Collagen 101
Collagen is touted as the key to youthful looking skin, but without vitamin C your body can't synthesize and produce collagen.
Whilst collagen is essential for many aspects of our health, the jury’s still out on if it really is a fix-it-all skin savior.
Making up a third of the protein in our bodies, collagen is present in skin, hair, nails, muscles, bones, tendons and cartilage. As the main component of connective tissue, it holds our bodies together - we’d basically fall apart without it. The reason it’s linked to skincare and aging is because collagen is responsible for the plumpness and volume associated with youthful skin. However, while our bodies create it naturally, production slows down as we age.
Many creams, ointments, powders and pills claim to restore our depleted levels, giving us the supple joints and skin of a newborn, but it’s not quite that simple. Collagen molecules are too big to penetrate the skin so when collagen is consumed as a supplement there’s little evidence to prove it will reach your face by the time the molecules are digested and processed by your body. One trial did show that collagen supplements can promote joint health while reducing pain, and another found that it helped stimulate muscle growth in male participants that exercised regularly. These are great findings in terms of health, but the evidence behind the effectiveness of supplementing with collagen for beauty purposes remains shaky.
Vitamin C is intrinsic to the production of collagen in our bodies and without adequate amounts, our bodies are unable to form or store the protein. For this reason, it’s good old vitamin C that can truly help your skin. It has antioxidant properties which also help with wound healing, treating dry skin and limiting damage caused by UV rays.
Unlike collagen, the human body cannot produce vitamin C, so supplements can make a difference. Our SKIN FOOD contains 122% of your daily vitamin C, so you’ll be getting just enough of the collagen producing powerhouse. For external use, TOPICAL-C is a supplement for your face. We’ve tamed this often volatile ingredient so it doesn’t lose its potency by the time it touches your skin. It’s blended with ferulic acid, a plant-based antioxidant, and is activated when combined with your choice of moisturizer, serum or water. The molecules here are small enough to penetrate skin and target blemishes, fine lines and pigmentation, while also promoting collagen synthesis. When we ran some studies, 74% of people saw brighter, smoother skin in 10 days.
There are many other things we can do to keep our skin as healthy as possible. Staying hydrated with plenty of water and water-dense vegetables is essential and breaking a sweat is too, as it’s detoxifying and helps to bring oxygenated blood to the skin’s surface.