What will I get out of a beauty collagen powder?
What will I get out of a beauty collagen powder?
A beauty collagen powder is a form of collagen supplement sold as a powder that is aimed at delivering cosmetic benefits for your skin, nails and hair. Typically, the powder contains collagen and several other nutrients known to help deliver those benefits, and you mix it with food or a drink to consume it so that your body can absorb those nutrients and make use of them. There are various different beauty collagen powder options, and you can also get collagen supplements in different forms like liquids and pills. But what are the actual benefits you could experience, and is a powder the best possible form of collagen supplement?
Read on for the answers.
What does collagen do in our bodies?
Collagen is a protein that provides structure for many of the tissues in our bodies. It is naturally occurring, fuelled by certain amino acids that trigger collagen synthesis in our bodily systems so that we can maintain the collagen levels we need, but this declines as we age. The decline starts as early as our twenties, but it becomes more of an issue as we approach and enter midlife.
From a cosmetic perspective, collagen is particularly important for healthy skin. Young children have the greatest abundance of collagen, and that is why their skin is smooth, soft, plump, firm and well-hydrated. 90% of the collagen in our bodies is one of type I to V, with the most abundant being type I collagen. This is the one that is most prominent in the skin, providing structure to the extracellular space between skin cells so that the dermis has maximum strength and elasticity. When the levels of type I collagen in our skin begins to reduce, the layers of skin become thinner, losing the ability to hold moisture and also losing structural integrity. Over time, this leads to loose, sagging skin, the development of fine lines and wrinkles and poor regulation of hair follicles.
The simple explanation
Altogether, this is bad news for our beauty. And age is not the only thing that causes our collagen levels to decline. Various lifestyle factors can accelerate that process, such as:
• Too much sun exposure: solar UV radiation is known to reduce collagen in skin.
• Stress: stress takes up the body’s resources that would otherwise be used for things like producing collagen.
• Smoking: tobacco smoke decreases the synthesis rates of type I collagen, negatively impacting our skin.
• Poor diet: failure to supply our bodies with essential nutrients diminishes its ability to synthesise collagen, among other things.
Declining collagen in our skin has become a particularly important focus of the cosmetic industry in recent years, and this is where beauty collagen powder comes in.
What is beauty collagen powder?
As previously mentioned, collagen powder is a type of collagen supplement that comes in the form of a powder. This is usually bought in a tub, and the formulation includes a certain dosage of animal collagen sourced from fish, cows or pigs. This collagen is extracted from collagen-rich parts of the animal bodies such as the skin and scales of the fish or the bones and hides of the cows or pigs. These parts of the animals are usually by-products of the meat industry, so the animals are not slaughtered purely for getting their collagen. To separate the collagen from the animal carcasses, a chemical or enzymatic process can be used.
Once the collagen molecules are extracted, they need to be put through another process before being added to a supplement. The complete collagen molecules are actually a triple helix of amino acid chains and the overall molecular weight is high, meaning it would be very difficult for your body to absorb those amino acids into the bloodstream. By subjecting those molecules to a process called hydrolysis, those amino acid chains are separated from one another to make them more accessible, or bioavailable. We call these smaller molecules collagen peptides, and it is these that are added to beauty collagen powder for you to swallow so that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream and fuel the production of new endogenous collagen (collagen within your body).
What are the benefits of beauty collagen powder?
By triggering new collagen production this way, the tissues in your body that need high levels of collagen will become healthier. This is particularly true if your collagen levels have declined substantially. Beauty collagen powder is often fortified with other nutrients known to help with collagen production, like certain B vitamins and vitamin C, to get maximum results.
With a high-quality supplement, you could start to see improvements in the health and appearance of your skin. Research has shown that this can start happening in as little as 6-8 weeks, at which point you may start to notice:
• A reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Enhanced skin firmness
• Better hydration in the skin
• You may even see improvements in hair health, since the hair follicles are in the skin.
In addition to these cosmetic benefits, you may also notice improvements in joint health, bone density, gut health, energy levels and more. The benefits of collagen supplements for your health and beauty are there to be enjoyed, but there are some things you need to consider.
Is beauty collagen powder the best type of collagen supplement?
There are some very good beauty collagen powder products on the market. But there are some not-so-good ones as well. Some of the first things to consider are the source of the collagen, the method of extraction and the dosage per serving. Let’s look into those things:
Collagen source
Type I collagen is the one you need for the skin benefits. Marine collagen is almost exclusively type I, and it also closely mirrors the structure of the collagen in our bodies. What’s more, marine collagen is known to be highly bioavailable (easy to absorb) and very pure, as fish are less likely to be exposed to contaminants related to farming like GM crops, growth hormones, antibiotics and other nasty chemicals.
Extraction method
Chemical extraction methods for collagen are known to cause issues with contaminating the collagen and even harming the integrity of it. Enzymatic extraction processes are usually safer and less likely to cause contamination or damage. Likewise, not all hydrolysis processes are created even, so look into the methods of extraction and hydrolysis to ensure high purity and integrity of the collagen.
Dosage
Though there is currently no official recommended daily allowance (RDA) for collagen, the research indicates that you will get most of the benefits from a daily intake of 8-12 grams. You will want to find a beauty collagen powder that offers this, but you should know that powders are notorious for not providing a consistent dosage because the various particles of the powder tend to collect in different areas of the tub, so you may not get the same amount of each nutrient every day.
It certainly is possible to get a very good collagen powder supplement, but you need to do your research to ensure the quality is as good as the brand claims. Alternatively, you could look for a different type of supplement for your collagen.
What’s the best alternative to beauty collagen powder?
We believe the best type of collagen supplement is one that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine and offers maximum bioavailability along with a consistent, high daily dose of collagen. These are some of the things we focused on when developing Kollo.
Kollo is our high-quality liquid marine collagen supplement. It comes in daily sachets that you simply empty into a glass of water for a delicious and convenient collagen-boosting drink you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. Every sachet contains 10 grams of premium-grade, pure marine collagen alongside B vitamins, vitamin C and l-lysine for maximum collagen synthesis. The collagen is sourced from aquaculture-farmed fish and both extraction and hydrolysis are done using advanced and clean enzymatic techniques to preserve the purity and integrity. It is flavoured with natural tropical flavourings for a delicious taste.
The reasons we believe liquid collagen supplements are the best are as follows:
• There is nothing for the body to break down, so collagen peptides are absorbed in seconds.
• They allow for a consistent dosage with an abundance of complementary ingredients.
• It’s easy to add to your daily routine – simply mix the solution with water and drink it.
Learn more about Kollo
Kollo has won numerous awards in both the health and beauty industries. It also has over 2,000 positive reviews from verified buyers averaging 5-stars, many of whom have shared their success stories. We have shared these things on our website, along with a page about the scientific research into collagen and a blog that contains information about everything you could want to know about collagen and its health benefits.
If you still have questions, you can get in touch and ask our team anything. We would love to hear from you and will endeavour to give you the answers you seek!