Increasing & stopping the breakdown of collagen is a major skincare focus of mine. Collagen production slows as you age (about 1% with each year after 21; Shuster et al., 1975) making skin thinner & looser, without the springy quality of youthful skin. ((Sigh))
But I don’t use this product thinking it will boost collagen…it would be great if it did, but there isn’t any scientific evidence that the collagen used in this product will penetrate the skin & increase collagen over time.
A rule of thumb that is often mentioned is that molecules need to be smaller than 500 Daltons to penetrate and be absorbed (a size below 2,000 Daltons is required to penetrate the lipid bi-layers of the epidermis). (A Dalton is a measure of atomic weight of molecules). Normal animal collagen has a molecular weight of 15,000 to 50,000 Daltons. High quality hydrolysed collagen has a molecular size of around 5,000-9,000 Daltons. NOTE: The company says that the liquid plant-derived liquid collagen has a much lower molecular weight than animal collagen. They didn’t provide the actual molecular weight, however. So I can’t say for sure whether it can penetrate. BUT that isn’t to say it doesn’t have ingredients that can have an impact on collagen production and degradation (I talk about this more at the end of the post). So worse case scenario, it will function primarily as a humectant.
Putting the science aside for a second. Bottom line is that my skin looks SUPER plump and healthy when I use this. When I stop using it those effects don’t stick around however. But when I use it, I know my skin will be glowing. And that’s the goal, after all 🙂
How I Use it
I treat this product like I treat Sunday Riley Good Genes. I use it before special occasions, or events where I know I will be dehydrated or when I want some extra glow to my skin. The effect is immediate–skin looks and feels healthy. If you use it 3 or 5 days in a row before an event the effect is amplified. I honestly love it. I don’t, however, love the price ($115) AND how quickly I can go through this 30 mL bottle. This has little micro-algae pearls in it that take up space in the 30mL bottle. So I go through this quicker than other liquid serums. Such a bummer.
How it Applies
This absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave a weird residue. It has also never pilled on me.
So what is in this little bottle of plumping magic?
It has lots of humectants (which help to helps attract and retain moisture and diminish the appearance of fine lines), microalgae oil, niacinamide (powerhouse of benefits, one of which is collagen synthesis), vitamin E (which can reduce collagen degradation), some peptides (ex: Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 which is a messenger peptide for collagen renewal [Lintner et al 2000] and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 which prevents breakdown of collagen) and of course liquid collagen (which I am pretty sure just functions as a humectant that also has a temporary slight film forming effect which may contribute to the plumped, smooth skin).
Full Ingredients (ones I mentioned above are in bold)
Collagen, Water (Aqua, Eau), Propanediol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine, Pentylene Glycol, Dextrin Palmitate, Collagen Amino Acids,Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides, Chlorella Protothecoides Oil, Helichrysum Stoechas Extract, Cylindrotheca Fusiformis Extract, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Adenosine, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Palmitic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Amodimethicone, Homosalate, Polysorbate 20, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Octocrylene, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Beta-Carotene (CI 75130).
This product is formulated without gluten, GMO, binders, waxers, fillers, alcohol, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, triclosan, nitrosamines, synthetic dyes, or mineral oil.
Is there a cheaper alternative to this?
In my opinion… no. Not in ONE product at least. I can achieve the same plumpness if I layer a couple different serums. But I don’t have an individual product that gives the same effect as this with a single layer.
If you really want to boost collagen synthesis here are some ingredients to use: retinol (Kafi et al 2007; Varani et al., 2000), L-ascorbic acid (in concentrations of 5-15%) (Nusgens et al., 2001; Ganceviciene et al., 2012), niacinamide (at 5% or more) (Draelos, 2007), G-HKu (Abdulghani et al, 1998), peptides (Lupo & Cole, 2007; Schagen, 2017) to name a few.
**This product was sent in a PR package. All opinions are 100% my own. **
