The world’s first Clean and Ingestible Beauty summit was held in early July 2020, with the spotlight on natural ingredients in topical products, and ingestible supplements that are intended to improve our appearance and health from within.

While collagen is currently front and centre as the staple ingredient in many ingestibles, more ingredients are now emerging that can also benefit the skin, hair and nails, thus starting new trends. We are starting to see a greater understanding of the importance of other key ingredients that have synergy with collagen, and can deliver additional beauty benefits.

It is important when considering taking any product to address our health and beauty concerns to not only know that it will be beneficial, but also exactly what it is that we are putting in our body.

We thought that now is the time to look at what makes a safe, effective, ingestible beauty supplement.

Let’s start with the basics:

Collagen

The main types of collagen used for supplements are Type 1, 2 and 3. But how can you tell which type is best for you? We thought we'd break it down for you, so you can see why we use Marine Collagen for our products that target hair, skin and nail health.

Type 1

Type 1 collagen is the main structural element in our hair, skin, nails, bones and connective tissues. So, it makes sense that it is the best type of collagen to take to enhance your appearance. Dermatology research has shown that oral supplementation of Type 1 collagen delivers visible results in the smoothness and density of the skin. 

Type 1 collagen is 100% found in Marine Collagen and is also present in smaller amounts in Porcine Collagen and some forms of Bovine Collagen.

Type 2

Type 2 collagen makes 50-60% of the protein found in our cartilage and joints. As a supplement, it is best for the treatment of joint pain and arthritic conditions, as well as for dietary protein. 

Type 2 collagen is found in Chicken Collagen and Bovine Collagen that is sourced solely from bovine cartilage.

Type 3

Type 3 collagen is the second most abundant collagen in the body and is the most common tissue that has elastic properties such as skin, lungs, intestine and walls of blood vessels. It is also found in the fibrous protein in bone, cartilage, dentin (a strengthening coating on teeth), tendons, and other connective tissues.

Type 3 collagen is found within Porcine Collagen and Bovine Collagen that is taken cow hides.

Collagen sources

Supplemental collagen is obtained from the bones, skin and connective tissue of animals, namely fish, cows, pigs and chickens. Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of each:

Marine (fish)

PROS:

• Better at increasing overall body collagen (Type 1) and boosting skin, hair, nail, and bone health.
• Absorbed up to 1.5 times more efficiently into the body than bovine or porcine collagen because of its low molecular weight.
• Its popularity in nutraceutical products is due to its similarity to the human collagen structure.

CONS:

• Generally more expensive.
• Not suitable for those that are allergic to fish.

Bovine (cow)

PROS:

• Generally easier to source and are incorporated into a wide variety of collagen supplements, largely due to the high accessibility of bovine materials.
• Contains Type 3 and some Type 2 Collagen (unless from cartilage making it Type II), it can be effective for support of skin, hair and nails.
• Bovine collagen from cartilage (Type II) can be highly effective for joint pain and recovery. 

 CONS:

• Not as effective as Marine Collagen in raising overall body collagen levels for skin, hair and nails.
• For safety, bovine collagen should always be from free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free cows (this can make it more expensive).

Porcine (pig)

PROS:

• Porcine Collagen peptides are usually lower cost and are incorporated into a wide variety of collagen supplements, largely due to the high availability.
• Like Bovine Collagen, Porcine Collagen contains Type 3 and some Type 2 collagen, so it can be effective for support of hair, skin and nails.

CONS:

• Not considered as effective as Marine Collagen peptides in raising overall body collagen levels.
• Not thought to be as easily absorbed as Marine Collagen.
• For safety, it should always come from free-range, hormone-free pigs, (this can make it more expensive). 

Chicken/Bovine (if from cartilage) Type II collagen 

PROS:

• Chicken collagen peptides are most effective at supporting cartilage in the body.
• Studied for its role in supporting mobility issues, and reducing pain associated with arthritic conditions.

CON:

• Not effective for reducing the visible effects of ageing in the skin.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for the two enzymes required for collagen synthesis: prolyl hydroxylase (to stabilize the collagen molecule) and lysyl hydroxylase (to give structural strength cross-linking). Vitamin C also helps to increase collagen protein synthesis for the repair of the damaged skin.

Tremella

Commonly known as 'snow fungus' and the 'beauty mushroom', Tremella has a powerful ability to hydrate the skin and maintain collagen density.

While hyaluronic acid holds up to 1000 times its weight in water, Tremella holds about 5 times more water than hyaluronic acid. Modern science has also shown that Tremella can also naturally increase the production of hyaluronic acid in the body.

Therefore, including Tremella mushroom regularly in our diet is a much better strategy for the health of our skin than later supplementing with hyaluronic acid when our production of it declines as we age.