A couple of weeks back, we talked about taking health supplements. I started getting curious after reading a few of your comments and started wondering: Do you take beauty supplements?
If you go to the pharmacy these days, you’d find shelves dedicated to all sorts of supplements targeted at making women look more beautiful – smoother firmer skin, firmer busts, thinner bodies…
Have you tried any of them, or do you take any regularly?
Many years ago, I was taking Imedeen, a marine supplement thingy in pill form. It was mostly at the urging of my Mum who was taking it and found it was very beneficial for her. I stopped after a while out of laziness, and because I wanted to see if there were any side effects to stopping. Would my skin sag to my knees? Would I wake up and look like I aged overnight?
But there was nothing untoward, and so I decided that I was doing just as well without it and so I never went back. That would have been my one and only real experience at taking a beauty supplement. A supplement that serves no health purpose but one primarily meant for beauty only.
My Mum had a very good experience with her collagen drink so she kept bugging me to try. I resisted because I wasn’t all that keen, but I recently had a box on hand by a different brand – Kinohimitsu Collagen Diamond beauty drink – and decided to give it a go. I had nothing to lose, I figured.
For the first week, I diligently took a bottle each night before bed. It didn’t taste bad, and wasn’t too sweet so it wasn’t as if I had to choke it down. It tasted like a fruit drink. I had no adverse reactions, but I wasn’t sure there was anything positive to be noted either, if I’m to be perfectly honest. As per directions, I then took the remainder bottles on every alternate evening.
This is a collagen beauty drink that is supposed to help skin look better, brighter, firmer etc etc etc. As I said, I didn’t quite notice the results, or maybe the results if any, were just too subtle to be noticed. Either way, I’ve since stopped taking it since I finished the box, and have noticed no side effects either. So, I’m not sure.
Are there benefits to taking these beauty supplements? I realise that they probably need a much longer time before results are noticed, but I don’t know. I’m not quite convinced just yet.
Do you take beauty supplements? Is there one that you find very beneficial for consumption?
I have read a lot recently about people taking collagen supplements but they take it in powder or pill form, not in these drinks, which are the most popular form available. Do you take those and have a brand you prefer? I’m sort of curious, as you can tell 😛
Paris B
I don’t take any beauty supplements at all, the only one is EPO and that’s them biological cycles heh heh heh~
But I have a few relatives who swear by them collagen drinks, they claim that they make the skin smoother from the inside, hence, less reliance on makeup. Hah hah hah~ Don’t know if it’s true though.
EPO is good, I used to take it and I really should get back to taking it 🙂 I know of people who swear by the collagen drinks too. Its terribly pricey though and I wonder how good it is in the long run.
My mom does… and she tries to make me take them too… But i just hate any kind of supplements… ha~
Yeah I gave in this once because there was a box lying around but honestly, I’m not sure I see any benefits 😛
I don’t take any supplements at all – be it for health nor for beauty.
I believe that all these products are really too hyped up. If it was really THAT beneficial, I guess there wouldn’t be unhealthy and only beautiful people on this planet.
I also believe that it is actually in your mind? Like, you think that the collagen drink is actually for ‘firmer skin, more radiant glow’ and somehow your brain processed all this information and make you into believing that it actually happened.
Eat right, exercise right, sleep well and you’ll be healthy and beautiful!
Oh yea, the hospital & plastic surgeon clinics will be all out of business if these products actually work.
As far as beauty supplements, I will tend to agree with you. I don’t quite believe in them either. But for health, I think I am seeing benefits after taking them for a few months now, so I would stick my neck out and say that health supplements are a good thing but not necessarily beauty supplements 🙂
i remember taking my mom’s collagen pills when i was still a teen (ooops!) but she happily shared it with me. we then stopped after we finished a few bottles coz we figured the results were too subtle to be noticed and it’s really pricey. nothing happened since we stopped either. but who knows i might start again in few years time? 😉
Haha! As a teen, I doubt you’d have needed it! 😀
The best beauty supplements are fruits, vegetables, and lots of water.
Most of the ingredients in these drinks list fruits right? Thing is you don’t know what else are in these drinks. If the same companies can sell drinks or biscuits that purportedly make your boobs bigger (because it contains hormones and all), I would be wary.
I agree with you right there! I think for the boob enhancers there would be artificial hormones, just like the F-Cup cookies. Remember those? You don’t even know if you might have a bad reaction to it!
Occasionally, I take a vitamin-like beauty supplement that’s supposed to help thinning hair.
To be honest, I probably don’t take it often enough to notice any results.
I’ve been told that for hair, Biotin will help make hair and nails stronger. I believe its found in the health supplements section, not beauty supplements and I know of friends who take it, and say that it really does help.
I’m a bit apprehensive when it comes to consuming beauty supplements. I don’t take health supplements either, except for folic acid due to my thalasemic trait. I think every company is telling us that we need this and that, and their research is always biased towards their products. In the end, aren’t they made of chemicals anyway? No matter how organic it is, you need to process it into a pill or a drink anyway. I think just eating healthier, consuming more natural foods and exercising will be enough for me.
One beautician approached me on collagen pills made of herbs, a 3-month course apparently and after the course, I’d look 5 years younger at least. We’re talking a total of about RM10K for miracle pills. Thank you very much but I’ll pass.
RM10k for miracle pills?! That’s stark raving bonkers! At that sort of price, they’d better take at least 10 years off! LOL!
I work in medical field. Once I did my round with my specialist, and we saw one particular patient age 50+, my specialist thought he was 70+. Many sick patients, those admitted to hospital usually never take proper meals and supplements. Some supplements are essential to take depending on the lifestyles and diets.
Talking about beauty supplements, I never read that beauty supplement (esp those sell at beauty stores/pharmacies) can actually give positive result. But some supplements really help in boasting cell renewal, reduce cholesterol level, increase ejection fraction of heart muscle and antioxidant (clinically trial and true to result).
Hi Ivo, thank you for sharing your view from a medical viewpoint! I think it’s very helpful to know that medically, some health supplements maybe necessary, because we don’t lead as great a lifestyle as we’d like to 🙂 also good to know that some supplements (medically tested) can actually be good for us! But I’m guessing not the ones we get over the counter 😉
I don’t take any beauty supplement at all before, now I would like to try it out~ I’m hesitating whether to buy Kinohimitsu Collagen drink or collagen pills? Any suggestion?
Personally I didn’t derive much if any benefit from the Kinohimitsu drink I tried. I haven’t tried pills though. Hope someone else can help.
I’d consider if there’s scientific evidence (impartial, statistically significant scientific trials) that convinced me. But first I need to work on my health 🙂
Agree with you there! Once we’re healthy I think the beauty bit will naturally follow suit so there won’t be a need for a beauty supplement 😉
Few years ago, I took some whitening and collagen pills from a popular Japanese brand. In the first few month, my skin looked so smooth and glowing, I swear my freckles were lighten too. Towards the end though, I don’t see that effect anymore. I stopped taking them after three month because it was hard to restock. And my skin went back to normal.
I think some beauty supplement does help to improve your skin condition temporarily, but the minute you stopped, those results are gone too.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Vissi! I have been curious about the pills or drinks for whitening because I’ve got these darned pigment too, but it’s good to know that the effects are temporary. It can et really expensive to keep up too!
As a former dietitian, I have pretty strong feeling about this topic. Our bodies have evolved to survive and thrive on normal healthy food, adequate exercise and restful sleep.
Consuming supplements that contain a myriad of untested ingredients in doses that can potentially damage my liver/kidney/heart/other organs is not a risk I am willing to take.
Thank you for sharing, Kay! It’s good to get a professional view on this, especially because we’re being inundated by it everywhere we go lately. I have to say I’m very sceptical about the benefits and also what goes into the product. These are of course, not medically regulated and could be potentially harmful.
I do take health supplements that are have extra beauty benefits, but don’t take beauty supplements in and of themselves.
I personally think that health supplements can help with the beauty part too, for when we are healthy, the beauty bit will take care of itself too! 😉
I’m taking Ephyra collagen. In case u or anyone would like to try.. do email me ok…. so far… Ephyra is not only for skin for gives me energy too!
I used to take them from Fancl but I see no results and stopped when I’m done with a box of them. A recent catch up with an ex-colleague last Friday made me purchase some (Meiji Amino Collagen) from Watsons. I’ve purchased 4 mths worth of supply. I’m not sure if it’ll work. I’m skeptical. However, gf was telling me that a friend of hers took it diligently for the past 2 yrs and when they meet up again, she looked the same whereas my gf looked like she’s aged for at least 5 years!
I’ve heard about both Fancl and Meiji. I think they are very popular but I haven’t personally seen them here (or maybe am just not paying attention). Would be interesting to see how it fares for you!
Well, I don’t really need it now. I’m in my prime. *struts around* Ha ha… I’m taking this as a form of maintenance. Perhaps 2 years down the road, I’ll meet up with a gf and see how it fares… *winks*
I am amazed at you responses esp from SharonC & Vissi. It’s good to know most people have such skepticism on these so- called beauty supplements. I have been a health & beauty junkie & to a certain extent will try anything if it promises firmer skin, thicker hair, a slimmer body etc. However, I do realize that most of these are marketing gimmicks & jargons dreamed up by marketers to SELL their product & as the consumer laws here are not as stringent as in the USA ( there anything termed a drug needs FDA approval) these manufacturers of beauty supplements can claim anything! And indeed they do! I saw in a shopping website a face roller made from 24-karat gold supposedly will help remove pigmentation, firm the skin, sharpen and define your facial features & remove wrinkles! I was about to click the ‘Buy Now’ button when my mom intervened and advised me not to! But thanks for all your feedback. I now know that when it comes to beauty supplements, a healthy dose of skepticism is the most useful ingredient!
Isn’t it great to hear from different people? Helps us make an informed decision 🙂 I think when it comes to ingesting anythingg we should take things with a healthy dose of salt and skepticism because if something goes wrong, it could affect our lives 🙂
I’m never interested in beauty supplements. Especially whitening one. Seriously?? :))…..I’m skeptic to a fault about such things.
I only take vitamin/health supplements recommended by my physician, like EPO ( it does help to eliminate skin allergy ) and vitamin C and iron ( and only for a certain period of time ). Otherwise better stick with healthy eating habit, sleep well, drink lots of water and exercise.
Haha I have the same thoughts as you about whitening supplements. It just seems off although it could work for some people. I have found that if I keep healthy skin does naturally look better but the problem is we just can’t keep to any sort of optimum lifestyle, especially of we get busy 🙂
honestly, I am totally against taking supplements unless one is really deficient and not getting enough of nutrients otherwise one should try to overcome the deficits through diet only but sometimes this becomes very difficult for vegetarians specially coz the diet lacks in proteins!!! even I have been prescribed supplements for my eye sight and some vitamins for weakness.
but, the supplements you are talking about are totally different. they are just beauty supplements and I don’t really think they do anything. I do believe that taking smoothies of spinach-banana or fruits juices on other hand to be a better practice as it boosts the energy levels of the body as well 🙂
but, yes, talking about milk additives, I do take some health drinks which can be mixed in milk or water – more or less compelled my mom 😀
I was also thinking of starting with wheat grass juice 🙂
Like you Swati, I think supplements for health is a good thing, because for most of us, our lifestyles leave our diets deficient. For a solely beauty purpose however, I’m very sceptical too. I hear wheatgrass juice is very good for health but I could never get past the taste hehe
Nah…I think they’re over-hyped. :p And pretty pricey too.
Haha yes indeed on the price! I can’t imagine taking them for the long term
I agree with most ppl here, some of the supplements are over-hyped. But when it comes to health, my attitude towards them are more serious. I take supplements daily for my overall health and some for my skin and hair too (not a must tho). Have tried several different brands in the past, so I can say some does what they promise to do and some doesn’t.. so basically they’re like skincare and makeups. But since you’re taking them in your body, being cautious is always a good thing.
I love to try the collagen drink, they’re so big in Asia – I’m curious to see what’s the hype about. But the price here is so jacked up, I don’t think they’re worth it.
I’m not sure if you can get it off Sasa? Collagen drinks are indeed huge here. New brands keep popping up! My mom claimed that the band she was taking was good while I didn’t see benefits from a different brand I tried so maybe there are differences in the brands and quality too.