Optimise your natural collagen production

In partnership with Romilly Wilde

The key to skin health lies within you already: here’s how to optimise your natural collagen production

Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in our body that provides structure, elasticity, and strength to our skin, hair, nails, and joints. As we age, our body's collagen production decreases, leading to signs of ageing such as wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of elasticity.

To maintain a healthy, youthful appearance for longer, many people look to boost their own collagen supply with ingestible collagen or topical collagen. However, our favourite method is to use collagen-boosting ingredients which can be eaten or used on the skin to help stimulate your natural collagen production.  

The best ingredients to boost collagen  

Collagen-boosting ingredients help to promote the production of collagen in the body by stimulating the fibroblast cells in the skin to produce more collagen. One of the main benefits of collagen-boosting ingredients in skincare is that they help to improve the overall health of the skin long-term.

These ingredients not only help to boost collagen production but also help to improve skin texture, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promote a more even skin tone.

Remember that our bodies naturally synthesise collagen, if given the proper tools. While a plant-based diet cannot directly provide collagen, the right choice of foods can promote the body's ability to produce its own collagen.

What to eat for healthy skin:   

• Eat inflammation fighting foods like turmeric; the active ingredient curcumin is extremely effective at lowering inflammation throughout the body
• Eat berries and citrus fruits high in Vitamin C, which plays a major role in the production of pro-collagen, the body’s precursor to collagen
• Eat protein-rich foods: for vegans, this means lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, wild rice, pistachios, almonds, chia seeds, broccoli and asparagus
• Eat foods high in beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A (retinol) to promote youthful skin for longer: look to carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes and green leafy veg Avoid sugar and refined carbs which can damage collagen

Does topical collagen in skincare work? Collagen serums and creams typically contain hydrolysed collagen, which is broken down into smaller molecules that can penetrate the skin's surface. While topical collagen can provide short-term benefits, such as improved skin hydration and plumpness, collagen molecules are too large to fully integrate into the skin's natural collagen network meaning topical collagen can have limited effectiveness in terms of long-term collagen production and skin rejuvenation.

Do collagen supplements and powders work?  

Ingestible collagen is a form of collagen supplementation that involves taking collagen supplements orally, either as a liquid drink, powder or capsules. These are often derived from animal sources, typically cows or fish (bovine or marine collagen), and aim to improve skin, hair and nail health.

The supposed benefit of ingestible collagen is that it’s a convenient and easy way to boost collagen production in the body. However, ingestible collagen may not be well-absorbed by the body, due to the digestive system breaking it down into its component amino acids, which may limit its effectiveness. The truth is, there’s limited clinical evidence to show that eating collagen can significantly and definitively impact collagen levels in the body.

“As we already know, when we age, we produce less collagen. Not only does this affect our skin (the largest organ in our body and our first line of defence against infection), but it also contributes to hidden health issues like joint pain, reduced flexibility and decreased muscle mass and strength”, says Helen Snook, Indi founder. “That isn’t to say that we have no control over how we age: our bodies naturally produce collagen by combining amino acids from the protein-rich foods we consume, so by eating the right things and taking the right supplements to fill the nutritional gaps, our diet can very much be used as a tool to help reverse, prevent and repair skin ageing.”

Dr Federica Amati, Chief Scientist for Indi adds, “Ingestible collagen isn’t a magic product. First and foremost, skin health is about a healthy diet packed full of polyphenols which can be found in cherries, blueberries, cocoa powder and mushrooms—all foods that you can find in our supplement range! Polyphenols are rich in antioxidants that slow down ageing and the appearance of wrinkles, and are a much more well-studied and proven method of maintaining and restoring youthful skin from the inside-out.”

Start from the inside out 

Sometimes a variety of foods is hard to get consistently from your diet, so that’s where our supplements come in.

Tone and Build 

Superfood Plant Proteins - These delicious cocoa and berry formulas combine two plant proteins (chickpea and yellow pea) to deliver a complete amino acid profile for the body to synthesise into collagen. Tone delivers 20g of plant protein per serving, while Build delivers 23g, offering you two options to support your activity level and goals.

Rest 

Natural Sleep Remedy - During sleep, the body goes through an essential process of repair and regeneration, including the production of collagen. Since lack of sleep can disrupt this process and lead to decreased collagen production, Rest uses a powerful blend of naturally sedative foods, plant extracts and adaptogens to help ease anxiety so that you can drift off into a deep and restful sleep. 

Body

Daily Health Enhancer - Indi’s hero superfood supplement offers a comprehensive blend of nutrient-rich plants that include prebiotics, probiotics, Vitamin C, antioxidants and beta-carotene. By boosting gut health, targeting inflammation and restoring balance to mood, not only will your skin health improve, but you’ll feel energised with stronger immunity and better digestion—a combination that’s guaranteed to make you glow from the inside-out in just 7 days.  

Romilly Wilde’s Collagen-Boosting Skincare

Indi customers shop with 25% off using code INDI25

Romilly Wilde’s approach to stimulating collagen levels lies in their clinical formulas. Every single product in their skin system has been meticulously designed to work in synergy with one another for immediate and cumulative results. You can find a collagen booster in each and every one of their products so you can achieve results that support healthy ageing.

ADVANCED SUPERCELL SERUM - Wakame Bioferment Advanced

Developed from cultured wakame cells, this ferment detoxifies the skin and stimulates the skin's natural defence mechanism to resist daily stressors while providing powerful antioxidant protection, increasing collagen production, reducing visible signs of ageing and delivering long-lasting hydration. 

NIGHT-DUTY FACE CREAM - Optimum Life Angelica

Developed from Angelica Archangelica Callus Extract, this powerful complex stimulates collagen production while providing antioxidant, UV and anti-pollution protection for firmer, younger and healthier-looking skin.

EYE BELIEVE EYE SERUM - Thalassine 2™ G aka Nature’s Botox

Thalassine 2™G is a concentrated active of Sea Chamomile Extract. Its innovative muscle-relaxing qualities help prevent the formation of wrinkles—much like its famous in-clinic alternative. This powerhouse ingredient found in Eye Believe Eye Serum stimulates collagen production, offers antioxidant protection and hydrates and smooths the skin.

ACTIVE BOOST FACE OIL - Prickly Pear Seed Oil

A natural cold-pressed plant oil that has the highest Vitamin E content on the market, Vitamin K, essential fatty acids Omega-6 and -9, amino acids which help stimulate collagen production to promote cell turnover, and Prickly Pear Oil which contains three times as much vitamin E than Argan Oil. It helps hydrate, supports cell renewal, and reduces redness. 

Images from Romilly Wilde