Collagen: all the benefits of the skin’s natural toner.

• Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and there are almost 30 different types.

• The skin naturally produces collagen in the dermis, but with age, this production diminishes in quantity and quality.

• Collagen is essential for skin firmness. 

• Its role in skin hydration is less important than that of other active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid.

• Collagen-based food supplements have an anti-ageing effect, but they are less complete than cosmetic treatments, as well as being very expensive.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and therefore in humans; it accounts for over 30% of the proteins in our bodies.

Proteins are made up of a combination of small molecules called amino acids. Each protein has its own sequence of amino acids. Collagen is special in that it largely contains the amino acids glycine and proline.

Until the late 1960s, only one type of collagen was known, type I, which is an essential component of the skin. But starting in 1969 with the discovery

of type II collagen by Edward Miller and Victor Matukas which is highly abundant in joints, research accelerated to such a degree that we now know of 28 different types of collagen.

These collagens play a vital structural role, providing their physical properties and shape to human tissues. Here are the most important ones:

• Type I makes up 90% of the collagen found in the body. It provides structure to the skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments.

• Type II is found in elastic cartilage and supports the joints by preventing friction between the bones.
• Type III is found in muscles and arteries.
• Type IV is primarily found in the different layers of the skin.

• Type V is found in the cornea of our eyes, in some parts of our skin, in our hair, and in the placenta.
• Type VII is crucial to the structure of our skin.
• Type X plays a part in the formation of new bone and new articular cartilage.

Other types of collagen are only found in certain organs and therefore have very specific biological functions — sometimes only at certain times in our lives.

Collagen provides the skin with tensile strength and is responsible for maintaining its tone. It is produced by fibroblasts, which are cells found in the dermis. They also synthesise elastin and hyaluronic acid fibres.

As we age, fibroblasts become less efficient, and the natural (or endogenous) production of collagen declines. The collagen produced is also of lower quality. 

But age is not the only thing responsible for this decline. The exposome, i.e. all the external factors that affect the skin, also plays a part. Of these factors, the sun, tobacco, and pollution have the biggest effect on collagen because of the high levels of oxidative stress they are responsible for.

This combination of factors causes the skin to become less supple and less resilient, making it increasingly difficult for it to replenish itself, which in turn leads to the appearance of wrinkles. 

If you’re interested in collagen, you’ll know that as well as cosmetics, it can also be found in the form of food supplements. Most often in capsules or as a powder to be diluted. However, it’s important to point out that collagen is a long molecule and that collagen supplements are actually made up of the small parts that make it up. These peptides are broken down into amino acids during digestion. Amino acids which are then reused to make collagen again, but not exclusively.

The effects of these supplements have been well documented in a number of scientific studies and, on the whole, they have been shown to be effective in reducing wrinkles and improving the skin’s elasticity and firmness. Benefits have also been observed for skin hydration levels. However, these benefits seem to be due above all to what researchers call the ‘vehicles’, i.e. the other active ingredients that accompany collagen within the body. Some of these compounds (including hyaluronic acid) are also widely used in cosmetics.

Finally, it’s important to point out that high-quality collagen supplements (of the type used in the studies) are very expensive. They are also less complete than a cream or serum, which will also provide vitamins, antioxidants, sebum-regulating active ingredients, etc.

This is a question our consumers often ask us, and the answer is clear: no!

For the good and simple reason that this protein belongs exclusively to the animal world and that plants do not produce it. Natural collagen cannot therefore be described as vegetarian or vegan.

To boost and preserve the quantity and quality of collagen in the skin, Laboratoires FILORGA employs three complementary strategies.

Stimulating the production of endogenous collagen.

In order for the skin to continue producing high-quality collagen, our experts include active ingredients in FILORGA treatments that are capable of having a direct effect on fibroblasts. These include, for example:

• Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, which stimulates the synthesis of type I collagen to increase skin tone. 

• Vitamin C, which has antioxidant properties and stimulates collagen production.

• Peptides that mimic those found in the dermis during the healing process and act as chemical messengers to trigger collagen production.

• Kangaroo paw flower and stem extracts, which regulate the way collagen fibres are organised to maintain tissue structure. 

While these active ingredients all have a beneficial effect on collagen production, the ways they achieve this differ. The skill of our formulation experts therefore lies in knowing which compound to use and at what dosage, both to achieve the desired objectives and to ensure that it works in perfect synergy with the other ingredients in the product.

Protecting existing collagen. 

Merely boosting collagen production is not always the answer. This is precisely why our treatments also contain active ingredients capable of combatting collagen degradation or alteration by targeting, for example, enzymes that specialise in collagen degradation (MMP1s or Matrix Metalloproteinases) or glycation, the process that causes collagen fibres to stiffen.

Davilla rugosa leaf extract is a prime example of this type of ingredient, as it boosts collagen production by reducing glycation processes and inhibiting MMP-1s.

Providing the skin with collagen.

Directly supplementing the skin with exogenic collagen (collagen that isn’t naturally produced by the human body) helps to compensate for the natural losses that occur with age. The advantage of providing the skin with collagen is that it also serves to stimulate collagen synthesis in our cells.

At FILORGA, we use marine collagen, which has a similar structure to the natural collagen produced by our skin. It has a different way of working than boosters or protective active ingredients, as it forms a film on the skin’s surface that helps prevent loss of moisture.

The marine collagen we use is included in our treatments in two different forms:

• Non-hydrolysed form with film-forming properties that plumps the skin and helps it look fuller.

• Encapsulated form that deeply penetrates the skin to stimulate endogenous collagen synthesis and restore substance and tone.

Since its creation in 1978, Laboratoires FILORGA has drawn inspiration from aesthetic medicine to protect, nourish, and hydrate the skin of its customers. Our flagship ingredient, NCEF, contains all the elements that our cells need to function optimally while also ensuring proper collagen synthesis. Most notably, NCEF includes:

• Amino acids, including glycine and arginine, to promote its production.

• A powerful antioxidant, ergothioneine, to protect it from free radicals.

Cosmetic testing carried out on human skin explants has conclusively demonstrated NCEF’s ability to stimulate fibroblast activity, to increase collagen synthesis.

NCEF is found in all FILORGA* products, such as our TIME-FILLER INTENSIVE serum and TIME-FILLER 5XP cream, which also contain collagen-boosting peptides and kangaroo flower extract to help reorganise collagen fibres and maintain tissue structure.

*Excluding cleansers, sheet masks and TIME-FILLER SHOT 5XP.

Sources:

Ricard-Blum S. The collagen family. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011 Jan 1;3(1):a004978. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a004978. PMID: 21421911; PMCID: PMC3003457.

Rittié L, Fisher GJ. Natural and sun-induced aging of human skin. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2015 Jan 5;5(1):a015370. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a015370. PMID: 25561721; PMCID: PMC4292080.

Zhang S, Duan E. Fighting against Skin Aging: The Way from Bench to Bedside. Cell Transplant. 2018 May;27(5):729-738. doi: 10.1177/0963689717725755. Epub 2018 Apr 25. PMID: 29692196; PMCID: PMC6047276.

Miranda, R., Weimer, P., & Rossi, R. (2021). Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Dermatology, 60. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15518.

Kim, D.-U.; Chung, H.-C.; Choi, J.; Sakai, Y.; Lee, B.-Y. Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients 2018, 10, 826. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10070826