I invest a lot of time and money into my daily skincare regimen in an effort to stave off any pesky signs of aging for as long as possible. My skincare cupboard, nightstand and dressing table are all stacked high with topical products and skincare devices, but there's been one skincare realm that I've been hesitant to delve into - collagen supplements. I've always been rather sceptical about the efficacy of collagen supplements, so I thought it was about time I gave one a go when Revive Collagen reached out to me about trialling their original Revive Collagen Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink*. I've experienced many benefits from adding other supplements into my diet, so it was only fair to give collagen a try for myself and document my results for anyone else curious about them.

Collagen, a protein, is a vital building block within the body. For skin, it provides strength and durability, helping to maintain skin elasticity, volume and moisture levels. Unfortunately, our natural collagen levels decrease with age (at a rate of 1.5% a year from our early 20s - yikes!) and skin becomes more prone to wrinkles, sagging and damage as a result. Revive Collagen claims that incorporating their collagen drinks into your daily routine will boost collagen levels and slow your skin's structural decline whilst also benefitting your hair, nails and joints.

Before looking further into how collagen supplements work, I was under the impression that simply upping your general protein intake would boost skin health in a similar way. Turns out, that's not the case. Not only can it be challenging to track your macros to ensure you consume enough protein in your diet to begin with, but even significantly increasing your intake of meat, fish, beans, etc., won't have the same targeted effect on your skin, hair and nails as taking a collagen supplement. Collagen is particularly high in three amino acids (glycine, proline and hydroxyproline) which are crucial in fortifying the skin and are found in lower quantities within standard protein sources. Hydrolysed collagen supplements such as Revive Collagen are broken down into tiny peptides which are much more easily absorbed by the body and quickly enter the bloodstream to signal fibroblast cells to produce more of their own collagen. Regular protein sources, on the other hand, boost protein synthesis for general muscle growth and repair, and they have to be digested first. Eating more protein-rich foods alone is unlikely to match the dose of collagen that a supplement can provide, basically.

Each sachet of Revive Collagen's Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink has been formulated alongside top UK labs and contains 8500mg of type one hydrolysed marine collagen. That's far more than many alternative collagen supplements on the market! Hydrolysed collagen is more quickly and easily absorbed by the body than other types of ingestible collagen, meaning that consistent use should lead to results being experienced in as little as six weeks. The brand's marine collagen is sourced from ethically-farmed fish skin (don't be put off by this, trust me!), but they also offer an alternative vegan formula. Containing hyaluronic acid, aloe vera juice and vitamins A, B6, C, D and E, the collagen supplement has anti-inflammatory properties and contains the additional nutrients necessary to support effective collagen synthesis. The drink is all natural and free from artificial colours, flavours, added sugar, dairy, gluten, lactose and soy.

Revive Collagen's different formulations all have their own individual flavours. The Original Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink comes in lemon lime. When taken directly from the sachet, the citrus taste is initially quite sharp with a slight sweetener aftertaste. You have the option of diluting the solution in a glass of water or adding it to a smoothie to make the supplement more palatable if you aren't keen on strong flavours, but I soon got used to the zing and started to look forward to taking my sachet each day. The supplement has a thickish, gel-like consistency, which may take a bit of getting used to if you find certain textures difficult to stomach, but, again, diluting the supplement with water can help to reduce the viscosity if needed.

To give you an idea of my starting point before testing out Revive Collagen, I spend a decent chunk of time taking care of my skin and use a variety of products and tools at home to do so, but I'm yet to dabble with any injectables such as botox and very rarely get in-house skincare treatments. SPF every day, come rain or shine, is a must, and I try my best to follow my full routines both morning and evening (although I can be a bit lax when I'm ill or extremely tired). Whilst testing out Revive Collagen, I continued with my usual skincare routines (i.e., cleanse, serum(s), toner(s), eye cream, moisturiser, SPF, LED mask and ZIIP Halo) and didn't use any new topical products to ensure I could clearly track my results. My trial of the Revive Collagen Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink lasted for eight weeks, so I took before and after photos exactly two months apart to ensure my skin was documented at the same point in my hormonal cycle.

It's important to manage your expectations when considering the results you could achieve from taking a collagen supplement. Supplements take a while to work their magic, so give them time. They won't transform your skin overnight or erase every single deep wrinkle and jowl that you have in the same way that a deep plane facelift could, but as I've experienced, they can offer some pretty dramatic results with consistent use over time.

In terms of visible results, there have been some rather unexpected changes to my skin since taking Revive Collagen. The most noticeable improvement is that all my breakouts have completely cleared up. Every single one. One or two minor spots would usually crop up on my face around the same time each month, which I always just accepted as they were never too bad and didn't stick around for long, but I hated that the residual pigmentation marks left behind after they'd healed spoilt the clarity of my complexion. As no new blemishes have developed over the past two months, my old post-inflammatory erythema has had more of a chance to fade, leaving me with a much more even tone. One skin issue that I've struggled to successfully treat long term has been blemishes on my back and chest. I usually have to slap on a salicylic acid cream religiously to keep them at bay, but they have completely vanished. I wouldn't say I suffer with acne by any means, but this seemingly small change has boosted my skin confidence more than I would've thought. If you do have more severe acne, then I can only imagine how effective this supplement could be for healing your skin!

Generally, the skin across my whole body has felt a lot more plumped and hydrated since using the supplement. It has more of a healthy inner glow, which is hard to describe but isn't coming from the products that I apply over the top. I'm waking up with it rather than needing to create it with glass-skin masks, dewy moisturisers and cream makeup products. I'm still using all those things, of course, but fewer products are required to achieve the same level of radiance. My skin has been much less reactive overall, too, even though I've done a fair amount of travelling and worn more makeup than usual over the past month. Seasonal transitions usually leave me with an unhappy skin barrier, but I had a lot less unwanted dryness and sensitivity to deal with when moving from winter into spring this year. Although I've noticed a marked improvement in the overall smoothness of my skin, I haven't noticed much of a reduction in wrinkle prominence, but it's key to remember that I'm still early on in my journey with collagen supplementation and had very few fine lines to begin with. Personally, I'm using the collagen supplement to boost my current skin quality and prevent any signs of aging from developing as quickly as they might. As I always like to say, prevention is better than cure!

I have seen a HUGE difference in the strength of my nails. The tips are significantly whiter, and they're noticeably more resilient. A couple of my natural nails will often tear once they've reached a certain length, so I usually maintain a shorter style, but I've actually managed to grow my nails longer with no breakage since using Revive Collagen. It's a benefit that I wasn't really looking for, but I'm in no way complaining. Another element that I'm hoping will benefit from incorporating Revive Collagen into my routine is hair. Collagen supplements contain proline, a key component of keratin, which helps to strengthen hair and reduce breakage. Like everyone else at the moment, I'm on a mission to increase my hair thickness, so I can't wait to see the results in that department with continued use considering my nails have transformed so quickly. I'll make sure to keep you posted on any hair growth improvements!

I really wasn't expecting to say this, but I've already purchased more sachets of the Revive Collagen Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink for myself now that my two-month trial has come to an end. I've been so surprised by the results I've seen, and I'm excited to experience the benefits of taking the supplement for even longer. This product is not cheap and it's not going to be an essential product for everyone, but I really think adding a collagen supplement into your diet is the next step in looking after your skin if that's something you already prioritise. I've had a great experience with Revive, but collagen supplements should be seen as an additional extra rather than the be all and end all of skincare.

If you don't want to commit to taking a collagen supplement long-term for whatever reason, you can always opt to purchase a supply of the Revive Collagen Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink in the run up to a big event for a strategic glow boost. I'm personally kicking myself for initially being so sceptical and not trying this product earlier, especially when prepping for my wedding! A one-off purchase of a 14-day supply of Revive Collagen's Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink costs £35.69 and a 28-day supply costs £64.58, which equates to £2.55 or £2.31 per sachet (to be fair, that's less than my daily coffee habit!). Alternatively, you can sign up to a subscription on the Revive Collagen website to save 18%, which reduces the cost of each sachet further. Holland and Barrett regularly feature the Revive Collagen Supplements in some great promotional offers, too.

What are your thoughts on collagen supplements? Tempted to try one if you haven't already?

AGB X