Can Collagen in Face Cream Improve Your Skin?

Collagen is the secret sauce to glowing, youthful skin.

But as we age, this miracle protein begins to exit slowly.

Cue sagging, wrinkles, and your skin losing its bounce.

Enter collagen creams, the beauty industry’s answer to keeping skin plump and firm.

While these creams won’t reverse the clock, they might help you outsmart it.

Ready to find out how a dab of collagen cream could turn back the hands of time?

Great! Let’s dive in.

Understanding Collagen

Collagen is a natural protein in skin, bones, muscles, and connective tissues. It provides structure, strength, and elasticity and is the foundation of youthful skin.

Think of it as the scaffolding that keeps everything in place, ensuring your skin stays firm, smooth, and supple.

Collagen production begins to slow as you age, and this decline is often accompanied by wrinkles, sagging skin, and reduced skin volume.

Alarmingly, collagen production can decline by about 1% per year by the time we reach our 30s, making replenishing collagen in the skin a sought-after solution for maintaining a youthful appearance.

Collagen in Face Cream 

We are often asked if collagen in face cream reaches the deeper layers of the skin (the dermis) where it’s required. The short answer is no, not exactly.

Why? Because Collagen molecules are large and cannot penetrate the skin’s protective barrier, collagen in a cream cannot directly rebuild the collagen in your skin.

But this doesn’t mean collagen creams are entirely ineffective.

Although collagen molecules can’t penetrate the deeper layers of the skin, they can still work on the surface layer (the epidermis) by helping to hydrate and smooth it.

Collagen creams work by locking in moisture and plumping the skin, helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Collagen Peptides in Creams

Collagen peptides are broken-down fragments of collagen that are smaller and easier for your skin to absorb.

These peptides stimulate your skin’s collagen production by signalling the body to produce more collagen in response to the peptides’ presence.

Studies have shown that topically applied collagen peptides can boost skin hydration, improve elasticity, and reduce the appearance of fine lines (Proksch et al., 2014).

In addition to stimulating collagen production, collagen peptides help support your skin’s protective barrier, keeping it hydrated and protected from environmental stressors.

This gives your skin a smoother, more youthful appearance, which is why you will find them in our DNA age delay skin shot.

Collagen Cream Benefits

Despite the limitations, there are several benefits to using collagen-infused skincare products.

Hydration and Plumpness: Collagen-based creams are often rich in humectants—ingredients that draw moisture into your skin. Which you can find in our Quench plumping peptide gel.

This increased hydration can make the skin appear plumper and smoother, helping to reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles.

Support Collagen Production: While collagen itself can’t penetrate deeply, collagen peptides stimulate the skin to produce more collagen naturally. This can help restore some of the skin’s firmness and elasticity over time, especially with consistent use (Oesser et al., 2008).

Improved Skin Elasticity: Collagen is vital for maintaining skin’s elasticity. Regular use of collagen peptides may contribute to firmer, more elastic skin by supporting the skin’s natural collagen synthesis (Schunck et al., 2015).

Anti-Ageing Properties: As discussed above, collagen creams help reduce fine lines and wrinkles by improving skin hydration and elasticity.

With continued use, you might notice that your skin looks smoother and more radiant.

Smoothing and Repairing: Collagen-based products enhance your skin’s health by reducing rough patches and creating a more even tone.

To conclude. The naked truth

In the ever-evolving world of skincare, collagen has rightfully earned its place as one of the most sought-after ingredients.

While collagen creams, particularly those enriched with collagen peptides, can’t directly replace the collagen lost in the deeper layers of your skin, they are incredibly healing. They will help maintain your skin’s health.

Peptides stimulate your skin’s natural collagen production, enhancing elasticity, hydration, and firmness over time.

Combining these products with proven anti-ageing ingredients like retinoids, antioxidants, and sun protection will yield the best results.

Keeping your skin youthful, dewy, and glowy for now and many years to come.

References

Oesser, S., Adam, M., & Babel, W. (2008). Oral ingestion of specific collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 21(6), 292-299. https://doi.org/10.1159/000179378

Proksch, E., Schunck, M., & Zague, V. (2014). Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: A double-masked, placebo-controlled study. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(1), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1159/000355757

Schunck, M., Zague, V., & Proksch, E. (2015). Efficacy of collagen peptides in the treatment of ageing skin. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 28(5), 307-311. https://doi.org/10.1159/000437394