C60 and the skin:
what does the research say about fullerenes in skincare?

Most people who know C60 know it from the bottle: fullerene dissolved in olive oil. Less well known is that the same molecule has been sitting in jars and serums for almost twenty years, mainly in Japan and South Korea. On the ingredient list it appears as Fullerenes. In Europe that use is far less established, and in 2023 the European scientific committee on consumer safety raised critical questions about it.

In this article we set out what has actually been studied: two small human studies, a safety study on skin tissue, the European opinion, and the questions that remain open today. As always with us: no promises, and the sources included.

From Nobel Prize to bathroom shelf

C60 was discovered in 1985 by Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for it in 1996. The molecule consists of sixty carbon atoms arranged like a football. If you want to refresh the basics, see our page What is C60?

What struck researchers straight away is that C60 reacts readily with free radicals in the laboratory. Because oxidative processes play a part in visible skin ageing, the step to cosmetics was an obvious one. In the mid-2000s Japanese companies launched the first fullerene-based cosmetic raw materials, in a water-soluble form and in an oil-soluble form based on squalane. The latter, LipoFullerene, is the variant used in most skin research, and in concept it is the closest to C60 in a plant oil.

What has been studied in humans?

To be fair: we are talking about a handful of small studies, largely by researchers with ties to the Japanese manufacturer. That does not make them worthless, but it does make them preliminary.

The wrinkle study (Kato and colleagues, 2010)

Twenty-three Japanese women of around forty applied a cream to their face twice a day for eight weeks: on one half a cream with C60 in squalane, on the other half the same cream without C60. The study was randomised and double-blind: neither participants nor assessors knew which side was which.

After four weeks there was no measurable difference. After eight weeks the C60 side scored statistically significantly better on wrinkle depth and skin roughness than the placebo side. No serious side effects were reported.

The caveats: 23 participants is few, eight weeks is short, and the C60 concentration was low (278 ppm, in squalane and not in olive oil).

The blemish-prone skin study (Inui and colleagues, 2011)

Eleven adults with acne used a gel containing 1% LipoFullerene for eight weeks. Afterwards the researchers counted on average 37.8% fewer inflammatory lesions and measured a higher skin moisture content.

This study, however, had no control group. Without a comparison with a gel without fullerene, you cannot say how much of the effect is due to the fullerene. We mention the study because it is often cited, not because it proves anything. Acne is a medical condition; anyone affected by it is better served by a GP or dermatologist than by a blog article.

Does C60 pass through the skin?

A 2009 safety study by the same Japanese group tested C60 in squalane on human skin tissue. The researchers found C60 in the epidermis but not in the deeper dermis. In the same study they saw no indications of mutagenicity or of light-induced cell damage.

That is reassuring, but it is one study with one specific formulation. The European assessors did not consider it enough, which brings us to the most important part of this article.

What does Europe say? The 2023 SCCS opinion

The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) advises the European Commission on cosmetic ingredients. In November 2023 it published a final opinion on fullerenes in cosmetics (SCCS/1649/23). The conclusions in brief:

• For pure fullerenes (C60 and C70) the committee could not conclude on safety, because the data submitted were insufficient. A possible genotoxic effect could not be excluded. That is not the same as "proven harmful": it means the data are lacking to decide one way or the other.
• For hydroxylated fullerenes, a chemically modified, water-soluble variant, the committee is stricter: it considers them not safe. This is a different substance from pure C60 in oil.
• The committee also points to open questions about absorption through the skin, impurities and the behaviour of fullerenes under light.

In early 2024 the Dutch public health institute RIVM wrote that fullerenes may be banned from cosmetics in a later regulatory round if manufacturers do not supply additional safety data. The regulation of March 2024, which among other things banned nano gold, nano silver and nano platinum in cosmetics, did not list fullerenes. So the rules are in motion, and anyone interested in C60 and the skin would do well to keep following them.

We believe you should know this before you put anything at all on your skin. A seller who only quotes the wrinkle study and leaves out the SCCS opinion is telling you half the story.

C60 and light: an open question

That C60 can form reactive oxygen under the influence of light has long been known in chemistry. In 2021 a US study (Grohn and colleagues, GeroScience) showed that C60 in olive oil that had been exposed to light became toxic to mice, whereas oil stored correctly in the dark did not. Incidentally, these researchers could not reproduce in mice the lifespan extension reported in the well-known 2012 rat study.

For the bottle the practical lesson is simple: dark glass, dark cupboard. More on this in Why olive oil matters as much as the C60. For the skin the question is harder, because skin is exposed to daylight. The Japanese study on skin tissue saw no light-related cell damage; the SCCS found that insufficiently substantiated. Nobody can answer that question conclusively today, and we do not pretend to.

Olive oil on the skin

The cosmetic products that were studied use squalane as the carrier, a light, odourless oil that also occurs naturally in skin sebum. Extra virgin olive oil is a different story: richer, with a scent of its own, and with a long tradition in Mediterranean skincare. It naturally contains polyphenols, vitamin E and some squalene of its own.

Olive oil does not suit every skin type. On oily or sensitive skin it can be too heavy. So always try a new product on a small patch of skin first, for example on the inside of the wrist, and wait a day.

Important to remember: the results of the Japanese studies apply to those specific formulations and concentrations. They cannot simply be transferred to C60 in olive oil, including ours.

What should you look for if you are considering C60 for the skin?

• Purity and solvents. What you put on your skin deserves the same standards as what you ingest. Ask for a batch-specific certificate of analysis with HPLC purity and a residual solvent test. Why the latter matters so much is explained in Is C60 dangerous?
• Which form of fullerene. Pure C60 is not the same as hydroxylated fullerenes. The SCCS makes that distinction explicitly, and so does a good supplier.
• Packaging and storage. Dark glass, cool and away from light.
• The tone of the seller. Anyone who "erases" wrinkles or "cures" acne is promising more than the research can support.

Frequently asked questions

Is C60 really used in cosmetics?

Yes. It has been used since the mid-2000s, mainly in Japan and South Korea. On the ingredient list it appears as Fullerenes.

Is C60 safe on the skin?

That has not been conclusively answered. Small studies reported no serious side effects, but in 2023 the European SCCS found the available data insufficient to confirm safety in cosmetics.

Does C60 penetrate the skin?

In one laboratory study on human skin tissue, C60 in squalane was found in the epidermis but not in the dermis. More independent research is lacking.

Is squalane a better carrier than olive oil?

Squalane is lighter and is the carrier used in the published skin studies. Olive oil is richer and does not suit every skin type. We are not aware of any direct comparison of the two carriers with C60.

Is the roll-on the same product as the bottle?

Yes, the formulation is identical. Only the packaging differs.