Astaxanthin is most often extracted from the marine microalgae haematococcus pluvialis, the richest known source for this natural pigment. Astaxanthin has superb antioxidant properties. Its antioxidant potential has been reported to be is 550 times more effective than vitamin E, and it prevents UVA induced skin cancer. Furthermore, astaxanthin protects the skin from dangerous free radicals and reduce wrinkle & freckles.