You’ve probably heard of collagen supplements and maybe even taken them, but did you know you don’t actually need to get collagen from an outside source? You can make it on your own!
Why Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body (!) and is responsible for the health of not just our hair, skin, and nails, but most of the tissues in our body, even the brain! As we age, collagen production slows down, which leads to “sagging” or dry skin, joint issues, and muscle inflammation. Boosting our supply of collagen can help prevent these symptoms over time and keep your skin looking its best!
Animal Collagen
The majority of collagen supplements out there are animal-based, and contain actual collagen sourced from the hooves, bones, and hides of animals (typically cows or fish). People often take these traditional animal collagen supplements in an effort to replace the lost collagen in their bodies, but doing so doesn’t address the root cause of collagen loss itself – it’s more of a band-aid solution. Animal-based collagen products are also likely to contain contaminants like pesticides and antibiotics that unfortunately come from the animals’ environments on factory farms.
Vegan Collagen
Since your body can produce collagen all on its own, vegan collagen supplements are designed to give your body the building blocks it needs (like silica) to produce more of its own collagen and give you healthier hair, skin, and nails. Vegan collagen supplements are made from plant-based ingredients and don’t actually contain any collagen, since collagen itself is only found in animals. As we age and our natural collagen production slows down, supplementing with nutrients like silica can strengthen your skin and help protect against our collagen levels diminishing over time. Vegan collagen is also a more accessible solution, allowing vegans/vegetarians/anyone who might find the idea of adding cow skin or fish scales to their routine a little off-putting to enjoy the benefits of increased collagen levels.
The Verdict?
Especially for those who prefer to not consume animal products, vegan collagen is a more sustainable solution that gets at the root problem of collagen loss. Let’s recap the key differences:
- Animal collagen products are sourced from the hooves, bones, and hides of cows or fish.
- Vegan collagen gives your body the plant-based building blocks to boost your body’s own collagen production.
- Vegan collagen supplements don’t contain any actual collagen.
- Animal collagen supplements, however, are collagen.
Our favorite way to add the benefits of vegan collagen to our routine is with a scoop of Coconut Collagen Boost! Coconut Collagen Boost contains full-plant bamboo extract, which is the world’s richest source of silica. Coconut Collagen Boost also contains biotin to further help strengthen the skin and hyaluronic acid (sourced from fermented vegetables) to hydrate the skin from within. It tastes like a vanilla marshmallow and dissolves seamlessly in your coffee, matcha, smoothies, tea, and more – so you can ditch the animal products and keep the beauty benefits.