I am writing about this because three women I know, all in their 40s, have recently started taking collagen supplements and the effect has been extremely noticeable. It was one of those things where I saw them for the first time in a while and I said: “My god what have you done to your face, you look amazing!”
Shortly after I had been admiring their skin’s renewed youthful peachiness and bounce, Bobbi Brown announced the UK launch of a range of beauty “ingestibles”, (that’s supplements to you and me), to include collagen. I’m sure you’ve seen it around, it’s called Evolution_18 and it’s on sale at Boots.
Some of you will find the idea of taking “beauty” supplements totally insane and abhorrent, and I am sympathetic. I do love that there is a significant percentage of The Spike’s readership who think that a quick dip in a cold bath and a rub on the old visage of Pear’s Soap is all the beauty regime you need, thanks.
On the other hand, I do also know that others are interested in this. And from my personal experience, these things can make a difference. When I take my ZincoVit and my Vitamin D I don’t get ill. When I can’t be bothered, I get a cold in November and it clears up around March. I have taken Perfectil and watched as my hair took on the gloss and volume of a show pony and my nails turned to adamantium and my skin… well, my skin was still a pile of shit but the bits in between the breakouts seemed perkier.
I was sent a range of Evolution_18 products and to combat gift-bias I sent my friend Charlotte the Beauty Collagen powder and asked for a really honest review. “I do not care,” I said, “if you hate it.” She reported back after two weeks to say that she thought it was a good product, tasted fine, and continued to build on the work her previous collagen supplement was doing. She said she would in theory buy the product again.
The Beauty Collagen Powder that Charlotte tried costs £25 for a tub that will last you 14 days, which works out at £1.78 per day. This is less expensive per day than an equivalent product from Perfectil.
There are also two kinds of collagen pill in the range if you don’t fancy a powder: Beauty Grow (50p per day) and Beauty Glow (50p per day). Both made using “bovine collagen”, which will obviously make it a write-off for any vegetarians and might just sound faintly off-putting to non-veggies, too.
There are also two very significant problems with all kinds of supplements and that is a) the cost and b) remembering to take the damn things. But if you are willing to outlay the cost and take them as you would take medicine, in my experience you are likely to see some effect. If you’re thinking about taking these do read around the subject, though. There are a lot of people who think they do not and cannot work and you mustn’t take my necessarily anecdotal evidence as gospel.
Can only think of Wolverine now. Sign me up.
I am naturally suspicious, can’t help it. But I’m now taking Vit D for anti- winter, and magnesium for menopause sleep disruption and both are having a good effect. It’s not all snake oil.
I’ve been taking grape seed extract for a while as it is supposed to help you build collagen and relieve tired heavy legs by helping with varicose veins. I haven’t noticed a huge improvement in the legs but my face is definitely brighter and less haggard…..and vitamin d and zinc are just winners along with your old lady magnesium for sleep and night cramps……ah …menopause……
I’ve been using Environ skincare for nine months now and I can definitely see improvement. I’m up to the stage where you can use the microneedling roller at home. I have to say it’s quite addictive. It apparently stimulates your skin’s own collagen production. I think it feels different after a couple of weeks. I’ve dabbled in the vitamins but they’re £££ so am having a break from them at the moment. I have found the skincare from Environ is very good, and non-smelly if you don’t like fragrance. Also, the facials involve a full rubber face mask which is fun. It also seems to have mostly destroyed my hormonal late-30’s cystic acne. Hurrah.
I am VERY INTERESTED in this sort of thing. I take Bare Biology fish oil which I really rate for killing off PMS and improving my skin and eyes and I have been eyeing up their collagen power too…
P.S what Vit D do you take?
FWIW I started making bone broth using grass fed beef bones from my local butcher (they ask for a donation for beef bones which I usually offer £5-10). It’s a pain in the proverbial in that it takes 2 days (less in a pressure cooker I think) but is rammed full of collagen. A large batch gives me about a 21 day supply of gelatinised (sp?) broth which I freeze individually in large ice cube trays and pop in a cup of hot water daily. Has helped skin, hair and nails enormously and a far more economical way of accessing extra collagen for those who believe it is important.
Would you share your method for producing the broth please.
I recently started taking collagen for aching hips that was waking me up at night. It might be coincidence but the hips sure definitely less of a problem. I’m still waiting to decide whether there’s a change in hair and skin.
Oh wow. I have this problem. Why did you decide it had something to do with collagen? I have been worried it is something dreadful.
I’ve been taking collagen in various forms for 5 months. Initially as desperate measures for a middle aged (43!) tendon injury. Whether it helped the injury (I think time is the best healer) or not, I have noticed only happy side effects and carried on taking it. My very dry skin is noticeably less scaly – think hands and legs that always need moisturiser. I have very fine hair and now have a 5 month halo of new hair which is novel (now that it’s passed the sticking straight up phase). I only like clipped short nails but they’re definitely stronger.
The brands and forms I’ve trialled are NZ so prob not relevant but have all been bovine collagen. The first lot was a powder but you need to take that on an empty stomach. I very rarely have an empty stomach so that was a bit of a pain. But fine stirred into a small glass of OJ. Then I trialled capsules that didn’t require an empty stomach. But my lord, gag, big gelatin caps. 3x twice daily. No thanks. And now, I’m taking beauty gummies. Chew one twice a day. Not unpleasant and easy to do. I don’t see how there can be as much collagen in them as a scoop of powder say, but I’m happy with the method of ingestion.
Very interested to read about zinc and vit D supplements. We are still enjoying a hot dry summer so no colds yet but I do swear by magnesium for sleep and muscle aches/restless legs. And milk thistle (thank you Esther) for bigger nights on the vino.
“I very rarely have an empty stomach” this is brilliant
Well, I don’t want to detract from the brand – god bless the hustle – but it’s worth noting that collagen supplements and gelatin-as-in-jelly are the same thing at different stages. Collagen peptides are broken down further – essentially pre-digested for you – and therefore don’t clump up in quite the same way, can be taken mixed into cold liquid, etc. Some people do have trouble digesting gelatin, but if someone’s collagen supplement habit is eating into other parts of their budget, a teaspoon of plain gelatin can be stirred into hot tea or coffee and is flavorless textureless etc. so long as your drink is hot. It’s all the same thing once it’s been in your stomach though of course generic supermarket gelatin is from cows with less of a humane pedigree. (I comfort myself that it’s a byproduct and diverts wastes either way).
By the way, this post made me start mixing gelatin into my coffee again, because like many I’m superstitiously washing my hands often to ward off, I suppose, a pandemic, and keeping my hands from getting dry is the best way to keep that habit up. Sugar-free brightly-colored American jello was a beauty secret for nice nails among women a little older than my mother – funny that it’s come back like this
Liri I want to take this opportunity to point out that this was not a sponsored or paid post although I was gifted the Evolution 18 stuff. Not that you’re accusing me of anything, but always worth making totally clear
of course – I definitely wasn’t accusing, I just felt bad using your post to mention that all collagen is a little bit hyped since any gelatin mix will do as far as the effects – but it’s also NOT hype as far as usability because gelatin is more difficult to mix and has more of a gummy unpleasant mouthfeel if you aren’t terribly careful about temperature etc. I hate it when people jump on other peoples’ posts to mention that instead of using a specific face cleansing cloth we could just all wipe our faces off with soggy pine needles or whatever, but I also could not contain myself as this is very slightly my field.
I do really appreciate the reminder that one can just drink some collagen/gelatin by the way as my hands were only getting dryer and more appalling by the day – and of course I’m a nail biter and that’s now a Typhoid Mary-level public health infraction. So keeping down the dry and scraggly bits is key and I do think drinking a half teaspoon of gelatin in a strongly-flavored fruit tea every day turned the situation around pretty quickly.
Am evangelical about CBD oil for people with sleeping problems. Also helps lighten the moods, I suspect by now.