Collagen plays a key role to maintain the firmness and elasticity of your skin. This protein is also found in your bone structure, including tendons and cartilage. Unfortunately, the natural production of collagen decreases with age (starting in your 20s or 30s), making sagging skin more likely! That’s why people are looking for ways to turn back the hands of time. How about topical application such as collagen creams?
Unfortunately, though there are lots of so-called ‘miracle collagen creams’ on the market, it’s not always easy to find the best one that meets what you need most. Also, there is no single formula for everyone. And the effectiveness of a collagen containing skincare product can vary between individuals.
It seems a little homework is required before finding the real one you’re looking for. If you still don’t get any idea to start, the following products may help.
When it comes to choosing anti-aging products, some factors that stand out above the rest is how quickly they work and results! Of course, we also consider their price, scent, packaging, or probably texture — but at the end of the day, any of that would be meaningless if we’re still plagued by fine lines and sagging skin.
Produced by a luxury British skincare brand, this product is quite promising. While other collagen creams can take months to see the results, it works more quickly. Independent clinical trials showed it might be effective enough to provide a difference of reducing wrinkles and improving skin firmness in 14 days, the manufacture says.
Ingredients
We can say it provides an innovative blend of active ingredients. The main ones are ginkgo biloba (extracted from the maidenhair tree) and Mediterranean algae (Chlorella and Padina Pavonica), which are good for your skin extra protection from free radicals.
It also provides a deluxe, natural spa-like scent with absolutes of Rose and Mimosa (which is also an anti-inflammatory agent). It’s available in 50ml and 100ml jar. A small spatula is included.
Also, this product is free of parabens and artificial colors. It seems the manufacture does have a commitment to offer a more natural alternative choice.
Pros
Some skin care products are too heavy for face, which could be counterproductive if your skin is sensitive.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine cream is light in texture. Its gel-cream texture is pleasant, most consumers love how it’s easily absorbed into the skin. Your skin’s likely to feel refreshed and moisturized without leaving greasy residue. In general, it’s OK for all skin types, including oily and combination skin type.
The improvement of skin firmness is mild. And it usually only takes a month to see a difference, most consumers say! Although it doesn’t provide a dramatic result as well as surgical-lift procedures, I do believe you may love it and would continue to use it (regardless its price issue, lol).
Cons
Drawbacks of this product come down to personal preference. For example, if you’re not a fan of marine scent, you may dislike the scent. Moreover, a few consumers say it’s still slightly greasy and not powerful enough to moisturize their skin.
One study suggests vitamin C may have a role to stimulate the body produces more collagen [1]. So if topical application of collagen does have an effect to boost skin collagen, applying it with vitamin C would work more effectively.
The product has 3-O vitamin C technology, allowing the active ingredients absorbed quickly into the skin. This 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid is an effective, stabilized vitamin C. It has stabilized acidic properties so it would effectively penetrate deep into your skin. Another key ingredient is collagen amino acids, derived from natural sources. It is a well plant-sourced collagen with building blocks of proteins and peptides. Also, the cream has energy complex formula (including antioxidants) to help improve cellular metabolism and give extra protection for your skin cells.
Pros
It may work best for normal and dry skin, though the manufacture says it works for all skin types. Some consumers find that it’s not only helpful to promote smooth and brightness skin, but also a good moisturizer to keep the skin hydrated, making your skin wouldn’t dry at all.
When it comes to improving sagging skin, probably it’s not as powerful as Elemis cream above. But it’s worth a try for more affordable choice.
Also it’s a vegan product (cruelty-free) and free of sulfates, phthalates, and parabens. It fulls of natural ingredients – even it’s not added perfume. There is almost no report about negative reaction when applying the cream!
Cons
Just beware that it’s quite greasy. If you have oily skin, it could be too heavy to apply under makeup during the day. What else?
- A few consumers find it might trigger breakouts, though most consumers don’t agree.
- The price tag is still a bit pricey compared to most Vitamin C creams.
- Some consumers don’t like the scent of the cream.
If you’re a fan of serum, this Dr. Denis anti-aging product is more recommended!
There is no information whether it’s effective to help improve sagging skin. The manufacture only explains it’s mainly formulated to help tone, hydrate, and brighten the skin. However, this doesn’t mean you can underestimate this Japanese skincare product since it contains astaxanthin, a carotenoid from freshwater algae.
It’s thought that the ketocarotenoid astaxanthin may have a role to inhibit collagenases, resulting in potent antioxidant and anti-wrinkle effects [2]. Astaxanthin is very powerful antioxidant, 6000x more powerful than vitamin C and 1000x than vitamin E [3].
Plus it contains hyaluronic acid, an effective humectant to keep the skin moist and hydrated even on the coldest days of the winter. And it’s more affordable for most individuals, only about $49 to get all the benefits in one step.
Cons: There is no conclusive evidence that astaxanthin works for improving sagging skin. But it could be a potent thing to help ease skin wrinkles.
This heavy cream turns into a gel when you apply it. So you may not like its texture if you have oily skin, especially when applying the cream on your T-zone. Also, it takes time (about 10 minutes or probably) to be absorbed into the skin.
To help boost your collagen and get rid of sagging skin more effectively, you should not only rely on your collagen creams!
Even the effectiveness of topically applying collagen to the skin is still debatable. Just because you have collagen cream, this doesn’t mean you can simply boost your skin collagen with ‘collagen’!
Therefore, a number of other approaches are necessary for your best results. The most important ones are as follows: