Eye & Vision Material Map — How 640 Notifications Split by Function

October 2, 2026

In short”Materials good for the eyes” is not a category you can design from. Counting the 640 notifications in Japan’s Foods with Function Claims database, the material is decided by the function you want to claim. Macular pigment and blue light belong to lutein and zeaxanthin; focus adjustment and VDT work to bilberry; evening and low light to cassis. And three materials sitting on the same shelf — eyebright, megusurinoki and blueberry — have zero notifications. What you settle first is not the material but which function you will claim.

How the 640 notifications are built

Counting, without duplication, the notifications whose functional ingredient includes an eye material gives 640. The breakdown by combination is the design reality.

Zeaxanthin + lutein — 338 (53% of the total)
Lutein alone — 141
Bilberry alone — 98
Bilberry + lutein — 29
Zeaxanthin + bilberry + lutein — 20
Zeaxanthin alone — 12 / Cassis — 2

Two things follow. First, lutein and zeaxanthin function as a single unit (338 + 20 = 358 used together). Second, bilberry stands as an independent line. Bilberry alone, at 98, is its most common form; designs mixing it with the lutein pair (29 + 20 = 49) are the minority.

The function splits the materials

We counted the functions appearing in the notified wording and cross-tabulated them against the combination used.

Light stimuli / blue light — 396 → centred on lutein + zeaxanthin (303)
Macular pigment — 286 → the same pair, 203. Specific to the lutein line
Eye fatigue — 244 → lutein line 108, bilberry 81. The one place the two lines overlap
Focus adjustment — 173 → bilberry leads with 81, lutein line 42
Eye moisture — 67 → bilberry leads with 29
VDT / near work — 57 → bilberry leads with 31
Evening and low light — 4 → where designs including cassis appear

The structure is clear. Claims about protecting the eye’s structure belong to lutein and zeaxanthin; claims about adjusting and working belong to bilberry. Macular pigment appears only on the lutein line, while VDT work and moisture lean to bilberry. Only fatigue sits in both — which is precisely why it is the hardest place to differentiate.

So a brief that says “we are looking for an eye ingredient” cannot be answered as it stands. Whether you intend to claim macular pigment or focus adjustment changes what you buy.

What to do with the zero-notification materials

We carry seven materials in this field, but the notification record concentrates in four, and three have none.

Lutein 529 / zeaxanthin 371 / bilberry extract powder 147 / cassis powder 2
Eyebright extract powder 0 / megusurinoki powder 0 / blueberry juice powder 0

Zero does not mean unusable. It means they cannot serve as the notified functional ingredient. Using them in a general food, or as part of a formulation, is of course possible. Nor is the research entirely absent — J-STAGE returns 91 papers for megusurinoki (8 from 2020 onward). Eyebright, however, returns one, which is effectively no literature base at all.

The gap between the popular association “blueberry means eyes” and the notification record deserves particular care in design. Blueberry has the stronger consumer recognition, yet as a named functional ingredient bilberry holds 147 notifications and blueberry none. They are different species, with different anthocyanin content and specifications. Keep the claim language and the notified ingredient from drifting apart.

Read the withdrawal rate alongside

Notification counts are cumulative and include withdrawals. Recounting on live notifications changes the view.

Lutein 529 → 344 live (185 withdrawn, 35%)
Zeaxanthin 371 → 244 live (127 withdrawn, 34%)
Bilberry 147 → 74 live (73 withdrawn, 50%)

Half of bilberry’s notifications have been withdrawn. When you build a design on comparable notifications, recount with the withdrawn ones excluded. On live filings alone, the gap between the lutein line and bilberry is wider than the cumulative figures suggest.

Research accumulation is worth holding as a separate measure. J-STAGE paper counts are 1,499 for lutein (141 since 2020), 363 for zeaxanthin (67) and 86 for bilberry (12). Notification count and research volume are not proportional — bilberry carries 147 notifications against 86 papers, while zeaxanthin carries 371 against 363.

The order of decisions

① Decide the function — macular pigment / blue light / focus adjustment / VDT / moisture / low light. This largely decides the material
② Set the component target — 10 mg lutein + 2 mg zeaxanthin, or 43.2 mg bilberry-derived anthocyanins
③ Pin down the content basis — free versus ester for lutein; anthocyanins 36% versus anthocyanidins 25% for bilberry. Leave this vague and the order quantity is wrong
④ Choose the dosage form — lutein is oil-soluble, bilberry a powder. What suits differs between tableting, powder filling and softgels
⑤ Look at comparable notifications with withdrawals excluded — live counts, not cumulative

The individual materials are covered separately — Lutein & Zeaxanthin Guide and Bilberry Guide.

Discussing your requirement

For specifications, samples or a quotation, use the contact form and include the direction of the function you intend to claim and the dosage form. You are welcome to come to us before the material is decided — once the function is settled, the candidates narrow quickly.

FAQ

I am looking for an eye ingredient. Where do I start?

Start from the function you want to claim. Across 640 notifications, macular pigment and blue light belong to lutein and zeaxanthin, focus adjustment and VDT work to bilberry, and evening or low light to cassis. Once the function is settled, the material follows.

Should I include both lutein and bilberry?

In practice that is the minority. Of 640 notifications, 49 mix the lutein line with bilberry, while lutein + zeaxanthin (338) and bilberry alone (98) dominate. Consider it only when you genuinely want both claim directions.

Which line should I use for eye fatigue?

This is the one area where both overlap. Of the 244 notifications touching fatigue, 108 are on the lutein line and 81 on bilberry. Both are used, which also means claims collide here and differentiation is harder.

Can eyebright or megusurinoki be used at all?

Yes, but not as the notified functional ingredient — both have zero notifications. They can be used in general foods or as part of a formulation. On literature, megusurinoki returns 91 papers and eyebright one, so the latter has effectively no base.

Why not blueberry?

It has no notifications as a functional ingredient. Consumer recognition is high, but the notification record sits with bilberry (147). They are different species, with different anthocyanin content and specifications.

Does a high notification count mean an easier filing?

Not necessarily. Withdrawal rates are 35% for lutein, 34% for zeaxanthin and 50% for bilberry. Work from live counts rather than cumulative ones, and exclude withdrawn filings when using comparables.