Beauty From Within

It is the ingestible side of beauty: powders, capsules and liquids taken by mouth rather than creams applied to the skin. On this page that means collagen peptides, marine collagen, colloidal silica, biotin, soluble keratin, hyaluronic acid and the multi-ingredient hair, skin and nail formulas, across about 20 brands.

The animal it comes from, and the type of collagen that results. Bovine collagen is made from cattle hide and is usually type 1 and type 3. Marine collagen comes from fish skin and scales, is mostly type 1, and has a smaller peptide size. Marine suits anyone who does not eat beef, bovine is usually the cheaper scoop, and neither is vegan.

Serves on this page range from about 2.5g to 10g of collagen peptides per scoop, so compare the grams per serve rather than the price of the tub. A 450g tub at 10g a scoop is 45 servings; a 225g tub at 5g a scoop is also 45. Check what else is in the scoop too, since some blends add vitamin C, silica or biotin and others are collagen alone.

Unflavoured if you already put something in a drink. It dissolves into coffee, water or a smoothie without changing the taste, which is what makes it easy to keep up daily. Flavoured blends are easier to take in plain water on their own, and usually carry added vitamin C or fruit powders, so read the label if you are watching added sugar.

They are the non-collagen ingredients that turn up most often. Silica is a mineral, usually from bamboo extract or colloidal silica. Biotin is a B vitamin, often at high doses such as 5,000 or 10,000mcg. Keratin, sold as soluble keratin, is the protein hair and nails are made of and comes from sheep wool. They appear on their own or alongside collagen, which is why two beauty powders at the same price can contain quite different things.

Yes, but not collagen. Collagen peptides are always animal derived, from cattle or fish, so a vegan choice means colloidal silica, biotin, hyaluronic acid or one of the plant-based hair, skin and nails formulas. Some products are sold as vegan collagen builders, which supply nutrients the body uses to make its own collagen rather than collagen itself.

Any time of day, in a drink, and consistently. There is no need to take it on an empty stomach or at a particular hour, so the practical advice is to attach it to something you already do daily, such as a morning coffee. Stir it into a cold or warm drink rather than boiling liquid, and give it a moment to dissolve.

Two things worth raising with a pharmacist. High dose biotin, which is common in these formulas, can interfere with laboratory tests that use biotin technology, including some heart and hormone blood tests, so mention it before any blood test. Marine collagen is a fish product, so avoid it with a fish allergy. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription medicines, ask us before starting something new.