We always advise people to check the label before you buy and do some independent research on the ingredients you are unsure of or ingredients that have been recommended by paid representatives of companies. After substantial research our parent company Colway Ltd have provided us with some interesting research into what to expect (with regards to Creams) as the price soars.

Creams up to £5

Glycerin, lanolin, cheap mineral oils and aromatics.

Creams up to £15

Decent packaging, vitamins (non-organic), plant oils, UV filter.

Creams up to £50

Vitamins that are locked up in transdermal carriers such as retinoids, tretinoin, aldehyde, palmitynian (from Vitamin A or Vitamin C), tocopherol (Vitamin E) and at this price you would expect fructic acid, plant proteins, hyaluronic acid, herb extracts, mushrooms, pressed oleaginous seeds and polymers, emollients, humectants and ceramids.

Creams over £100

At this price level there is the question of the advertising campaign and the brand size that determines the pricing level. The difference between a £100 and a £300 cream is more often than not determined by the brand rather than the quality. However for a cream at this price range you should expect; aesthetic packaging, a high percentage of vitamins locked in liposomes or other effective carriers, phytohormones, ceramids, lipoic acid, seed oils, animal cell extracts, effective anti-oxidants, skin tighteners, coenzymes, plant extracts, retinol and bovine collagen.

Creams over £300

Creams at this price are simply staggering to behold, a cosmetic that can last up to a month for £300 must be something special? There are however only a few companies pushing out creams at this price range. Plant substances are taken from the sprouts and roots during pollination and flowering stages, from specialised plant breeders. Other complex ingredients and substances will include hexapeptides, boswellic acid, fibroblast contraction stimulators, phytoestrogen, caviar extracts and matixins.

The Results

Creams for such extraordinary prices as those above and the advertising that backs them up can (and does) lead people into the belief that creams can eliminate wrinkles – reality is unfortunately a cruel beast and the reality is that no cream regardless of price can eliminate wrinkles. The quality of creams able to halt the enlargement of “old” wrinkles and the appearance of new wrinkles, otherwise known as “anti-aging” depends on the quality and type of ingredients.

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is indeed power and there are a number of ways to arm yourself with tools to tackle those creams that televise amazing ingredients but hide their real effects.

• INCI – International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients

This INCI register of ingredients which is in place in most modernised countries – this list of ingredients will give you valuable knowledge for distinguishing which ingredients are favoured as high quality and which are found in the most common creams. Much like in the example below;

• Historical Elements

Between 1990-2000 it would have been hard to imagine an anti-wrinkle cream, to which INCI hadn’t added the word: Collagen. The collagen in question was bovine collagen, which in the end for both cosmetologists and biochemists – was a disapointment.

*By 2006 there were only 3 brands in the world relying on collagen supplements in their creams.

What happened?

1. Bovine collagen turned out to be biologically inactive, at the same time not penetrating the epidermal barrier
2. Research showed allergic reactions in 4% of users
3. Reinsurance agencies began to refuse policies based on their research showing the possibility of transmitting BSE

Yet Revlon, La Roche Posay and Helen Rubenstein have since supplemented with fish collagen costing £100 a jar with great success and are the driving forces in their respective cosmetic series.

How do they make high quality creams?

Creams can be divided into water faze and oil faze creams. Day creams are an oil/water emulsion type which are absorbed quickly by the corneal layer and do not stay on the surface of fatty layers. Instead day creams moisturise with the fatty oils and plant oils they contain such as cucumber oil, rice or estra with mostly fatty acids such as mirystynian isoprophyl.

Water fazes contain hydrophilic substances such as glycerin, glycol, pantenol, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed collagen (at Collagen UK we use lyophilizate) and others.

The water and oil fazes must be combined into a uniform type of emulsion. Aside from mechanised agitation you need the ingredients to play the role as the emulsifier. The next step is to add vitamins, biotin, plant extracts (for our creams we use noni, aloe vera, gotu-cola, sage, unsaturated fatty acids, flavonoids and anti-oxidants).

Night creams differ and are of a water/oil type emulsion. Oil faze creams for night use contain organic oils, to prevent evaporation from the skin, and minerals. Vitamins are added dissolved into fat and photohormones can be added. The water faze has ingredients similar to day creams.

Take Aways

Hopefully you know a little bit more about what goes into your favourite day and night creams and can make an informed decision on what cream is right for you. Don’t forget though that the competition in the cosmetics industry is enormous with each brand fighting for your hard earned cash so when buying a cream or any cosmetic please do your research – you wouldn’t buy a house or a car without research and the same applies to cosmetics (especially when they cost as much as a cheap car!!)

In order to give yourself the best chance of living a sustainable, healthy life it is important to compose between 70-80% of all meals from the list of foods below, the remaining 20%? Well … that’s where the enjoyment part we mentioned previously comes into play!

Ok, so a few ground rules before we begin looking at specific food types;

• Sugar: Absolutely ZERO sugar other than naturally occurring sugar from fruits & vegetables.

There is a scoring system with each food displayed below, pretty simple 1 to 5, 1 being suitable but not the best 5 being one of the best in the group.

Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Seeds and Nuts

Protein Products

Fats

Drinks

So there we have it, if you can make sure 70-80% of your diet combines a mixture of the foods above you will not only see a benefit in the amount of natural collagen produced but you will reap the rewards of a healthy balanced diet that will stimulate you both mentally and physically.

Resource: “Kolagen: Nowa strategia zachowania zdrowia i przedluzenia mlodosci” – S.A Batieczko

- Collagen UK Amazon Store

- Collagen UK Ebay Store

Introducing: Pure Gold Mask with Natural Collagen

Yes you read that correctly, a pure gold collagen mask. The gold itself is colloidal gold and is used in a number of skin care products. At present moment we are unaware of any other skin care product combining both colloidal gold and collagen, both of which work together to greatly improve skin elasticity. Colloidal gold works in the deep areas of the epidermis and brings an increased blood flow to the area which in turn helps speed up cellular regeneration. The pure gold collagen mask also contains a number of our renowned active ingredients such as aloe and Vitamin E.

For those interested we should be getting a run of them in stock very soon so keep your eyes peeled a the Collagen UK store for more information or give us a tweet or an email.

• How long does it take to see results?
• How many times a day should I apply collagen gel?
• Where should I apply the collagen gel?

These are all very valid questions and today we are going to look at point number one, how long does it take to see results? This is the big question when it comes to all beauty products, people want results fast, it’s the name of the game. Our answer to this question is always the same, we believe collagen use is supplemental and should be used with an indefinite time limit.

As you can imagine this answer doesn’t always sound great however we view collagen in the same way as we view say Vitamin C for example, over time Vitamin C supplementation will benefit you however simply prescribing it for a set period of time will mean you see the benefits then you don’t.

The Results Are In

We recently received some results from a test performed on two users of our Platinum collagen gel. The test spanned over 4 weeks and consisted of the test subjects applying the collagen gel twice daily over that period. The results you see below are the before and after pictures for that 90 day period, and yes, they are real.

User 1

Results from Platinum collagen gel application: 90 Days

As you can see there has been a dramatic improvement in wrinkle reduction around the eye area, coupled with a lighter, fresher skin tone.

User 2

A slightly older users results after a 90 day application period.

As you can see yet again the results are fantastic, the emphasis on this test subject was more the cheek and jaw area where we saw a reduction in wrinkling, skin looks fresh and the tone is lighter.

A Final Note

The results were as we expected, this is something I have personally seen myself as a number of my friends and family use our products and the results are always the same. The important thing to remember with our collagen gel is that for results such as this you need to stick with it and make sure it becomes part of your daily routine; cleanse, tone, collagen.

We still have samples available if anyone is interested in trying out our Platinum collagen gel. The sample itself is only 5ml so unfortunately won’t last you 90 days however it is a good free way of getting to grips with the product and how it feels on your skin. Anyone who is interested simply send me an email on romanowska@collagenuk.co.uk or via any of the details on our contact page.

Share this around guys & girls, collagen gel really does work, comments are very welcome.

Take Care

Eyeseryl is a patented ingredient used in a number of expensive cosmetics. The aim of Eyeseryl is to combat dark circles under the eyes reduce the effects of hyper-pigmentation and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. As mentioned this is an ingredient rather than an individual product so is difficult (as far as we know) to get your hands on.

How does it work?

Eyeseryl is actually an anti-oedema, what this means is it works to effectively drain water from areas of the body. When applied to the eye area this drainage takes place under the eye area, also known as “bags”. The product also works as a decongestant which means it allows for improvement in skin elasticity, this is significant as under eye bags tend to leave behind loose skin.

Does Eyeseryl work?

As mentioned previously we could not find an official website for the ingredient however there have been a number of studies carried out testing the product and the results have been extremely positive, here is one of those tests;

• US website Dermaxime conducted a study that can be found here and they found a significant reduction in under eye bags with 45 days of use.

It works?! Why haven’t I heard of it?

Unfortunately the clue to this is in the products that use Eyeseryl. They tend to be rather expensive, luxury beauty products and quite often they do not contain enough Eyeseryl to make a big difference. The issue here is that producers are reluctant to increase the amount of Eyeseryl they put into their products based purely on the price.

Collagen Eye Contour Collagen Elixir

Fortunately here at Collagen UK we stock one of the few eye creams that utilises this wonderful ingredient. Coupled with our leading biologically active collagen and a number of other key ingredients such as Moist 24 and others the Collagen Eye Contour Elixir is a real powerhouse in the world of eye creams, something our regular customers stand by.

For more information on the Eye Contour Collagen Elixir visit the online store or simply get in touch with us direct.

While we weren’t surprised that collagen could perform this type of task we were amazed that a material such as collagen has such an important role to play at both ends of the spectrum. On the one hand we have the collagen that has came into our everyday lives via beauty products, supplements and surgery that is supposed to soften, smooth and moisturise our bodies. Then we have other side where it is literally life or death for these immense fish and collagen provides the necessary protection. It will be interesting to see where scientists get with this, who knows we could also be selling collagen body armour, collagen goggles and gloves here at Collagen UK!

The Scam

Users clicking on these ads were asked if they would like samples of the products and asked tofill in their details, including bank details. Days later the unsuspecting user would receive a full bottle (not a sample) of the product and this would continue each month, unbeknownst to the user a monthly £96 would also be deducted from their bank account. The poor woman on the show then had to fight tooth and nail to get her money returned with the bank not able to help she turned to her local trading standards.

Our Advice

It goes without saying that whenever you are trying something on a sample basis that you aren’t expecting to be charged, but even if you are we would highly recommend checking up on the following items before you commit;

• Research the product: A good tip is to search (via Google) for the product name and simply see if there are any genuine reviews out there from customers. To be extra safe try searching for the product name coupled with scam to see if you receive any clues as to any bad practices.
• Payment Security: It is important to make sure when buying anything online to make checks on security, is the website SSL protected, are MasterCard and VISA secure codes used? More information on staying safe online can be found here.
• Don’t Trust, Don’t Buy: Sometimes you just get the feeling that something is wrong, if this is the case and you have any doubts it is sometimes best to just walk away.

Final Thoughts

We were quite disappointed in this as it gives the collagen industry a bad reputation, especially with millions tuning into BBC2 to see the program. Unlike “Pure Collagen” we offer our users free samples and thats exactly what they are: FREE. Hopefully more of these sorts of scams can be found out and eradicated, leaving only genuine retailers who stock authentic products. As a side note if anyone is interested in a free collagen sample from Collagen UK, simply send us an email via romanowska@collagenuk.co.uk declaring your interest and your address.

After a long break we have decided to re-design our blog and pack it full of all sorts of information, from beauty tips, product news, industry news we are going all out. We really appreciate any feedback from our visitors so if you read something you enjoy or want to see something featured on the blog just get in touch, it couldn’t be easier!