I went for brunch yesterday with my friend and we sat next to a table celebrating their friend’s birthday. I nearly fell off my chair when they brought out a cake with 41 on it– at which point I turned to my friend and said she must be taking collagen! First impressions matter– I would have guessed her skin age to be 30 at most, her hair looked full and luxurious and her nails were just beautiful. Ingestion of liquid, marine collagen can contribute to all of these things.
So as promised here is the science behind collagen’s effect on hair and nails. If I am being honest the evidence base is much less than for skin, purely due to the lack of studies conducted to date. Nonetheless there is evidence out there. Collagen is an abundant protein in our body, it is a component of hair follicles and is important in nail strength.
A study has shown that collagen can have a role in stimulating hair growth in the anagen phase in those suffering from alopecia. There is also evidence of collagen supplementation increasing the thickness of hair fibres. In a study with 54 participants over 52 weeks there was evidence of improvement in hair dryness and radiance.
With regards to nails, studies have shown collagen can improve nail growth and reduce brittleness. In one particular study participants who took daily collagen for 24 weeks saw 12% increase in nail growth and 42% drop in broken nails.
The evidence is all based on daily collagen intake for 3 months with results evident as early as one month! What easier way to do this than to have a GEN Collagen drink – this is why we made it an on-the-go collagen drink – to fit in with all our busy lives!