What is vegan collagen?

With the absolute rise in popularity in ingestible beauty supplement market in the recent years, there has also been an influx of collagen supplements claiming to be a vegan collagen. This question has been asked many times, “What is the difference between vegan collagen and marine/bovine collagen?”. The quick answer to this is that you can’t compare them as there is no such thing as a vegan collagen as most of these are actually collagen “boosters”. Collagen is a unique protein that does not occur naturally in plants, they’re only found in skin, bone and tissue of animals.

Why do we need collagen?

Our body is able to produce collagen naturally. However, our collagen production declines due to exposure to UV light, age and unhealthy dietary intake. After age 30, our skin is producing 1-2% less collagen each year and by age 40, our body is producing 25% less collagen. Research has found that UV radiation accelerates the collagen damage in our body which contributes to aging. Another major culprit of collagen breakdown is sugar, which causes your skin to stiffen and lose its elasticity.

So why do we see claims of vegan collagen supplements on the market?

There are many supplements on the market claiming to be a source of vegan collagen which can cause confusion to the consumers. These supplements are not providing a source of collagen but they are providing nutrients that support our body to produce natural collagen. These supplements are identified as a collagen production booster rather than a source of collagen. The most popular nutrients for collagen boosting are Vitamin C, A, zinc and antioxidants.

Is vegan collagen a future of supplement market?

True vegan collagen is still under research where researchers have developed ways to modify the genetic of microorganisms such as yeast to make vegan collagen. Although actual vegan collagen is unavailable for now but it has become possible and we might see it on the market in the near future.

How does Harmony play a role in collagen production?

Maeraki’s Harmony is identified as a collagen production booster as it contains nutrients such as Vitamin C, proanthocyanidins from grape seed extract and probiotics which help to increase the production and protect collagen in our body. Harmony uses a bio-fermented blend and contains a broad spectrum of probiotics which makes it an all-rounder vegan inner beauty ingestible powder to support immune function, boost natural collagen production and maintain a healthy gut. At Maeraki, we believe that a healthy gut is one of the keys to healthy radiant skin.

Why do we still need Radiance?

Maeraki’s Radiance is a high dosage of marine collagen powder, a source of collagen itself and by ingesting the collagen, our body is able to utilise the collagen to carry out the body essential functions including repairing our collagen. Marine collagen has been well researched including Radiance, to show positive results in improving skin elasticity and hydration within 2-4 weeks. Thus, Maeraki believes that taking our Harmony together with Radiance will provide a holistic beauty approach that addresses the root cause of the key concerns.

Written by Maeraki Team