Sulforaphane

What It Is

An isothiocyanate from broccoli and broccoli sprouts, and a potent activator of NRF2, which switches on the body's own antioxidant and protective enzymes. Human skin evidence is early and small. In a six-person study, a topical broccoli sprout extract raised these enzymes in skin and reduced redness from narrow-band UVB by 38% on average. In an 18-person oral trial, glucoraphanin (which the body converts to sulforaphane) raised the same enzymes but did not significantly reduce sunburn redness. Promising biology, not a proven sun protector or anti-ager, and never a replacement for SPF.

How to Use

Topical: broccoli sprout extract in serums. The human studies used lab-prepared extracts, so their results may not carry over to a given product. Oral: glucoraphanin supplements or broccoli sprouts; the one oral skin trial used 450mg glucoraphanin daily. No oral dose has been shown to change how skin looks.

Learn More

• Talalay P et al. (2007). Sulforaphane mobilizes cellular defenses that protect skin against damage by UV radiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
• Dinkova-Kostova AT et al. (2007). Induction of the phase 2 response in mouse and human skin by sulforaphane-containing broccoli sprout extracts. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
• Chien AL et al. (2025). Oral glucoraphanin and curcumin supplements modulate key cytoprotective enzymes in the skin of healthy human subjects: a randomized trial. Metabolites
• Di Filippo M et al. (2026). Sulforaphane as a photoprotective agent against UV-induced skin damage and carcinogenesis: a scoping review. J Pers Med
• Science Deep Dives