Strawberry lemon collagen with hyaluronic acid and biotin for skin that looks flat, dry or less firm.

Ingredients in Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen

• Each serving contains:
• Hydrolysed bovine collagen15,000mg
• Hyaluronic acid 120mg
• Biotin 50µg
• Inulin:  prebiotic fibre that feeds friendly gut bacteria Dehydrated lemon juice
• Coconut water powder
• Strawberry and lemon fruit powder (flavourings)
• Sugar Free

The bovine source used is grass-fed and pasture-raised, and the product carries NSF Certified for Sport accreditation (drug-free, ethical).

Benefits of Bovine Collagen

This is one of the main proteins in skin, hair, nails, joints, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and connective tissue.

Bovine collagen is a good all-round collagen because it naturally contains Type I and Type III collagen.

1. It helps skin look fresher, smoother and firmer, especially when taken every day.
2. It boosts skin hydration over time, helping skin look less dry, less tired and more plump.
3. It reduces the look of fine lines, especially when lines are come with dryness or tired looking skin.
4. It gives hair key amino acids, helping it feel stronger, healthier, shinier and less prone to snapping.
5. It helps nails grow stronger and longer. They break less.
6. It is useful when joints feel creaky, stiff or worn from age, exercise or everyday use. It is needed for cartilage, tendons and ligaments.
7. It is also great for strong bones, because it makes up about 30% of your bones. Think Calcium and minerals to protect against bone thinning and collagen and protein to avoid brittle bones.

Collagen levels naturally fall with age, sun damage, smoking, alcohol, stress, high sugar, poor sleep and low protein intake can speed this up.

For best results, collagen needs to be taken daily. It is a long-term supplement, not a quick fix.

How Hydrolysed Bovine Collagen Works

1. Getting Collagen Absorbed

The problem with ordinary collagen-rich foods is that they contain large intact proteins. During digestion, these are broken down into amino acids and may not be used by the body as collagen.

Hydrolysed bovine collagen has already been broken down into smaller collagen peptides. These smaller fragments are easier to digest, mix well into drinks and can appear in the bloodstream after digestion.

2. Signals the Body to Make Collagen

Once absorbed, collagen peptides can act as signalling molecules. They are thought to encourage cells such as:

• fibroblasts in the skin
• chondrocytes in cartilage

to increase their own production of collagen and other structural compounds, including elastin and hyaluronic acid.

This involves pathways such as TGF-β/Smad, which are linked with collagen production and tissue repair signalling.

In simple terms, collagen peptides do not just act as raw building blocks. They also appear to “nudge” the body’s own collagen-making cells into action.

Types of Collagen

Bovine collagen is usually rich in Type I and Type III collagen.

• Type I collagen is found in skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.
• Type III collagen is found alongside Type I collagen in skin, joints, muscles and blood vessels, and is important for flexible connective tissue.

How Collagen Improves your Gut Lining

Collagen is used in stomach and gut formulas because it gives the body three amino acids heavily used in lining tissue: glycine, proline and hydroxyproline.

• Glycine helps make the protective mucus layer that coats the gut wall. That mucus layer is one of the things that stops the lining feeling raw and irritated.
• Proline is used to make new collagen fibres. These fibres sit underneath the gut lining and help hold the tissue together.
• Hydroxyproline helps collagen keep its tight, stable shape. Without enough hydroxyproline, collagen fibres are weaker and less well formed.

This is why collagen is not really a “digestion” ingredient like an enzyme. It does not break food down. It is more about feeding the structure of the gut wall.

Glutamine does a different job. It is a main fuel source for enterocytes, the cells that line the gut. So glutamine feeds the surface cells, while collagen gives amino acids for the tissue structure underneath.

Collagen Declines With Age

• From the mid-twenties, the body produces roughly 1 to 1.5 per cent less of this structural protein annually.
• By 40, production has dropped 20 to 30 per cent.
• After menopause, the decline accelerates sharply, with women losing up to 30 per cent of skin-based protein in just five years.

UV exposure, smoking, sugar, and stress compound this natural slowdown.

Fine lines, joint stiffness, and brittle nails from the thirties onwards are visible signs of this process.

At what age should you start taking collagen supplements

The body begins producing less of this structural protein in the mid-twenties. Many people start supplementing in their late twenties or thirties. Studies show benefits across all age ranges.

Hyaluronic Acid for Dry Skin and Joint Stiffness

Hyaluronic acid is the chemical your skin uses to hold moisture. It is found naturally in your body. A single gram can hold up to six litres of water, which is why it is works so well for plumpness and hydration.

Your body produces less hyaluronic acid as you age.

How HA Works

Taking Hyaluronic acid Supplements doesn't just supply the HA to your Skin (Joints, Eyes etc) for it to use. It works in two ways:

1. HA fragments are absorbed and used directly to hold water in skin and all connective tissue (even you eyes feel brighter!)
2. HA also actually triggers to the body to make  more HA naturally.

HA fragments may bind to CD44 receptors on fibroblasts, triggering pathways such as TGF-β/Smad, MAPK/ERK and HAS2 activity, which are involved in making the skin’s own hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin. Fibroblasts are collagen producing cells. 

NSF Certified for Sport: What That Means

The NSF Certified for Sport mark is one of the most rigorous third-party testing certifications available. It means every batch is tested for over 270 substances banned in sport, as well as for contaminants, label accuracy, and manufacturing quality. For professional athletes, this certification is often a requirement. For everyone else, it provides a level of quality assurance that goes well beyond standard supplement testing.