Remarkable images have revealed the ‘invisible glow’ naturally found in the golden tomatoes that power Lycored's new wellness extract, which is designed to help the skin age beautifully.

The international wellness company has teamed up with Craig Burrows, a photographer recently featured in National Geographic for using an ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence technique to capture the hidden beauty of flowers.

He has now applied his technique to fruit for the first time in an exclusive project for Lycored, which can be viewed as part of Nature’s Rainbow on the company’s website at lycored.com/natures-rainbow.

Burrows’ images reveal the hidden wonders of the company’s exotic breed of golden tomatoes, which are verified non-GMO and are rich in nutrients that promote beauty and skin appearance.

These golden tomatoes power Lumenato^TM, a carefully calibrated skincare extract featuring high levels of phytoene and phytofluene – carotenoids that are rare in our foods and have been shown to improve skin appearance from the inside out.

Although phytoene and phytofluene are hard to detect since they are virtually colorless, Burrows was able to reveal their stunning natural fluorescence.

“I was intrigued by the request to photograph golden tomatoes because of the fluorescence of phytoene and phytofluene, which are often-overlooked and ‘invisible’ carotenoids,” Burrows said. “I picked my favorites for the shoot – one with tiny and bright speckles, one with some mesmerizing patterns, and one which showed both red and yellow pigmentation in the skin.”

He added: “I’m pleased with how the shoot turned out. A lot of the time I am photographing for discovery and the hidden beauty of the subject, but this time I knew what I was looking for and found it.”

The golden tomatoes’ natural phytonutrients help the skin age beautifully by maintaining its softness, resilience, and suppleness, and boosting its ability to maintain natural radiance and inner glow.

Zev Ziegler, Head of Global Brand & Marketing, Health, at Lycored, said: “Just as our golden tomatoes have an ‘invisible glow’, we know that immediate skin health and appearance is all about achieving a glow from within. Lumenato^TM has been created to give consumers that inner glow and we wanted to express that visually. Craig agreed to take on this one-off project to capture the hidden beauty of our hero fruit and we’re delighted with the results. As his remarkable images show, the nutrients we love are not only great for your skin but look fantastic too.”

The Nature’s Rainbow ‘digital garden’ on the Lycored website showcases the power of a range of carotenoids, including phytoene and phytofluene.

Ziegler added: “Phytoene and phytofluene are very difficult to see, but we’ve been studying them for several years. We’ve painstakingly created innovative detection methods that help reveal and extract them to ensure the highest quality standards in our products.”

1. Somvichian-Clausen, A ‘Pictures capture the invisible glow of flowers’, National Geographic (2018)
2. Von Oppen-Bezalel, L. et al, ‘The photoprotective effects of a food supplement tomato powder rich in phytoene and phytofluene, the colorless carotenoids, a preliminary study’ Global Dermatology (2015)