Disclosed are: a composition for alleviating ultraviolet irradiation-induced damage, which can be used on a daily based and is stable and safe and a pharmaceutical preparation, a cosmetic and a food composition, each of which comprises the composition. The composition for alleviating ultraviolet irradiation-induced damage contains one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of D-glutamic acid, L-glutamic acid, D-proline, D-cystine, L-cystine, and derivatives and/or salts of the aforementioned compounds. The composition can be used as an external formulation for the skin, a cosmetic composition, an anti-wrinkle agent, a sunscreen agent, a pharmaceutical composition for treating and/or preventing skin diseases, a food composition, or a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating cataract.
