For the past month, my early morning breakfast ritual has had a wee beauty tweak. I start my mornings unscrewing a tiny gold-topped bottle, and sip down its contents daintily. It tastes tangy, sweet and peachy all at once.
This wee drink is not your regular health tonic, but promises be the next generation in skincare. The key ingredient is collagen, the building block for youthful skin, hair and nails. Many expensive creams and potions claim the benefits of collagen, but ingesting it into the system is believed to deliver faster, more permanent results.
What is Gold Collagen?
It all started with a trip to Japan. Tony Sanguinetti, founder and Managing Director of MINERVA Research Labs Ltd. was fascinated with the youthful appearance of Japanese women, and uncovered their age-old secret of drinking collagen in its liquid form. From there started his research on how to create a unique product that was easily accessible to the rest of the world, and Gold Collagen was born.
Gold Collagen is a health supplement drink where the main ingredient is hydrolysed collagen in liquid format. It is made up of small peptides that are easily distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream.
Each box comes with a total of 10 bottles.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a naturally occuring protien in the skin that preserves its firmness and elasticity. Collagen is also the key component in joints, keeping them strong, lubricated and healthy.
With age, the body stops producing sufficient collagen. With it comes the first signs of aging including fine lines and wrinkles, and joint ache.
What does Gold Collagen promise?
Ingesting Gold Collagen promises to stimulate the production of new collagen, elastin and moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid molecules.
“Many topical products such as creams, lotions and serums that contain collagen are unable to reach the dermis to increase levels of skin collagen. This is because the active ingredients have a large molecular size and cannot penetrate the skin’s surface (epidermis) as it acts as a protective barrier.” – Gold Collagen website.
Oral intakes of skincare products with collagen peptides are therefore more effective as they do not need to penetrate the epidermis.
- After 3 weeks: 12% increase in skin hydration.
- After a month: 15% reduction in the appearance of fine lines.
- After 6 weeks: 27% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
- After 9 weeks: 20% increase in skin elasticity.
Key Ingredients:
- Hydrolysed Collagen
- Hyaluronic Acid: touted to be a superfood for skincare, this naturally occuring skin substance retains moisture levels for that youthful, wrinkle-free complexion.
- Borage Oil: proven to be highly beneficial for skin and hair health.
- Biotin: great for hair growth.
- Vitamin B6: also known as pyridoxine, allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates and is essential for haemoglobin in the blood.
- Vitamin C: contributes to natural collagen formation.
- Vitamin E: a natural antioxidant.
- N-Acetylglucosamine: a naturally occurring chemical ingested for stronger bones, joints and cartilages.
- Bioperine: clinical research shows this increases the absorption of nutrients in nutritional supplement formulations.
- Zinc: contributes to the maintenance of healthy skin, hair and nails.
- Copper: great for skin, hair and nails.
How to use:
Drink one bottle, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
The Results:
First off, I have to say I really like the taste. It is sweet yet tangy, and I actually look forward to starting the day with a sip of this. I thought it had a hint of peach, and their website confirmed this, noting the flavor is infact a mix of peach and passion-fruit.
I have been drinking these first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, for exactly 28 days now (easy maths given the number of bottles that are now missing from my stash!).
In the first week, I was not expecting much. Afterall, as with any diet, it takes the body time to show real, noticeable results on the outside. I have to admit I also started using a really good primer that week (the Avon Ultimate Supreme Dual Elixir is pretty amazing!), and my normal to dry skin was already feeling a little more hydrated.
However, it was only after I’d finished the second box (that’s 20 bottles in 20 days), I noticed my laughter lines looked just that little bit less deep.
Last week I met an old university friend after a good 11 years, and she actually said my skin has not changed since my 20’s! Looking after your skin surely does pay off in the long run.
Apart from the drink itself, I have also been using the Gold Collagen Hydogel Masks every week. I love the cooling sensation of these masks, and they feel even better when popped in the fridge a couple of hours prior to use.
Overall, my skin feels noticeably hydrated and supple, but given the price of the product I was hoping to see more visible results with my fine lines. This product is a big investment, one box of 10 will set you back AED 295. And if we were to go by the brand’s claim, you would need 9 boxes to see very comprehensive results.
I am happy with my month-long trial. My skin feels hydrated from within. However, given the pricing, I am sure there are many other supplements out there that can deliver this result at a lower price tag.
At the end of the day, nothing beats a good, balanced diet, proper rest and loads of hydration.
If you have extra cash towed away, by all means try this product. It is backed by high-tech science and the results may be slow, but long-lasting. And it tastes pretty amazing too!
This product is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women. Discontinue use of an allergy occurs, and consult your doctor if you are already on medication.
The Positives:
- Tastes amazing!
- Backed by high-end scientific research.
- Loaded with skin-loving ingredients.
The Negatives:
- Very high-priced.
- Results can be slow.
Product Pricing & Availability:
Gold Collagen is available at all leading pharmacies across the region, and can also be bought from Souq.com
One box of 10 retails for AED 295.
The Tezzy Files 