For most people, at age 25 our skin feels youthful, firm, and signs of ageing haven’t made an appearance. However, age 25 is when your body’s collagen production begins to slow down and with that, your skin’s ability to retain its youthful plumpness and hydration diminishes, and fine lines, wrinkles and sagging start to appear. In addition to using quality skin care, what else can be done to prevent these signs of ageing and support the skin from the inside out? Meet your new friend collagen.
What is collagen?
Collagen is a group of proteins found within the body and is the main ingredient in our connective tissue, as well as approximately 80% of the structural component of our skin. Our connective tissue is fundamental to the structure of our body – effectively holding us together via ligaments, tendons, surrounding the arteries and veins, holding our organs in place, and what we mainly look for when taking collagen – improving the appearance of our skin, nails, and hair.
Collagen has become incredibly popular as people see their hair, nails, and skin benefit from taking it. Collagen comes in different forms from unflavoured to flavoured powders that can be added to drinks, or as liquid and capsules.
Is there a vegetarian collagen?
Collagen is always sourced from animal products. It’s a by-product of the meat processing industry. Collagen is usually sourced from marine, bovine, or porcine species. However, if animals are off the menu for you, there are great options for alternative ingredients that support the way the body manufactures its collagen.
Let’s talk top products
When judging the Best of Natural Awards, we looked for collagen products that stood out for ingredient sourcing, packaging, and usability. We had a lot of entrants in the Internal Beauty Category and the competition was tough, but here are our favourite products:
The Winner:
The three judges were really impressed with the holistic formulation, the price, the sourcing of ingredients, and although this collagen is packaged in plastic, it’s easily recycled in New Zealand towns. First – the ingredients. Nutra Organics use a researched form of collagen, Verisol which contains specialised collagen peptides, shown to support the skin to feel noticeably firmer and smoother, not only on the face, but on areas of the body that are prone to cellulite. Verisol has also been shown to support healthy nail growth. It works by supporting healthy metabolism within the skin, which can be negatively impacted by environmental factors like UV radiation and endogenous factors such as hormone balance and nutritional intake.
As well as Verisol, there is extra collagen added (both are sourced from cows from Germany and Brazil, which are treated under the highest animal welfare schemes possible), Horsetail, Camu Camu, and zinc. Horsetail is a herb that is rich in Silica, a mineral, that supports plump and glowing skin. Zinc is a mineral that supports the growth of baby skin cells. Camu Camu is an Amazonian fruit and thought to be the richest source of vitamin C in the world. Vitamin C is essential for the manufacture of collagen as well as making it structurally sound and stable.
Other notable mentions:
One word…
ceramosides! If you’ve never heard of this beauty secret, you’re now in the
loop. Ceramosides are a premium ingredient derived from wheat and are designed
to replace ceramides in the skin. Ceramides are lipid substances that maintain hydration
by forming a barrier. Ceramides help the skin to retain moisture and keep it
safe from irritants and pollutants. If you’re low in ceramides, you might
notice your skin becoming itchy and dry. Ceramosides support the skin by
providing a nutritional form of ceramides that have been scientifically studied
to support the skin’s barrier and moisture levels. Q Silica have combined the
Ceramosides with antioxidant and Vitamin C rich Acerola berry and additional
vitamin C to ensure you get your recommended daily intake. As mentioned above,
vitamin C plays an important role in the natural production of collagen.
Animal lovers rejoice;
this vegan formula will provide your skin nourishment from the inside out and
at just one capsule per day, it’s super convenient too.
If you like improving the nutrition of your daily cuppa, you’ll love this product. Vanilla collagen, flat white anyone? So delicious, and if you don’t drink coffee, the good news is that this fine powder is easily added into any liquid. This marine sourced collagen also has a whopping dose of ascorbic acid to support natural collagen production. Formulated by Two Islands, a New Zealand owned company that uses high-quality and sustainably sourced ingredients, Collagen Beauty Powder is sugar-free, and sweetened with monk-fruit, a natural plant-based sweetener that doesn’t impact blood sugar levels. The judges also appreciated the use of recycled cardboard packaging.
What’s right for me?
The good news is that collagen is a very safe product, so unless you have ethical dietary restrictions that prevent you from consuming animal-based ingredients, you can likely take collagen. If you are vegan, vegetarian, or just don’t like the idea of collagen, the Q Silica Pro Collagen is the one for you.
For more options you can also shop our full Collagen and Beauty Supplement ranges.
Always read the label and use as directed. Vitamins and minerals are supplementary to and not a replacement for a balanced diet.
- Two Islands is distributed by Two Islands, Auckland
- Nutra Organics is distributed by Natural Things, Auckland
- Q Silica is distributed by Synergy, Auckland