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Lycopene explained: what it is and its sources

EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) says lycopene is used as a food coloring and supplement ingredient. The NIH (US National Institutes of Health) says it occurs in tomatoes and several other fruits. Two of the products we reviewed list lycopene, and one label prints its amount: 37.5 mg per serving.

By HowNook's Health desk · Updated

Amounts EFSA names
Most lycopene supplements recorded in market monitoring provided 1 to 10 mg per day.
In the products we reviewed
2, 1 print the amount

What lycopene is

  • Lycopene occurs in tomatoes and several other fruits.1
  • Lycopene can come from tomatoes or the mould Blakeslea trispora, or be made synthetically.2
  • Lycopene used as a food coloring is also called E 160d.3
  • Lycopene is used as a supplement ingredient.4

Foods that have it1

  • tomatoes
  • pink grapefruit
  • apricots
  • red oranges
  • watermelon
  • rosehips
  • guava

How much lycopene each product gives

Per serving, as each label prints it, against the amounts EFSA names

EFSA: 1 mg to 10 mg per dose

Amount not printed: the dashed line shows the most it can be, the whole blend

ProstaLiteNot printed · at most 450 mg
TitanFlow37.5 mg

Before you take it

Ask a doctor first

  • The acceptable daily intake for lycopene from all sources combined is 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.2

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. A supplement is not a medicine.

The 2 products we reviewed that list lycopene

ProductForm and servingLycopene per servingOur scorePrice a bottleBuy
ProstaLite#3 in prostate health supportCapsules1 capsuleNot printedIn a 450 mg proprietary blend9.2$49Check price
TitanFlow#5 in prostate health supportCapsules2 capsules37.5 mg9.0$39Check price
Prices checked Oct 11, 2026

Questions people ask

What is lycopene?

Lycopene is used as a food coloring and supplement ingredient, according to EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority). As a food coloring, it is also called E 160d.

Where does lycopene come from?

Lycopene can come from tomatoes or the mold Blakeslea trispora, or be made synthetically, according to EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority).

What foods contain lycopene?

Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, apricots, red oranges, watermelon, rosehips and guava contain lycopene.

How much lycopene can I take per day?

EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) gives an acceptable daily intake for lycopene of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, from all sources combined. EFSA says most lycopene supplements recorded in market monitoring provided 1 to 10 mg per day. Ask a clinician before starting a lycopene supplement.

Which supplements we reviewed contain lycopene?

ProstaLite and TitanFlow both list lycopene. TitanFlow prints 37.5 mg per serving of two capsules. ProstaLite lists it inside a 450 mg proprietary blend, without printing a separate lycopene amount.

Sources

The products, amounts and prices come from each product's label and checkout, as its review shows them. AI drafts our pages from listed sources, figures are checked against them, and we have not tried the products.

  1. 1NIH National Cancer Institute Thesaurus, Lycopeneevsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov/evsexplorechecked
  2. 2EFSA Journal (2026), scientific opinion 9994efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doichecked
  3. 3EFSA Journal (2017), scientific opinion 5064efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doichecked
  4. 4EFSA Journal (2015), scientific opinion 3955efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doichecked