There’s no denying that healthy, glowing skin is a major priority for many of us, and the way our skin appears often impacts the way we feel about ourselves day-to-day. It’s worth mentioning that ‘beauty’ is more than skin deep, and having good skin does not define how beautiful someone is. Skin health is also more than skin deep - to best look after the health of our skin we need to adopt strategies that protect it from outside factors (such as UV rays & pollutants) and ensure we provide it with adequate nutrition to rejuvenate and repair from the inside.
When it comes to skin care, topical moisturizers, serums & treatments have become the mainstream mode of care - but, did you know, that a select number of the ingredients in topical skin care have been shown to be as effective if not more effective when taken orally? Let’s take a look at some of these ingredients.
Collagen
What is collagen? Collagen is the most abundant protein in human skin - it makes up 80% of our skin's dry weight. It’s what makes our skin firm by providing our skin with scaffolding and structure that holds things in place. In fact, our skin would literally collapse without collagen!
Collagen production dwindles from age 25 onwards when our bodies stop officially growing. Outside factors like chemicals, UV rays from sunlight, blue light from our computer screen, pollution and smoking all add to this natural decline in collagen production, as can malnutrition, dehydration and excess alcohol consumption.
Open pores, sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles are all signs of collagen loss but all hope is not lost. Studies show that supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen peptides can promote collagen production at the skin level - improving skin elasticity, texture and firmness, while reducing the damage caused by photoaging and other external factors.
When choosing a collagen supplement it is good to know that not all collagen is created equally - you want to be on the lookout for one that contains 10g of hydrolyzed collagen peptides per serve. This helps to ensure the collagen you are taking has been enzymatically processed to produce a low molecular weight product. Whilst this might sound finicky, low molecular weight (ideally molecules that are 2KDa in size - microscopic in nature) collagen peptides are what have been used in the research and are the format of collagen that have been shown to produce results for hair, skin, nails and tendon health.
Hyaluronic Acid
What is hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid is a substance made by specialized cells called fibroblasts that live in the living tissue of our skin. Hyaluronic acid acts like a giant sponge and is responsible for keeping the inside of our skin hydrated by absorbing water from our blood stream to aid the transport of nutrients and promote a dewy glow..
As we age, hyaluronic acid production decreases leaving the dermis or living layer of our skin dehydrated and our appearance old, saggy and dry. Research shows that oral ingestions of 120 mg of Hyaluronic Acid daily can increase skin’s hydration by promoting the production of hyaluronic acid at the skin levels.
Ceramides
What are ceramides? Ceramides are fatty substances that protect and support the integrity of the top layer of our skin - our epidermis. The skin cells that live on the outermost layer of our skin are dead and held together by oils fatty substances like ceramides that live there naturally - kind of like the glue that keeps this outer layer intact.Ceramide production naturally declines with age and as production declines, the skin can lose its hydrated glowy complexion leaving our skin dry and brittle.
In this light, Ceramides are your skin’s natural raincoat - protecting you from the harsh outside world whilst holding things in place and maintaining skin hydration. Science shows that the ingestion of 20mg of a patented ceramide extract (Hydropeach) can naturally increase the amount of ceramides in your skin and improve the skin's barrier function and hydration levels in as little as 20 days.
If you feel confused by the topical beauty world or just want an easier way to look after your skin without all the topical nasties - our New Collagen + Ceramides is for you. It contains 10g of Naticol hydrolysed marine collagen peptides, 120mg of Hyaluronic Acid and 20mg of Hydropeach Ceramides per serve. Each ingredient has been shown to boost skin health when used in isolation - we combined these clinically researched ingredients and researched backed doses to give you the ultimate 3-in-1 beauty ingestible at the price of 1 to help you nurture your outer glow from within.