Apply or swallow: are beauty supplements the new day creams?

Powder that you dissolve in a glass of water, a pill to swallow or a drink with your breakfast: beauty supplements are more popular than ever. More and more women start to realise that an anti-ageing cream is not the promised miracle product against skin ageing, and therefore adjust their lifestyle to give their body and skin extra support. A balanced diet and drinking enough water are important, but beauty supplements can go one step further. They nourish your skin from the within with targeted substances that make up for deficits and thus tackle signs of ageing.

Collagen and co
The list of ingredients in such supplements often includes the same powerful ingredients. Vitamin A, for example, helps alleviate spots and blemishes, magnesium promises to soothe redness, omega 3 targets inflammation and zinc is said to strengthen your hair. Collagen, on the other hand, is indispensable for tackling skin ageing. This structural protein is produced by our bodies and ensures smooth skin. But as we age, production decreases. The result? Your skin weakens and wrinkles and fine lines become more visible. The ageing process starts sooner than you think. Once you reach 25, your skin starts to lose 1% collagen every year. During the first five years after menopause, your collagen reserves even decrease by 30%. External factors, such as sugary foods, smoking and sunlight can speed up the process even more.

Cream or supplement?
To make up for the shortage, you can apply collagen creams. They promise firmer skin, but unfortunately the reality is less idealistic. The structure of collagen is simply too large to be able to penetrate the skin barrier, so your skin cannot absorb the building material. A collagen cream therefore only has a moisturising effect, whereas collagen supplements do seem to be promising. They often contain hydrolysed collagen: collagen that has been cut into small pieces, allowing your body to absorb it. The protein in such a collagen drink can penetrate your bones, tendons and joints and also ends up in your skin. Scientific studies show that it reduces the appearance of wrinkles, increases elasticity and improves hydration. A nice bonus: collagen drinks often also contain hyaluronic acid, an important building block that provides hydration and volume and that is also produced by the body in smaller quantities over the years.

Smart extras
So do we have to stop moisturising? It doesn't have to be this way. Beauty supplements nourish your skin from the inside out, but creams are still important to take care of the skin surface. Smart skincare can provide a boost, by the way. Ingredients like vitamin C and retinol are essential for collagen production, which makes them a bonus to have in your creams.