I was recently offered the chance to review Skinade collagen drink – and frankly, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Specifically, they were interested in finding out what I thought about Skinade drink vs Pure Gold Collagen – another collagen drink I’d tried in the past and quite liked.
As with any sponsored post I told them, I could only tell the truth and, if the product was rubbish I’d have to say that – so here goes, my review of Skinade and how it compares to Pure Gold Collagen – but, before we get to that, let’s talk about why I was so desperate to try it.
The Moment of Aggggh
A dreadful chain of events occurred a few weeks ago – I went to the bathroom just as the sun was shining directly at the side of my face and, for some reason I looked in the mirror – now while I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am no longer at Snow White level of skin smoothness, I was at least expecting the Wicked Queen.
Today though what was grinning back at me was said Wicked Queen, when she’s about to head out on apple proferring duty.
It was AWFUL.
Not only did the lines by my eyes almost reach my ears – they’ve brought friends, little tiny creasy lines on my cheeks. I don’t have lines on my cheeks. I’m not ready for lines on my cheeks!!!
Admittedly a lot of this should be expected – I’m not going to see thirty again (and that’s putting it mildly) and it might help if I slapped on some moisturiser now and again, but still, I was pretty horrified – and it was at this point that the email from Skinade collagen drink dropped into my inbox saying ‘how would you like to have a try of our product and see if you like it’. Ummm, Pope Catholic, Bear Woods – you get the picture.
What is Skinade?
It’s a drink, that uses collagen and some other skin boosting ingredients to create, as they put it Better Skin From Within
That works for me.
I don’t know why it is, but I find it far easier to treat my skin internally than externally – opening a moisturiser, putting it on, getting my hands all mucky seems far too much like hard work, knocking back a collagen drink though is doable and so my 30-day regime started.
Skinade: The Ingredients
Skinade obviously contains collagen (more on that in a minute) but it’s not the only thing on the list of Skinade ingredients.
Skinade also includes a list of skin supporting nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin B, L-lysine, flaxseed oil and MSM.
It’s this combination that it’s claimed helps reduce the look of wrinkles in as little as 30 days.
First Impressions
First up the thing I noticed about Skinade was that it’s a hefty serving – the bottles are 150ml each, three times bigger than the Pure Gold Collagen drink I tried before – this is actually great as it meant there was enough liquid within one to help me knock back my other supplements too (they say you don’t need another multivitamin when you take it, but it contains no minerals, no vitamin D and I take extra probiotics and all sorts so that wasn’t going to fly).
It also tastes pretty good – like orange squash and so, I didn’t mind drinking it in the slightest.
In terms of content, the two have slightly different ingredients but let’s start with collagen, which is after all the main event. Both contain hydrolysed collagen which is the form of collagen most commonly used in trials.
Why Hydrolysed Collagen Matters
As I said when I did my Pure Gold Collagen review, the whole skin drink thing is controversial – many experts say that the collagen molecule is too large to pass into the bloodstream and reach the skin, others claim the stomach acid will wipe it out before it even gets a chance to prove the point above, but, the theory is that hydrolysed collagen has had its particles altered to make them smaller which means they can reach the skin – and now, a number of dermatologists think they may have some effects.
In fact Dr Stephanie Williams, a dermatologist I deal with regularly, recently said she’s changed her opinion on the products after reading some of the more recent trials on products that used hydrolysed collagen.
She now believes that not only do the fragments get into the bloodstream and reach the skin, they remain there for 14 days.
When this occurs the body thinks that these loose bits of collagen in the skin are actually a sign that your collagen is breaking down – this triggers it to go into a bit of a panic and it starts trying to repair the damaged areas – stimulating your own collagen. Interesting eh!
In terms of collagen quantities – Skinade’s is higher. 7000mg per bottle compared to Pure Gold Collagen’s 5000mg.
The Skinade collagen drink also contains slightly more of the other ingredients the two share…vitamin B6, vitamin C and Biotin.
On top of that, it has other skin boosters including added B vitamins, a form of sulphur called MSM (a type of sulphur that, I now take for other reasons and which really does make your skin feel soft) and omega fats 3 and 6 from. (Pure Gold Collagen focuses more on skin-boosting nutrients like copper, zinc and vitamin E)
Skinade however, does lose points because it contains sugar – sugar is kyrptonite to skin and each bottle contains 1.5g. The Pure Gold Collagen has just 0.1g per serving.
The Mirror Test
Two weeks in and I haven’t noticed any real change in my skin – I still look like Walt Disney’s image of an old crone.
At this point, I call my face jabber Marie and make an appointment for a few weeks time. She can’t deal with the little creasy lines – unless I want to develop pillow face which is not on my agenda – but she can tackle the lines under my mouth which drag everything down and add ten years to my age.
However, let’s fast forward now to Marie’s waiting room – two weeks later. Interestingly, on the side next to where I’m sitting is an advert for Skinade – the results these people have got from a 60-day course are incredible – crows feet disappear, big lines turn into little ones – seriously if I’d had that result, I’d wouldn’t need to be here.
That wasn’t what happened to my skin – BUT I did notice some difference.
Skinade Before and After
Not only does it feel more hydrated, the ‘Crone’ lines have all but disappeared – even in the same terrifying direct sunlight that made me scream before – and the crow’s feet under my eyes have softened.
The ‘sad lines’ that I’m sitting in Marie’s office waiting to be jabbed with filler haven’t vanished, but frankly, you’d need some kind of miracle to tackle them without a needle.
It’s a very similar result to that I had with Pure Gold Collagen a few years ago and as such my Skinade review so far is that I’m pretty pleased with things.
But don’t just take my word for it, take science. At least one other of the Skinade reviews out there (from Cosmo) had the chance to actually analyse what happened to skin before and after Skinade using images that actually looked into the skin – and they found
Hydration increased by 30.5%, there was a 3.5% increase in skin thickness and a 20.39% increase in collagen density.
Not bad. Admittedly their writer was 24 and collagen production is faster at that age than erm, mine – and probably the average age of someone reaching for a collagen drink, so, we might not see quite that same boost – but I was impressed.
Price Comparison
So, how do the two compare in terms of price. Well, at the time I write this, Skinade costs £99 for a 30 days supply – skin takes 28 days to turnover so there’s no point in trying anything for less time than that, though ideally they recommend you use it for 90 days.
Pure Gold Collagen costs £107.97 for the same amount. So, Skinade is slightly cheaper at normal rrp.
The other thing that I like about Skinade though is that they do a powdered version. T
his is very handy as, there’s a been a few times when I’m started a course of Pure Gold Collagen only to go away for the weekend and can’t pack a heap of tiny bottles in my luggage (and by the time I come back I’ve broken the habit of taking it) – the portable version is a very nice touch.
My Verdict of Skinade
So it the battle of Pure Gold Collagen vs Skinade – which comes out on top?
If I’m honest, both products worked equally well, but I liked the size of the Skinade bottle – it made it easier for me to remember to take it, I could treat it like a drink rather than a supplement. Sadly, neither of them have quite weaned me off the needles just yet though!
If you want to see more about Skinade here’s where to find out ALL about them,
Note: This post has been sponsored by kingsofcollagen.com – however this hasn’t influenced my opinion. I told them when they approached me I would only write something if I thought the product had made a positive difference which it has – no, it’s not the miracle in the adverts, but I’m happy. Now, has anyone seen a woman in a floaty dress with seven short dudes, tell her she’s alright – there’s no fruit coming just yet.
Image: freedigitalphotos.net
Who is The Wellness Nerd?
My name is Helen Foster and I’m a health journalist and wellness author. Publications I’ve written for include Women’s Health, Reader’s Digest, Body and Soul, Good Health at the Daily Mail and more. I have also written 16 books on health and nutrition.