Astaxanthin is classified as a xanthophyll (originally derived from a word meaning "yellow leaves" since yellow plant leaf pigments were the first recognized of the xanthophyll family of carotenoids), but currently employed to describe carotenoid compounds that have oxygen-containing moities, hydroxyl or ketone , such as zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin.
Astaxanthin ຖືກຈັດປະເພດເປັນ xanthophyll (ມາເດີມມາຈາກຄໍາຊຶ່ງຫມາຍຄວາມວ່າ "ໃບສີເຫຼືອງ" ນັບຕັ້ງແຕ່ສີໃບພືດສີເຫຼືອງເປັນຄົນທໍາອິດຮັບຮູ້ຂອງຄອບຄົວ xanthophyll ຂອງ carotenoids), ແຕ່ປະຈຸບັນວຽກເຮັດງານທໍາເພື່ອອະທິບາຍປະກອບ carotenoid ທີ່ມີອົກຊີເຈນທີ່ບັນຈຸ moities, ອຸດຫຼື ketone ເຊັ່ນ zeaxanthin ແລະ canthaxanthin.