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It’s no secret that Jennifer Aniston is celebrated for her timeless beauty and seemingly ageless skin. Since her breakout as Rachel Green in Friends, the actress has consistently brought her A-game to beauty, and is famed for her bangs and honey hued highlights, luminous skin, and a soft nude lip. Her signature style captures that effortlessly polished Californian girl look, and it never feels dated.
She’s equally admired for maintaining a plump, deeply hydrated, and radiant complexion decades into her career. And, rather than chasing trends, her approach centres on long term skin health and consistency, with a focus on quality sleep, daily SPF, and collagen support.
Collagen is a structural protein that the body produces naturally, helping to keep skin firm, smooth, and resilient. But as early as our mid-twenties, production starts to slow, leading to a gradual loss of that support over time. That’s where collagen supplements come in.
Aniston has been the Chief Creative Officer and celebrity ambassador for the collagen brand Vital Proteins since 2020, and was previously using the brand’s collagen before that – so it felt like a very natural next step. Naturally, our experts had to put the product to the test, in a bid to get skin that looks as good as the eternally youthful star.
When testing the best collagen supplements to strengthen and boost skin, our expert, Ellie Davis, was impressed by the Vital Proteins collagen peptides, noting its ability to easily dissolve or blend, and support other bodily functions.
Vital Proteins collagen peptides
The brand uses grass-fed bovine collagen to craft its supplements that are flavoured with vanilla, coconut and matcha and yet are gluten, soy and dairy-free. There are also no artificial ingredients, bulking agents, sweeteners or sugars. Each serving provides 20g of collagen peptides, and with only bioavailable ingredients included, each portion can be digested and absorbed by the body easily.
The powdered texture dissolves easily into hot or cold drinks (Jen adds it to her morning cuppa) or can be blended into smoothies or sprinkled on porridge. While fortifying our skin, hair and nails, it also works to support your bones, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments at the same time.
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What do collagen supplements do?
Lola Biggs, Dietitian at Together Health told Standard Shopping: “Collagen is the most abundant protein found in our body, acting as our in-house scaffolding and playing a critical structural role in all our body’s building blocks, including our skin and bones.”
And it’s such a popular choice that it’s garnered a pretty impressive celebrity fan base, including Victoria Beckham and Khloe Kardashian alongside Jennifer Aniston. Most collagen supplements come in powder, drink or tablet form and can be from bovine, marine or vegan sources.
The process of hydrolysis breaks collagen down into smaller, absorbable particles by combining it with liquid. In its intact state, collagen is too large to pass into the bloodstream, but once broken down, it can be taken up more efficiently and carried throughout the body. These components then contribute to processes that support elastin and hyaluronic acid levels. Because they closely resemble the body’s own proteins, they are readily accepted and utilised.
When used correctly, collagen supplements can reduce joint pain, improve skin elasticity and hydration, and support your bone and muscle health.
Read more on the top collagen-boosting serums for firmer, youthful skin
