The beauty and cosmetic industry is a continually high performing market for a reason. Simply put, people want to look and feel sexy, beautiful, cute, and like they’re putting their best selves forward. As we age, our bodies start to lose their natural elasticity and youthful glow. However, there are a few ways that this can be addressed. One of the most popular supplements in the health and beauty industries to address skin, joint, hair, and nail health is collagen.
There are a ton of different beauty and cosmetics products available to the aesthetic-conscious-consumer. And in the modern day, the beauty product market is no longer an exclusively (or heavily dominated) female marketplace. It has become more and more common over the last decade or so for male identifying individuals to also partake and participate in regular beauty routines fueled by beauty products.
This trend accelerated even further in the wake of the pandemic as more and more professionals of all genders were exposed to a work-from-home environment that utilized video conferencing regularly.
This is partially why beauty products like collagen powder have become so popular amongst modern consumers and professionals alike.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in the human body. This protein is also naturally produced by a variety of other animals. In fact, collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and serves a variety of functions.
One of the most well-known benefits of regularly using collagen is its contribution to the health of our skin. This isn’t all collagen is responsible for within our bodies, though. Collagen is also found in our hair, nails, muscles, and joints. Our muscles and joints specifically use collagen as connective tissue, which further highlights why it is important to maintain healthy collagen levels in the body.
As we age, our natural ability to produce collagen begins to decline. In turn, the aspects of our bodies that make use of collagen can feel a little flat, and start to show the signs of age more severely.
As a result, consumers have wanted to find collagen supplements that will effectively boost their internal collagen levels. This has resulted in a whole variety of collagen supplements on the market. It’s worthwhile noting that fish and beef products are typically also very high in collagen. So if you’re looking to boost your internal collagen levels naturally, and you aren’t on a strict plant-based diet, you can increase the number of meals throughout your week that are fish or beef-based.
If a collagen powder or supplement seems easier to implement into your routine, that’s totally fine – but these powders are typically made from beef and fish products. Similarly to how our bodies are more efficient at processing vitamins straight from fruit sources, the same is thought to be true about our ability to better absorb collagen from food, rather than powders.
Healthier and Silkier Skin
One of the main attributes of collagen is that it is extremely moisturizing and rejuvenating for the skin of the human body. People with high collagen levels typically have youthful looking skin that is very elastic, smooth, and silky.
As mentioned earlier, the skin isn’t the only place collagen is found in the body. High collagen levels are also associated with healthier, fuller hair, and stronger, healthier nails as well.
Other Potential Health Benefits of Collagen
Besides the skin, nail, and hair health, collagen is also found in our joints, muscles, and tendons. By taking collagen powder supplements and increasing your internal collagen levels, you can help promote healthy joints and muscles in your body, too.
In some cases, collagen powder or other collagen supplements have even helped tamper acne and eczema.
What About Collagen for Vegans?
There are many modern consumers who follow a vegan or vegetarian based diet for any number of reasons. Regardless of their drive, consumers who follow a plant based diet don’t have many options to supplement their internal collagen levels.
This is because there aren’t any plants that naturally produce collagen. As such, vegans and vegetarians are better off creating a highly nutritious diet that features foods rich in amino acids. The three amino acids specifically associated with collagen production are lysine, proline, and glycine.
Eating a highly nutritious diet provides the body with the elements needed for its own production of collagen.
The Future of Collagen
Like in many industries, the future of collagen supplements is being worked on in the lab. Most notably, there have been experiments revolving around the development of yeast that produces collagen when stressed. A breakthrough in one of these studies could lead to industry-changing-innovations, and truly vegan collagen products.
Collagen is found in abundance within the human body, and people with high collagen levels have healthier, smoother, and well-hydrated skin. If you aren’t following a plant-based diet, and you’re trying to fight signs of aging; a collagen powder supplement could be the perfect addition to your beauty regimen.