What Has Been Published, and What Has Not

Research on Skin Carotenoid Readings in General

Optical measurement of carotenoids in skin has been studied for well over a decade by university research groups, including a team at the Yale School of Public Health. Their 2013 review, published in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, discussed skin carotenoid readings as a practical, non-invasive biomarker for use in research settings, in part because it avoids blood draws in field studies.

Mayne ST, Cartmel B, Scarmo S, Jahns L, Ermakov IV, Gellermann W. “Resonance Raman spectroscopic evaluation of skin carotenoids as a biomarker of carotenoid status for human studies.” Arch Biochem Biophys. 2013;539(2):163-70. PubMed

That work concerns an earlier generation of scanner and a research purpose. It does not show that any individual reading is meaningful for an individual client, and the authors themselves noted that diet explains only part of the variation seen. We would encourage you to read the review in full and form your own view.

A Paper on Prysm iO Itself

One published paper compares Prysm iO readings with those of an earlier Pharmanex scanner, the S3, in a group of 97 participants. The authors report a statistical association between the two sets of results.

Riggs M, Knaggs H, Lephart ED, Gibb T, Draelos ZD. Food & Nutrition Journal, 2026. Read the paper.

Please note the funding: the study was paid for by NSE Products, the maker of Prysm iO, and Brigham Young University. It is a study of how closely two measurement methods agree, not a study of whether using the scanner changes what anyone eats or how they feel. The maker cites a margin of around 10 percent in typical use, so a single reading is best treated as a snapshot and the pattern over several scans as more informative.

What We Are Not Claiming

• We do not claim that a Prysm Score reflects overall diet quality or health.
• We do not claim that any product changes a person's score or their wellbeing.
• Where the maker has reported further studies or early data that are unpublished or not independently reviewed, we have left them out.
• We do not offer a score as a reason to start, stop or change any supplement, medicine or diet. That judgment belongs to the client and their qualified professionals.

Awards

Prysm iO has received design and innovation awards. These speak to the product's design and ambition rather than to evidence of benefit, so please read them in that light.

• Achievement in Technology Innovation - TITAN Business Awards (winner page)
• Best of Category, Wellness Insight - Globee Business Awards
• Personal category winner - Good Design Awards 2025 (project page)

Where the Scanner Comes From

Prysm iO is the latest in a line of Pharmanex skin scanners that began with a large laboratory-style instrument in 1999 and moved through the S1, S2 and S3 models, which the company reports reached over 25 million scans in 51 countries. Prysm iO is a new generation rather than a repackaged S3: it scans from a fingertip rather than the palm and relies on a different optical method, while its scoring draws on the earlier research base.