What is collagen?
Collagen is one of the most powerful skin ingredients. It's a substance our body produces naturally, it's the building block for hair, skin, and nails, and it's responsible for keeping our skin looking firm and youthful. As we get older, specifically early to mid-twenties, our collagen production slows down! There are many collagen supplements out there both topical and ingestible but for collagen to really benefit you, ingestible is the way to go. For what to realistically expect and how long results take, see our guide on how long collagen takes to work.
How does it work?
Essentially, taking collagen supplements boosts your body's collagen formation, it will encourage skin elasticity, firmness and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It works because you're giving your body the substance that kept you looking young! As mentioned, your collagen formation is on a decline once you reach your early 20s, so by taking collagen supplements, you're giving your body a helping hand to produce more.
Where does it come from?
Collagen is an animal by-product; you'll typically find collagen powders and supplements contain marine collagen (derived from fish) or bovine collagen (derived from the cow). Unfortunately, this means there are no vegan options, but there are vegan foods that support collagen formation. These foods work because they're rich in vitamin C, a vitamin that is known to help support collagen formation. Vegan foods rich in vitamin C include:
- Broccoli
- Citrus fruits
- Papaya
- Lychees
If you don't suffer from allergies or specific dietary requirements in terms of eating animal by-products, you can also support your collagen formation with the following:
- Bone broth
- Eggs
- Liver
- Fish skin
Why take collagen?
Collagen benefits a lot more than just the skin! Collagen is also responsible for joint health, muscle strength and bone density. Depending on your problem area, collagen supplements may benefit your body internally, too.
Maximising results
If you are keen on bringing back your youthful glow, consistency is what brings results. Topical skincare can help with moisture retention and skin hydration, and keeping skin well-hydrated supports its texture, when skin is dry it's less resilient and more prone to fine lines. Pairing collagen with plenty of vitamin C also helps, since your body uses vitamin C to build its own collagen. You can read more about the most powerful skin ingredients here, and in topical form here.
Collagen gummies
Although unflavoured collagen powder is on the market, some people prefer it in tablet or gummy form, the gummies are a much tastier way to get your daily dose of collagen, and they're also more convenient. Haircarebear collagen gummies are here to defy ageing! They contain 1000mg marine collagen per gummy, and have a sweet, natural strawberry flavour. You can find our collagen gummies here.
Combining skin supplements
Collagen pairs well with the basics that support your skin from the outside in: plenty of vitamin C, enough protein, and a good day-to-day skincare routine. You can browse the rest of the range on our Skin collection.
Collagen supplements do work. Think about it, we're just boosting what our body is slowly losing. We're essentially lending our body a helping hand to support skin firmness, integrity and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. The best results are by far shown by taking oral supplements, so if you're starting to notice diminished skin quality or fine lines, start taking collagen today! Your skin will thank you for it. Boosting your collagen production is sure to boost your confidence, too!