Nutricosmetics with The Nue Co.
Almost 80 percent of Americans take a multivitamin, however not all multivitamins are delivering on their promise. One of the main issues is ingredients, mostly due to lack of FDA regulation. Reports show that almost 50 percent of the ingredients in traditional multivitamins are made up of questionable (and potentially dangerous) ingredients due to equally questionable companies’ lack of care or oversight.
Even with some multivitamins that do contain ingredients of integrity, there’s an assumed homogeneity of needs. These supplements tat claim to be the one solution for all and optimal health, from energy to digestion, don’t address the specific results that consumers desire to see, such as supple skin.
What we’ve been thrilled about with The Nue Co.’s new line The One is that they offer science-driven and targeted solutions that combine absorbable vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicine. There are seven blends that include Immunity, Skin, Sleep, Metabolism, Joints, Mood, and pure Vitamin D.
Our Beauty Editor Alara’s pick was Skin Hydrator and below is the science-backed aspect of Nutricosmetics and the research behind The Nue Co.’s specific ingredients. As always, we provide all the research articles for your own perusal because we only support and partner with companies that are sufficiently research-backed, which is why we’re proud to be partners of The Nue Co.
Our Beauty Editor Alara’s Experience with the Skin Hydrator: More Resilience and Shorter Recovery Time
Daily stress takes a toll on my skin as someone who’s more acne prone. Adding shifting weather patterns to that (thanks, climate change), my skin health was fluctuating a lot before starting this regimen. I’ve noticed a bit more of a steadiness and calm in my skin.
Again, I’ve been on higher stress mode recently (like many of us), and had a pimple I was trying to recover from around when I started Skin Hydrator. Despite not having changed anything about my approach, I noticed it fade more quickly during this course. I am going to give the likely props to increased hydration.
The Research: What’s Nutricosmetics?
The nutricosmetics are products and ingredients that provide nutritional support to as well as enhance the skin, nails, and hair from the inside.
They are agents that increase beauty internally through amplifying protective or responsive effects, such as increasing skin elasticity through nutrients such as collagen, peptides, carotenes, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids (Piccardi & Manissier, 2009). These are essential not just in skin health but also slowing down the aging process. The current leading aging theory is the Free Radical Theory, which posits that aging (internal and external) is due to oxidation caused by stress that can be slowed down with antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C. In addition to meeting our needs through food when and if possible, supplementation can bring forth added results and protection.
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid that is one of the main ingredients of the Skin Hydrator. It’s been found to improve the skin fine lines and wrinkles; reduce age spot size; improve skin texture; protect the moisture content of the corneocyte layer; and retain or improve skin elasticity (Vollmer et al., 2018). Astaxanthin has also been found to stimulate collagen Type I and basic fibroblast growth factor, which decrease DNA damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress while improving immune response (Vollmer et al., 2018).
Aloe
Aloe supplementation also improves collagen production but additionally provides a protective reduction of the collagen‐degrading MMP‐1 gene expression, reducing wrinkles and fine lines (Cho et al., 2009). Aloe sterols further contribute to collagen and Hyaluronic Acid production to support skin moisture, decrease trans-epidermal water loss, and improve skin elasticity (Tanaka et al., 2016).
Grapeseed Extract
Citrus and grapeseed extracts contain naringenin, which is rich in phenolic compounds that are anti-inflammatory, photoprotective (protection from the sun’s damaging rays), and provide anti-aging effects (Pérez‐Sánchez et al., 2018).
Ceramides
In a clinical study conducted in 45 women with dry to very dry skin who received either placebo or 200 mg of wheat ceramide tablets (WEP) for 3 months, those taking ceramides noticed a significant decrease in cutaneous dryness and at the end of study. Their reported skin dryness was significantly improved in the WEP group com-pared with placebo group (Guillou et. al., 2010). Additionally, their hydration measurements showed that for 95% of the women in the WEP group, there was a significant increase in skin hydration (Guillou et. al., 2010).
Collagen
Collagen, as discussed above, is an integral part of slowing down the aging process. It’s a structural protein of connective tissues (skin, cartilages, tendons, and bones). There are various collagen types, but the most studied is Type II collagen (Dini & Laneri, 2019). It is produced in the connective tissue by fibroblasts and in numerous epithelial cells (Matsuda et al., 2006).
Oral collagen peptide supplementation “significantly increases skin hydration and the fragmentation of the dermal collagen network inducing collagen and glycosaminoglycan production” (Asserin, Lati, Shioya, & Prawitt, 2015). Moreover, collagen supplements improve creatine formation, which enhance lean muscle gain and reconstruct damaged joint structure (Asserin, Lati, Shioya, & Prawitt, 2015).
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural constituent of the skin’s extracellular matrix and plays a key role in the dermis metabolism (Dini & Laneri, 2019). With aging, the epidermal HA content decreases, and when there is a low content of it, the epidermis's ability to retain water decreases. As a result, the skin loses moisture, becomes dehydrated, and fine lines or wrinkles become more pronounced. HA supplementation has been found to enhance skin elasticity and skin hydration, thereby reducing skin roughness and wrinkle depths (King'Ori, 2011).
About the Author
Almila Kakinc-Dodd is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief of The Thirlby. She is also the author of the book The Thirlby: A Field Guide to a Vibrant Mind, Body, & Soul. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Nursing as a Dean’s Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Her background is in Anthropology & Literature, which she has further enriched through her Integrative Health Practitioner training at Duke University. She lives in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area, where she regularly contributes to various publications. She is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and urges others to join the movement.
