Is Drinking Collagen The Secret To A Glowing Complexion?

In this era of Kardashian, collagen has become synonymous with wrinkle fillers and lip injections. But for a group of forward-thinking women (and men!), the protein is the secret behind their glowing, gorgeous complexion—with nary a needle in sight.

Indeed, collagen—most derived from bovine sources and sometime chickens and fish scales—has become the beauty drink du jour (part of a larger trend we’ve been seeing toward sippable products), with everyone from the founder of Bulletproof to Jennifer Aniston herself singing its praises. But is the hype justified?

The lowdown on collagen

Collagen is a fibrous protein that’s a key component of your skin—it helps keep your dermis youthful and resilient (as well as lubricate your joints and, according to some, aid in digestion). It’s also jam-packed with “nonessential” amino acids that are actually pretty important in keeping the body functioning smoothly, like sleep-boosting glycine, as well as the skin, namely proline and hydroxyproline.

Alas, as we age, collagen starts to break down, which is why cosmetic docs use it as a soft-tissue filler to help erase lines—and, yes, give some women Angelina Jolie-esque cheeks and lips.

But unfortunate plastic surgery associations aside, collagen has promising holistic beauty applications. To wit: A recent review found that supplementing with oral collagen peptides significantly increased skin hydration after eight weeks and boosted collagen density in half that time.

For more on why you should actually drink your collagen, read the full article here.