Collagen is vital to the health of our bodies! We’re here to break down how vegan collagen works – and the key differences between vegan and animal collagen!
What is 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 also our bones, tendons, and cartilage. As we age, our bodies slow down our collagen production, which, among other things, can lead to symptoms like sagging and wrinkled skin, usually starting in our 30s or 40s. Boosting our supply of collagen can help prevent these symptoms over time and keep your skin looking its best!
What is vegan collagen?
Typical collagen supplements come from animal sources, like cows and fish, since collagen doesn’t naturally occur in plants. However, if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just don’t like the idea of cowhide in your morning coffee, there are other ways to incorporate the benefits of increased collagen into your routine.
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.
Does it work?
Yes! People often take traditional, animal-based 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. Vegan collagen gets at the root of collagen loss, providing your body with the tools it needs to make collagen all on its own. Collagen production begins to slow down around age 25, so anything we can do to promote more collagen production in our bodies will make a positive difference and protect against future losses!
How to add vegan collagen to your routine:
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.