The collagen market continues to increase in popularity, with its market value expected to reach $6.34 billion by 2027. Whether in powder form or as skincare products, people look to collagen for its anti-aging properties. It's thought that the more collagen we have, the plumper and firmer our skin will be.
Even though it's the latest fad, is collagen-infused skincare really effective? It's easy to fall victim to labels that tell you that their solution is anti-aging and guaranteed to turn back the clock on your skin in a matter of weeks. How do you know if these products actually accomplish what they state?
This guide will talk about the effectiveness of collagen-infused products and what types of products you can incorporate into your skincare regimen to accomplish your goals.
Can a Collagen Supplement or Collagen infused Moisturiser Help Your Body Produce More Collagen?
Collagen is a protein that's in our connective tissues, primarily our skin. The majority of collagen is found in our skin's dermis layer. This is the second layer that's right below the epidermis.
The skin cells located in the dermis layer synthesize the collagen that keeps the rest of that layer together. This gives our skin its structure.
Collagen is formulated like a rope or braid. There are individual amino acids that are connected to form chains. These chains bundle together to create a thicker strand.
The collagen strands twist and then coil around one another to create triple helices. The helices will connect end to end and layer on top of one another to form clusters. In summation, collagen is a massive and complex molecule.
So, What Does That Mean for Anti-Aging Skincare?
A cream or serum that's formulated with collagen can't live up to the claims it makes. The big braided molecules are too large to penetrate the layers of your skin. They're also way too big to absorb through your skin to the dermis layer.
Collagen lotions do help moisturise your skin and feel nice, but that's its primary benefit. Your skin might feel smoother and softer, and your wrinkles could look not as prominent, but that's a surface benefit. The lotion isn't helping your skin build up additional collagen.
To navigate the size issue, most lotions and pills that say they have collagen as their main ingredient actually include hydrolyzed collagen. Another term for that is collagen peptides, which are smaller strands of amino acids.
Should I Toss My Collagen-Infused Skincare Products?
Skincare products with extra collagen won't have a major impact on your skin, but they won't do any harm, either. However, there are more effective ways to stimulate collagen production.
The Benefits of Vitamin C for Your Skin
Vitamin C has multiple antioxidant properties and plays a major role in your body's collagen synthesis. It's a vital molecule for the health of your skin. Topical and oral vitamin C products provide countless benefits for your skin cells.
There are high levels of vitamin C in your skin's epidermis and dermis layers, with more being found in the epidermis. You can provide your skin with vitamin C through topical products. Since vitamin C is water-soluble, that means your body can't store it.
Vitamins help your body in a variety of ways, including:
- Protecting against free radicals
- Boosting your immune system
- Preventing scurvy
- Improving collagen synthesis
Topical application of vitamin C will ensure that the nutrient crosses your epidermis layer and gets into the dermis layer, where collagen production happens. Additionally, your body's fibroblast cells require systemic vitamin C to produce collagen. Adding vitamin C to your body will increase the proliferation rate of your fibroblasts and stimulate their DNA repair.
How to stimulate collagen with your Skincare Routine
There are various skincare ingredients that will actually help to stimulate collagen synthesis, that means that your own body actually creates collagen. A great collagen-stimulating skincare routine would include the following:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A (retinol or retinal preferred)
- Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)
- Peptides
As a facialist, a skincare routine that contains the correct concentrations of the above is what I have personally seen achieves the best result over the long term for the purpose of collagen synthesis.
Serums
With serums, they're typically formulated with one or two main ingredients. These primary ingredients will have a higher concentration than what you'd see in other products. This enables the serum to deliver benefits to your skin faster.
Use your vitamin C serum in the morning and Vitamin A in the evenings. This helps combat signs of aging on your skin while also protecting & brightening your skin tone.
You can also look for a serum that includes Vitamin B3, as this will improve your skin's texture, clarity, and tone. It will also target unevenness and discolouration while enhancing your skin's luminosity and radiance.
Lotions and Moisturisers
Facial lotions work as a seal for your skin. They seal in all the previous steps in your skincare routine and ensure you continue to experience your skincare products' benefits throughout the rest of your day.
Moisturisers aren't as powerful as serums are, but adding a vitamin C-based moisturiser can help you to achieve further protection & result. Other types of moisturisers can also include retinol, which decreases the appearance of wrinkles on your skin. You'll also wake up with smoother, firmer skin in the morning.
Exfoliators
Exfoliants are another popular product that can help to increase collagen synthesis. Regular exfoliation helps to speed up cell turnover which begins to slow down as we age. This will help to allow your vitamin C and serums to penetrate deeper into your skin's layers.
The Sunny Skin exfoliation philosophy does not include granular exfoliation as I believe they can do more damage than good for your skin over the long term, I prefer PHAs, enzymes or lactic acid based exfoliators.
Vitamin C is also a natural exfoliant. When it's included in an exfoliating skincare product, it can help boost its power.
Explore Sunny Skin's Products to Boost Your Skincare Routine
While collagen-infused skincare might be all the rage right now, it's a clever marketing fad that will soon pass. Incorporating products that have collagen-stimulating ingredients will give you the benefits that you're seeking.
Check out the Sunny Skin online shop to browse our selection of skincare products.