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Piceatannol

Also called 3'-hydroxyresveratrol, passion fruit seed extract, astringinin

By Kymata Labs EditorialMedical review pendingLast reviewed October 13, 2026 · What changed

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Summary

Piceatannol is a resveratrol relative concentrated in passion fruit seeds. Two Japanese trials found 5–10 mg/day for 8 weeks improved facial skin hydration, one of them also wrinkles in 82 women. A 39-person crossover trial found 20 mg/day lowered insulin and blood pressure only in overweight men. Trials are small and short.

Top graded outcomes:D evidence grade Facial skin hydration and wrinkles D evidence grade Skin moisture in women with dry skin D evidence grade Insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and heart rate

Key facts

What it is: A hydroxylated analogue of resveratrol; supplements use passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seed extract^[1][2]
Skin: 10 mg/day for 8 weeks raised facial hydration and improved wrinkle grades vs placebo in 82 analysed women^[3]
Metabolic: 20 mg/day for 8 weeks lowered insulin, HOMA-IR, blood pressure and heart rate in 10 overweight men, not in women or lean men^[1]
No change: Weight, body composition, lipids and inflammation markers did not change in the metabolic trial^[1]
Evidence base: 3 graded human outcomes on this page
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026

How it works

ProposedIn animal and cell work piceatannol activated metabolic pathways such as SIRT1/AMPK, but the human metabolic trial found no change in Sirt1 or p-AMPK in blood cells.^[1]

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome

Evidence at a glance: strongest human evidence per outcome
Outcome	Grade	Effect	Strongest evidence	Rows
Skin	Grade D	Improved	RCT · n = 82 · 2026Form tested: Drink with piceatannol from passion fruit seeds	2 rows
Metabolic markers	Grade D	Mixed	Crossover RCT · n = 39 · 2017Form tested: Piceatannol capsules	1 row

Every graded row

Outcome

Form tested

Sort

Showing 3 of 3 outcomes. Human trials only.

Outcome	Effect	Grade	Best evidence	PMID
Facial skin hydration and wrinkles	Improved	Grade D	RCT · n = 82 · 2026 Healthy Japanese women aged 30–59 Form: Drink with piceatannol from passion fruit seeds · Dose: 10 mg/day · Duration: 8 weeks Stratum corneum hydration rose and wrinkle grades improved vs placebo.	42131241 (opens PubMed)Source [3]
Insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and heart rate	Mixed	Grade D	Crossover RCT · n = 39 · 2017 Overweight and non-overweight men and women Form: Piceatannol capsules · Dose: 20 mg/day · Duration: 8 weeks per phase Overweight men had lower insulin, HOMA-IR, blood pressure and heart rate; other groups saw no benefit; weight, lipids and inflammation did not change.	29057795 (opens PubMed)Source [1]
Skin moisture in women with dry skin	Mixed	Grade D	RCT · n = 32 · 2018 Healthy Japanese women aged 35–54 with dry skin Form: Passion fruit seed extract · Dose: 5 mg piceatannol/day · Duration: 8 weeks Moisture improved in women with the driest skin (subgroup); water loss fell non-significantly; fatigue and perspiration questionnaire scores improved.	29491276 (opens PubMed)Source [2]

Forms

Form	Elemental %	Absorption (human data)	GI tolerance	Studied for
Passion fruit seed extract (piceatannol-rich)	Varies^[1][2][3]Not applicable (whole compound or extract; no elemental fraction)	No head-to-head human absorption data.	No safety concerns reported in the cited 8-week trials.^[3][1]	Skin hydration and metabolic markers (5–20 mg/day)

Studied doses

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 5 mg/day (skin) to 10 mg/day (skin) and 20 mg/day (metabolic markers), each for 8 weeks.^[2][3][1]

These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Interactions

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Medicines

Diabetes and blood-pressure medicinesRCTe.g. insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas; amlodipine, lisinoprilPiceatannol lowered insulin resistance and blood pressure in overweight men, so it could add to these drugs; combined use is untested.^[1]

Who should be careful

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: The cited trials did not enrol pregnant or breastfeeding women.^[1][2][3]
People on diabetes or blood-pressure medicines: Insulin and blood pressure fell in overweight men in one trial.^[1]
Other medicines: No interaction studies exist for anticoagulants, antibiotics, levodopa or chemotherapy.^[1][2][3]

Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.

How to read the label

Check piceatannol per servingPassion fruit seed extracts vary; trials stated 5, 10 or 20 mg of piceatannol per day.^[1][2][3]

Frequently asked questions

Does piceatannol improve skin?

Two small Japanese trials found better facial hydration over 8 weeks, and the larger one also found fewer wrinkles.^[2][3]

Is piceatannol better than resveratrol?

No trial has compared them directly.^[1]

Does piceatannol help blood sugar?

In one crossover trial, 20 mg/day lowered insulin resistance only in overweight men.^[1]

Where does piceatannol come from?

Supplements use extracts of passion fruit seeds.^[1][2]

Sources

[1]The Effect of Piceatannol from Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) Seeds on Metabolic Health in Humans.. Nutrients, 2017. crossover-RCT PMID 29057795
[2]Effect of Passion Fruit Seed Extract Rich in Piceatannol on the Skin of Women: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2018. RCT PMID 29491276
[3]Oral supplementation with piceatannol improves skin hydration and reduces wrinkle severity: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.. Front Nutr, 2026. RCT PMID 42131241

What changed

October 13, 2026 · all · new pageFirst draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for the cited rows.Writer: Kymata Labs Editorial · No credentialed reviewer yet
October 13, 2026 · all · reviewSelf-review pass (strict second read): subgroup-only findings flagged. Drug interactions checked explicitly: diabetes and blood-pressure drugs (listed); anticoagulants, antibiotics, levodopa, chemotherapy (no data, stated).Writer: Kymata Labs Editorial · No credentialed reviewer yet

How we write, grade and correct these pages: editorial and evidence policy.

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