Recently, Suntory Holdings Limited launched the latest beer targeted at women in Japan and named it “Precious.” It has five percent alcohol and two grams of collagen per can. The tag line is: “Guys can tell if a girl is taking collagen or not.” As one of the many people who want to look and be healthy, I’ve been diligent in putting on sunscreen, building a healthy skincare routine and trying to eat right. So if someone tells me that a collagen beer could achieve the same results without all the work, I sure would at least give it a sip if it hits the U.S. market. (Unfortunately, it’s only available in Hokkaido right now.)
But the skeptic in me knows that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. While I would like to believe that this beer, along with many collagen-laced products out there, could do wonders, a part of me questions whether the alcohol would negate the positive effects of the collagen.
Who knew a little collagen could make a beer "Precious"? (¥210) (Photo Credit: Suntory Holdings... [+]
It would, according to Dr. Ariel Ostad, collagen expert and Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology at New York University Medical Center. Alcohol is not healthy for the body or for your skin’s complexion. It actually inflames the skin resulting in puffiness, rosacea and irritation. With only two grams of collagen per can, “there isn’t enough collagen to make a remarkable difference for your skin’s complexion,” said Dr. Ostad.
In this case, I wonder what's the best way to consume collagen. Is it in the form of food, drinks or different beauty products? Is collagen even a good ingredient when it comes to turning back the clock?
While more collagen in your skin could make you look younger, collagen in itself isn’t considered an anti-aging ingredient, according to Dr. Ostad. Our digestive system works to break up the collagen just like any other food or drink. It’s a protein found in the connective tissues of the body that gives strength and elasticity to our skin. Over time, we tend to lose collagen due to a variety of factors such as excessive sun exposure, poor skin care regimen and poor diet. He added, “the advertisement claiming that ‘guys can tell if a girl is taking collagen or not’ is totally misleading.”
Full 30-second commercial (Credit: Suntory Holdings Limited)
And as far as anti-aging elements go, the collagen expert believes topical therapy (like using advanced moisturizer with retinol, antioxidants, DNA repair enzymes etc.) is the most effective. Nevertheless, he sees the key to determining the effectiveness of this collagen beer in scientific evidence. Without which, it would be difficult to defend the anti-aging benefits of the product. To that end, I asked the folks at Suntory and they said that they couldn’t vouch for the beer’s anti-aging effects. According to Taito Mikami, Public Relation representative of Suntory Holdings Limited, there are "findings that Japanese women wanted to take collagen, so we created this regionally-marketed product to meet their needs.”
So while it pains me to believe that this "Precious" beer is unlikely going to make me look any younger, perhaps a few cans of it could give me the illusion I need.
15-second version of the commercial (Credit: Suntory Holdings Limited)
