I'm back with another post in the Secret Ingredient series.  Collagen is a protein that's naturally in your body.  It helps to give your skin its structure and texture.  As we age, the collagen in our skin decreases, which is a factor in wrinkles and sagging skin.  So, products rich in collagen must be the best anti-aging products around, right?  Well not exactly.

So far, there is no way to deliver collagen to your skin in a way that can undo the signs of aging.  That's because the molecules are too large to penetrate skin.  They'll just sit on the surface.  Does this mean collagen is a useless ingredient in your skincare? Definitely not.

Collagen is an excellent moisturizer because it binds to water, so it will help keep water on your skin.  This means it's great if you have dry skin (on your face or body).  It can help reduce fine lines that are due to dry skin, though, so it's often touted for anti-aging benefits (sort of a marketing trick, in my opinion).

I actually used (and really enjoyed) the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster (see review here).  This product doesn't actually contain collagen, but it's meant to encourage your skin to produce its own collagen as a way to plump the skin.  Who knows if that actually happened, but I can say that it moisturized my skin.  The vitamin c also helped to brighten my skin.  My point is that collagen is not a magic ingredient, but is helpful in keeping your skin looking good.

If you have a moisturizer that works for you, there's no need to throw it out and find something new.  But if you are looking for a way to help your skin stay moisturized, look for products that contain collagen because this ingredient will definitely help.

If you need help deciphering all of these skincare buzz words, let me help.

Here are some great moisturizers that are rich in collagen:

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Make sure you check out other posts in this series (on Retinol and Glycolic Acid) to find out more about what's in your skincare.