What is Collagen?

Collagen is the most powerful basic protein in the body. Collagen fibres are used in all elements of major body organs. Collagen, as the main, supportive skin protein, ensures proper firmness and elasticity of skin as well as other body cells. The word collagen comes from the Greek word: cola which means glue, and genno – meaning ‘birth’. This is because Collagen “glues” cells to form the very basis for the body’s tissues and organs. Collagen is a connective tissue protein which appears in all body organs including the heart, kidney, lungs, liver, blood vessels, bones and eyes. It’s the most important protein in the body and it represents approximately 30 per cent of total human body protein mass and 70 per cent of skin protein mass. Together with elastin, it’s responsible for your skin’s elasticity and firmness. Collagen is highly resistant to physical damage. During our lifetime, protein is constantly recirculated - mature collagen is degraded and immediately recycled, thanks to fibroblast and chondrocite activity. But after the age of 25, your skin loses its ability to rebuild natural collagen. This is when wrinkles, cellulite and dryness appear and the ageing process begins. Cells become weaker and lose water, and the skin’s metabolism slows.

Collagen is responsible for an invisible layer on the skin, which maintains optimum moisture levels in the skin’s cells and causes cells to regenerate and produce collagen themselves.