trends.google.com.
Forms explained
Free (unesterified) lutein, the usual supplement form in the large AREDS2 RCT (the AREDS2 abstract does not itself state the chemical form); its bioavailability was not shown to differ from esters (Olmedilla-Alonso 2024).
Source: AREDS2 Research Group 2013, JAMA 309(19):2005-2015, PMID 23644932
A 2024 randomized crossover trial found free and ester forms produced equivalent serum lutein response and equivalent visual-outcome measures over 2 months -- esterification does not meaningfully impair bioavailability once formulation is adequate.
Source: Olmedilla-Alonso B et al. 2024, Nutrients, PMC11123982
Branded ingredient reported by its manufacturer to have its own published human RCTs on macular pigment and visual/cognitive performance (brand-specific trials not verified here); functionally an ester-based marigold extract, so evidence tracks the lutein-esters evidence above.
Source: none verified for brand-specific RCTs; see lutein esters (Olmedilla-Alonso B et al. 2024, Nutrients, PMC11123982)
Reference values
- RDA (adult): not established — Carotenoid derived from marigold flower, not an essential nutrient; no DRI exists.
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): not established — Not established -- no IOM/NASEM UL exists. AREDS2 (5-year RCT, 10mg/day lutein + 2mg/day zeaxanthin; PMID 23644932) and its 10-year follow-up (AREDS2 Report 28, Chew EY et al., JAMA Ophthalmol 2022;140(7):692-698, PMID 35653117) reported no safety signal at that dose: lung-cancer excess was confined to the beta-carotene arm (10-year OR 1.82) and not seen for lutein/zeaxanthin (OR 1.15, 0.79-1.66, P=.46).
- Studied clinical dose range: 5–20 mg
- AREDS2 Research Group 2013, JAMA 309(19):2005-2015, PMID 23644932 -- 10mg lutein/2mg zeaxanthin daily x~5yr (median); no significant further reduction in progression to advanced AMD in the primary analyses; lutein/zeaxanthin was an appropriate substitute for beta-carotene, which was associated with more lung cancers (mostly in former smokers). Exploratory secondary analyses (AREDS2 Report 3, JAMA Ophthalmol 2014;132:142-9, PMID 24310343) suggested benefit vs beta-carotene. Dose-ranging support: Bone RA, Landrum JT. Arch Biochem Biophys 2010;504(1):50-55, PMID 20599660 -- 140-day trial (n=87, incl. placebo) of 5/10/20mg/day lutein (as esters): serum lutein plateaued at a dose-dependent level and macular pigment optical density rose linearly with dose.