The Science of Collagen

What is collagen?

Collagen itself is a protein that occurs naturally within your body, providing structural support for your cells, skin and tissues. It helps your skin to remain firm, smooth and supple, as well as assisting with processes like immune response, the maintenance of cells and tissue repair.

This hero protein also maintains your skin’s elasticity and strength, assists with blood clotting, replaces dead skin cells and helps to protect your vital organs.

Collagen makes up 30% of your body’s protein and is found everywhere from your bones and tendons to your skin and even your eyes.

The structure of this protein is a triple helix composed of amino acids. This triple helix can only be created when you have the right levels of vitamins and minerals within your body, including vitamin C, zinc, manganese, proline and copper.

To ensure your body is able to naturally produce quality collagen, incorporate foods rich in vitamins and minerals, including:

• citrus fruits
• peppers
• broccoli
• berries
• red meat
• wholegrains
• egg whites
• leafy vegetables
• beans
• nuts.

Collagen itself can also be found in some foods, so it’s a good idea to eat a diet that also contains:

• skin-on chicken
• skin-on fish, including sardines and salmon
• bone broth

The protein can also be taken in supplement form and absorbed by your skin via specially formulated collagen-infused skincare.

Types of collagen

Overall, there are 28 different types of collagen, with five main types identified within humans:

• Type one: 90% of the collagen found within your body is type one. This is the kind of collagen that provides structure to your skin, as well as your bones, tendons and more.
• Type two: provides joint support and is found within your cartilage.
• Type three: found within your organs, muscles and arteries.
• Type four: found within the different layers of your skin.
• Type five: found mainly within your hair, some layers of skin and within the cornea of your eyes. It can also be found within placenta tissue.

Other types of collagen include bovine and marine collagen:
• Bovine: comes from cows and can help to heal and repair skin.
• Marine: comes from fish. This type of collagen is thought to improve the overall health of your skin. It can also improve the appearance and health of your hair and nails.

A pair of Carol Joy London Collagen Eye Masks against a plain white background

Anti-ageing and collagen

Our body’s natural production of both collagen slows as we age, leading to signs of ageing, including sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles.

Although many people only start to use anti-ageing skincare later in life, our natural collagen production actually starts to decline when we reach our mid-20s. Therefore, it’s a good idea to incorporate firming and anti-ageing products into your skincare routine from your early 20s onwards.

A sudden, bigger drop in collagen production can occur soon after menopause begins, however, the majority of us will experience the most noticeable decline after we turn 60. It is at this point you might start to experience more visible wrinkles and sagging skin, making regular use of collagen-infused skincare all the more important.

If you’re wondering how to stimulate collagen production in skin, you can try giving yourself an at-home facial massage with a facial roller as part of your evening skincare routine. This will encourage blood flow and natural collagen production.

Skin benefits of collagen skincare

There are a number of benefits to using collagen skincare .

Collagen in your skincare can:

• plump and firm skin
• reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• tackle dry skin by deeply hydrating
• help to heal cracked or split skin
• promote overall skin radiance.

The collagen Carol Joy London utilises is so powerful, the same technology is also used to help heal wounds within the medical field!

We’ve developed a pioneering system of three active collagen technologies to ensure effective, visible anti-ageing results for your skin. By using multiple products across our collagen range, you can incorporate all three forms of collagen into your skincare regime, revealing truly radiant, youthful skin.

One: Collagen Peptides

Our specially formulated Collagen Peptides are small enough to penetrate the skin barrier , working from within to plump and smooth your skin, minimising the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Two: Soluble Collagen Molecules

Found exclusively within our Pure Collagen Spray , our Soluble Collagen Molecules can also penetrate the surface of the skin , working to smooth, hydrate and firm.

Due to their small molecular size, they can be absorbed through the upper dermis of your skin into the deeper layers. These molecules can also reduce transepidermal water loss from the surface of the skin.

Our Pure Collagen Spray offers instant results, brightening and smoothing with an added boost of hydration in just one spray.

Three: Native Collagen Fibres

Our Native Collagen Fibres work to hydrate, soothe and fortify the skin, refreshing and rejuvenating your complexion.

A collagen-infused skincare routine

Our collagen skincare collection can be used daily to banish the signs of ageing and keep your skin looking radiant and rejuvenated.

Using our Everyday Moisturiser in conjunction with our collagen-infused face masks, brightening masks and eye masks will ensure a bright, youthful complexion. The occasional spritz of our Pure Collagen Spray will further boost your youthful appearance and add some pep back into your skin, while our Neck and Décolleté Cream will make sure your neck and chest remain smooth and line-free.

The Pure Collagen we use across our collagen collection is engineered in Germany and manufactured in Switzerland, utilising years of expertise in skincare and science. Our products are clinically proven to reduce the visible signs of ageing and deliver a more youthful, radiant complexion when used as part of a regular, targeted skincare routine.

It’s worth noting…

Remember that collagen skincare – in fact, all skincare – works best in collaboration with regular SPF application. Overexposure to UV rays can damage collagen production and sun damage can cause serious skin issues, including certain types of cancer. Sun damage is so impactful on skin that it can render your skincare near-useless.

You should apply SPF at least once a day as part of your regular morning skincare routine. If you’re in direct sunlight or a particularly sunny area, it’s best to reapply regularly throughout the day.

While collagen skincare can help limit and reduce the effects of collagen loss, it isn’t possible to completely prevent all age-related collagen loss. It’s important to remind yourself that the signs of skin ageing, be that fine lines, sagging skin or wrinkles, are natural and a testament to a life well lived!

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Frequently asked questions

Telltale signs of declining collagen levels including fine lines and wrinkles, as well as loose or sagging skin. Some may also experience weak or aching muscles, joint pain and a hollowing around the eyes.

Collagen-infused skincare and treatments, such as collagen eye masks and hydrating face masks , can help to limit the visible effects of ageing on the skin.

There are a number of lifestyle habits that could negatively affect your collagen levels. You should avoid excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and vaping. You should also limit your intake of highly processed food, such as biscuits, sweets and fast food.

It’s also important to avoid overexposure to UV rays by incorporating SPF into your daily skincare routine.

Positive lifestyle habits, such as a healthy diet including collagen-rich or collagen-boosting foods can also help to naturally increase your collagen levels. Try adding sardines, berries and eggs to your diet.

Regular use of collagen skincare and a healthy lifestyle will help to boost your collagen levels. Applying SPF every day will also help protect the levels of collagen present in your skin.

It will likely take a few months of consistent collagen skincare use before you start to see real changes in your skin. However, the Carol Joy London Pure Collagen Spray does offer an instant refresh for your face.

Your skin cannot absorb collagen in its usual form. However, our Collagen Peptides and Soluble Collagen Molecules are specifically formulated to be small enough to penetrate your skin’s barrier and get to work from within.

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The Science of Collagen

What is collagen?