Does Plant-based Collagen Exist?
You may already be aware that collagen powder comes from animals, and is therefore not vegan. Collagen is sourced from the bones, skin, and connective tissue of cattle, pigs, horses, rabbits, or fish. But does plant-based collagen exist? And should you be supplementing with collagen powder?
WHAT IS COLLAGEN?
First, let's start with what collagen is and why we need it. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It's one of the major building blocks of our bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It also helps with skin elasticity and that plump, youthful appearance.
As we age, we naturally produce less collagen. After the age of 20, it's about one percent less each year. However, we can preserve the collagen we have by avoiding too much sugar or sunlight and not smoking.
SHOULD YOU SUPPLEMENT?
We can also choose supplement our diet. Collagen powders have become an increasingly popular choice, but come with their own set of issues: they are not plant-based (and many are turned-off by the thought of consuming the leftovers from slaughterhouses), they are unregulated by the FDA, and the research is still early in deciding how effective they actually are.
Collagen is not naturally occurring in plants, and although scientists have developed a plant-based collagen from genetically modified bacteria and yeast, it is not yet widely available.
Regardless, studies seem to agree that the safest alternative seems to be working to preserve your existing collagen and find ways to naturally boost your body's own ability to produce it.
HOW TO NATURALLY BOOST COLLAGEN
We love a good secret weapon. We created Beauty Protein because we wanted a plant-based alternative to collagen that was safer. It is USDA Certified Organic because we believe in third-party testing and validation.
It packs a powerful combo of collagen-boosting ingredients (40% of your daily Vitamin C needs, mushroom-sourced Vitamin D, and superfood Organic Baobab) along with gut-healing ones (organic prebiotic fiber and two of the most well-researched strains of probiotics) so it truly covers all of your bases.
Beauty Protein is designed to boost collagen production, increase cell renewal, and protect against oxidative damage—which can lead to signs of premature aging. It's the perfect plant-based alternative to collagen.